- "Means everything to me": Varfolomeev, gymnastics Olympic champion
Darja Varfolomeev first let out her joy and relief, then beamed with pride wearing the gold medal around her neck. 345 days after her fivefold triumph at the World Championships, the 17-year-old crowned herself the first German Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics. "This means everything to me," she said. "It feels incredible that all the work, sweat, tears, and pain paid off, and I have a gold medal around my neck."
Varfolomeev triumphed in Paris in the all-around with hoop, ball, clubs, and ribbon, scoring 142.850 points and breaking down in tears upon hearing the results. "I'm just happy that I showed four clean routines and stuck it out until the end," she said. "Then the emotions hit that I had done it."
For the German Gymnastics Federation (DTB), it was also the first medal at the Games in France's capital and the first Olympic medal in gymnastics since bronze by Regina Weber in 1984 in Los Angeles.
Kolosov's fourth place hurts
Second place went to Borjana Kaleyn of Bulgaria with 140.600 points, ahead of Italian favorite Sofia Raffaeli (136.300). German all-around champion Margarita Kolosov from Potsdam finished fourth with 135.250 points and cried openly afterwards.
"It's a shame, because fourth place is the one that hurts the most," said Varfolomeev, comforting her training partner. "I told her, 'It's okay, Marga, we'll wait and see, there are still more Olympic Games, and hopefully, we'll go together and show what we can do,'" reported the Olympic champion.
Uncertainties in the qualification vanished
In the qualification the day before, Varfolomeev had a shaky performance. Her hoop slipped away and rolled onto the floor, forcing her to finish with a replacement hoop. A knot in her ribbon also cost her valuable points. Nevertheless, the two-time European champion finished second in the qualifying round behind Raffaeli and ahead of Kaleyn.
In the final, there was no sign of the uncertainties. Highly concentrated and with seemingly effortless ease, the expressive gymnast presented her routines filled with highest difficulties. After three apparatuses, she was already 2.3 points ahead of second place. After the final ribbon routine, she relievedly hit the floor and received a warm hug from her coach Yuliya Raskina.
"I can hardly believe what happened," said the 42-year-old, recalling the tumultuous preparation for Paris: "Every competition was like the Olympics, just as stressful, everyone was watching, everyone was commenting and predicting what was possible and what wasn't. It was incredibly difficult." And Varfolomeev added: "From the beginning of the season, we knew that our only goal was the Olympic Games. The competitions before that were just practice."
Rhythmic gymnastics has been an Olympic sport since 1984 in Los Angeles, when Regina Weber became the first and only German to win a medal, a bronze.
Thanks to her grandfather, Varfolomeev came to Germany
With her Olympic victory, Varfolomeev also crowned an extraordinary career path. At the age of three, she started rhythmic gymnastics like her mother. At the age of twelve, she came to Germany from the west Siberian city of Barnaul, initially without her parents and without speaking the language.
Due to her German grandfather, she was able to change her citizenship. Now she lives with her father and her Chihuahua in Fellbach, near Stuttgart. Her mother remains in Russia, but she, along with the rest of her family, was present at the gold medal event in the Arena Porte de La Chapelle. "In any case, it was all worth it, as it was my own decision to come to Germany to achieve my goal. Initially, my goal was only the Olympic Games, but after last year, I realized that I can expect more from myself," she said, then disappeared into the embrace of her family.
Darja Varfolomeev expressed her sympathy towards her training partner Margarita Kolosov from Potsdam, who finished fourth in the competition, sharing that "It's a shame, because fourth place is the one that hurts the most." After their Olympic performance, Varfolomeev mentioned looking forward to potential future Olympic Games, saying, "We'll wait and see, and hopefully, we'll go together and show what we can do in the next Olympics, in Potsdam if possible."
