INDIVIDUAL COMPETITION
Kanayeva, the 2008 Olympic champion, defending
world and current European champion, continued
her extraordinary series of victories. This time she
won “only” four gold medals—team, all-around,
hoop and ball—compared to the absolute maximum of six she won a year ago in Mie. Heavy is the
burden on the champion’s shoulders—we know this
well. Kanayeva, who is coached by Vera Shtel-baums, committed mistakes in Moscow, with rope
and ribbon, and paid for them.
“It was my head,” she said after her failure to
reach the ribbon final, which was won by
Dmitrieva. “One should concentrate during per-
formance, but I am not a robot! It is obvious that I
have omitted to polish to perfection some impor-
tant details in training, and now I must see to it.”
And she did, making no mistakes in the all-
around final to win her second world crown
(116.250). Kanayeva remained the only gymnast
to cross the 29 points boundary at these champi-
onships: 29.350 ball, and 29.100 hoop in the all-
around; 29.200 in the hoop final. Kondakova won
the silver (113.825), and Melitina Staniouta
(Belarus) edged Aliya Garayeva (Azerbaijan) for the
bronze, 110.350-110.300.
ing down her back, Kanayeva will not have an easy
road to London 2012. But what a show it was to
watch these two varieties of mastery: Kanayeva,
with her regal, but unobtrusive confidence, and the
calm and bubbly Kondakova, the flame itself. The
latter won the traditional, doors-opening Longines
Prize of Elegance, and also caught the pundits’ X-
ray eyes: “Is she the next one to step up?”
As for “bronze girl” Garayeva (team, hoop, ball
and ribbon), she is training at Viner International
Academy in Russia and considers Moscow as much
her hometown as Baku.
There is another very powerful figure behind
Azerbaijan’s drive for glory in recent years—that is
Mehrigan Aliyeva, First Lady of the country and
president of the rhythmic federation of Azerbaijan
since 2002. The huge investment in this sport is
now bearing fruit and even more will come.
(Between 2003-09, Baku has staged two World
Cup events, two Europeans and one world championship).
Two other gymnasts to watch are Staniouta and
Maksimenko (fifth all-around). Both are following in
the footsteps of their glorious predecessors, Inna
Zhukova and Anna Bessonova (silver and bronze
medallist in Beijing, respectively).
Staniouta, 17, crisp, clean and feather light, was
All-around medalists Yevgenia Kanayeva (opposite bottom), Melitina Staniouta (opposite top) and Daria Kondakova (this page) combined to win seven more medals in the apparatus finals.
fourth in Mie and obviously maturing very quickly.
And so is Maksimenko, 19, a former group exercise gymnast who switched to individuals in Mie
(16th), and within a year, shortened the distance to
the top by 11 places. Along with Garayeva, she was
the only gymnast to have made all four apparatus
finals.
Silvia Miteva (Bulgaria), sixth all-around, drew
positive comments, especially for the extraordinary
composition of her ball routine, and the charming
Uzbek Ulyana Trofimova, 12th all-around, was presented with Alina Kabayeva’s newly founded Award
for Artistry.
GROUP COMPETITION
Twenty-nine groups took part in the most spectacular discipline of rhythmic gymnastics, performing
two routines: 5 hoops; 3 ribbons/2 ropes.
This was where Italy, the 2004 Olympic silver
medalist and defending champion from Mie, finally
interrupted the domination of the host nation. The
Italians won the all-around title, followed, as in
2009, by Belarus (silver) and Russia (bronze). “To
beat the 2008 Olympic champion Russia on their
home turf is a truly exceptional achievement!” said
a very happy Riccardo Agabio, president of the
Italian federation.
