Brazil’s rhythmic gymnastics team made history this Sunday (Aug. 16) by winning two unprecedented gold medals at the World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships, held in Frankfurt, Germany.
The first gold came in the five-ball routine, and the second in the mixed routine, in which the athletes perform with three hoops and two clubs – an apparatus similar to a bowling pin.
The team consists of Nicole Pírcio, Sofia Madeira, Julia Kurunczi, Mariana Gonçalves, Maria Paula Caminha, and Maria Eduarda Arakaki, the captain of the sextet. Of the six gymnasts on the team, five take the floor and one serves as a reserve.
In the five-ball routine, the Lionesses – as Brazil’s team is nicknamed – performed a flawless series and earned a score of 29.450. The scores take into account degree of difficulty, execution, and artistic composition.
Their performance, set to Michael Bublé’s Feeling Good, surpassed the 29.250 score achieved at the Pan American Championships in June in Rio de Janeiro, which had been the world’s highest score of the year.
Brazil easily left the last two Olympic champions in the dust – China, the silver medalist, with a score of 28.900; and Bulgaria, the bronze medalist, with 28.400. This is the first time a country from the Americas has stood atop the podium in this type of event at the world championships.
“We learned to believe it was possible. First, we dreamed of being among the best. Then, we began to compete on equal footing with them. And today we’re at the top. It didn’t happen overnight. It took years of work, mistakes, successes, tears, sacrifices, and a lot of persistence,” said Camila Ferezin, the team’s coach.
Hours after winning gold in the five balls event, the Brazilian team returned to the floor for the mixed routine final – an event in which they had won silver at last year’s world championships in Rio. Set to Lady Gaga’s Abracadabra, the Lionesses delivered another flawless performance, scoring 29.450.
Spain, the all-around champion on Saturday (Aug. 15), scored 29.050 and finished second, followed by Bulgaria (28.750).
“We were the 26th-ranked team in the world. We had a huge dream, but we also knew just how far we’d have to go. Today, looking at these girls and being able to say that we’re world champions is almost surreal. It’s the fulfillment of a dream that was built day by day, over many years,” said the coach, visibly moved.
Olympic qualification
The day before, the Lionesses secured a spot at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles, US, when they took the podium to receive the bronze medal in the team all-around competition at the world championships.
Source: Agência Brasil