With a little less than a month left till the start of the 2022 World Championships in Rhythmic Gymnastics, we now know the names of the individual and group gymnasts who’ll compete in Sofia.
Nine sets of medals will be up for grabs in the Bulgarian capital for the hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon, individual all-around, team, group all-around, group 5 hoops and group 3 ribbons 2 balls events.
Individual teams comprised of 2-3 gymnasts are required to perform 8 routines in total during qualification. Only gymnasts doing 3 or 4 routines can fight to advance to the AA final (top 18). Federations participating with both 2-3 individuals and a group will also take part in the team ranking, where the sum of the 8 individual and 2 group routines (scores taken from the group AA) will count.
As previously made known by individual team manager Branimira Markova, the host nation Bulgaria will participate with frontrunners Boryana Kaleyn and Stiliana Nikolova. The Bulgarian group underwent changes during the summer, with Vaya Draganova exiting after a stress fracture and Radina Tomova entering the team. Their 3+2 routine is also entirely new. It will be presented later this month at the World Challenge Cup in Cluj.
Going forward alphabetically, we notice Lidiia Iakovleva (AUS) and Arzu Jalilova (AZE) missing from their countries’ individual line-ups, as well as Jelizaveta Polstjanaja (LAT), who was excluded from Latvia’s Olympic team and has refused to participate.
Canada are bringing the same team that won gold at the Commonwealth Games – Carmel Kallemaa, Tatiana Cocsanova and Suzanna Shahbazian, with Cocsanova only doing ribbon. The Canadian group, lead by Bulgarian coach Savina Gancheva will finally make its first appearance.
Spain will also be counting on the same gymnasts as during Europeans – Polina Berezina and Alba Bautista. Germany, however, is playing safe and will only participate with Margarita Kolosov and Darja Varfolomeev. Greece has registered Panagiota Lytra and Maria Dervisi, Fanni Pigniczki and Hanna Panna Wiesner will represent Hungary, with Israel and Italy going the risky path. Both teams will use 3 gymnasts, with Noga Block only doing ribbon, while Daria Atamanov gets 4 apparatuses and Adi Katz – 3. Italy give one hoop routine to Alexandra Agiurgiuculese, who had a rough season and missed Europeans, taking it from Milena Baldassari, who’s left with 3 apparatuses. Sofia Raffaeli will naturally do all 4. Gymnasts doing 3 routines have no place for mistakes, as all their routines will count for the AA final qualification, whereas those performing 4 will drop the lowest score.
Of the more popular names, we’ll see Maelle Millet and Helene Karbanov for France, Sumire Kita representing Japan along with Aino Yamada, Aibota Yertaikyzy and Elzhana Taniyeva for Kazakhstan, Izzah Amzan making her way back to the World Championships for Malaysia after skipping last year’s edition, Romania is going for Andreea Verdes and Annaliese Dragan, Ekaterina Vedeneeva will represent Slovenia. Ukraine’s team includes Viktoriia Onopriienko and Polina Karika, along with Polina Horodnychna, USA is bringing Lili Mizuno and Evita Griskenas and Uzbekistan is counting on Sabina Tashkenbaeva, Takhmina Ikromova and Yosmina Rakimova.
A real shocker comes when looking the groups registration for Ukraine, as Anastasiya Voznyak is set to make her competitive return, after already retiring after the Olympics in Tokyo. She and Nicol Krasiuk are the new additions to the team, replacing Diana Baieva and Yelyzaveta Nabyvach.
We’ll also have the pleasure of hosting individual and group gymnasts from Taiwan, Thailand, The Philippines, RSA, Switzerland, Columbia, Andorra and others, making for a total of 87 individuals and 28 groups from 61 countries.
The full nominative registration can be found HERE for individuals and HERE for groups. The 39th Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships will take place from the 14th to the 18th of September in Sofia, Bulgaria.
