Varfolomeev comforts her team-mate immediately after the golden super show
Germany has its first Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics. Darja Varfolomeev meets high expectations in Paris. The Potsdam native Margarita Kolosov also performs top, but misses a medal. Then there is a big moment.
In the moment of her historic triumph, Darja Varfolomeev first rushed to her disappointed teammate. While the 17-year-old had crowned herself the first German Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics, Margarita Kolosov narrowly missed the podium. "That's mega unfortunate because she gave her all," said Varfolomeev: "But I told her there are still the next Olympic Games, to which we hopefully will go together, and then we'll show what we can do again."
Does she have the Summer Games 2028 in Los Angeles in mind? "Yes," said Varfolomeev briefly after winning gold in the Parisian La Chapelle Arena. Kolosov, on the other hand, left her future open on that matter: "I'll take it year by year." As the fifth in the qualification, the 20-year-old from Potsdam qualified for the all-around final, where a medal was unexpectedly within reach. She hadn't even seen the mistake of the five-time world champion Sofia Raffaeli from Italy, who eventually won bronze. "I thought it would be the fourth place. Then they show the mistake in slow motion. Then the hopes go through the roof. And then I still become fourth."
"The place that hurts the most"
Varfolomeev felt with her. "The fourth place is always the one that hurts the most," said the six-time world champion: "I knew she gave her all. She trained so hard with me. I know how it is for her because I've been with her all the time." Kolosov also seemed to know exactly what her teammate was going through. "It's so hard to handle the pressure when you know you can win," said the German all-around champion about Varfolomeev: "That's why I'm really proud of her and happy that she made it. Because I can imagine how hard it is."
Varfolomeev triumphed in Paris in the all-around with hoop, ball, clubs, and ribbon with 142.850 points and burst into tears after the scores were announced. "I'm just glad I showed four clean routines and stuck with it until the end," she said. "Then the emotions came that I did it." The only medal for Germany in rhythmic gymnastics so far was in 1984 at the Summer Games in Los Angeles. Then Regina Weber, the mother of football national player Leroy Sané, won bronze. Varfolomeev has now achieved the big breakthrough.
Even in the qualification the day before, she had a shaky performance. In the hoop exercise, the apparatus slipped away from her and rolled across the floor, so she had to use a replacement hoop. And even a knot in the ribbon, which she skillfully solved, cost her valuable points. In the final, however, there was no sign of the uncertainties. Highly concentrated and with seemingly playful ease, the expressive gymnast presented her exercises filled with highest difficulties. After three apparatuses, she was already 2.3 points ahead of the second. After the final ribbon exercise, she relievedly struck the floor and then received a heartfelt hug from her coach Yuliya Raskina.
Following their successful performances in the Olympic Games, Varfolomeev and Kolosov discussed their future plans. Varfolomeev mentioned the possibility of competing in the Summer Games 2028 in Los Angeles, while Kolosov remained focused on taking things one year at a time.
In reflecting on Kolosov's close miss at a medal, Varfolomeev expressed her empathy, recalling the pain of finishing fourth herself. "The fourth place is always the one that hurts the most," Varfolomeev said, acknowledging the emotional toll of coming so close to achieving their goals.
