Darja Varfolomeev: Gymnastics queen on course for five titles

Rio de Janeiro. Gymnastics star Darja Varfolomeev has completed the triple and is once again aiming for a quintuple triumph. Following her 2023 World Championship title and last year's Olympic victory, the 18-year-old from Schmiden also won gold in the all-around at the World Championships in Rio de Janeiro. With a score of 121.900, Germany's Sportswoman of the Year clearly outperformed the competition.

Second place went to Stiliana Nikolova of Bulgaria on her 20th birthday with 119.300 points. Third place went to Sofia Raffaeli of Italy (117.950), just as she had at the Paris Olympics. Ukrainian Taisiia Onofrichuk was unable to maintain her qualification level and finished fourth. World Championship debutant Anastasia Simakova of Schmiden improved on all apparatus compared to the preliminary round, finishing a strong sixth with 114.300 points.

"It went quite well; there were four clean apparatuses. At the end of the hoop exercise, there was a great sense of relief because everything was done," said Varfolomeev, emphasizing once again that "the all-around is the most important thing."

Varfolomeev's opening performance with the ball was unusually angular for her standards. Her 29.850 points were half a point lower than in the qualification. With a brilliant 31.950 points with the clubs, she jumped from fourth to first place at the halfway point and never relinquished her lead. With 30.000 points for the ribbon performance and 30.100 points for the hoop performance, the Olympic champion kept her competitors at bay and was able to receive congratulations even before the competition ended.

With her victory in the all-around, Varfolomeev paved the way for another five-a-side triumph. The medals in the individual events will be awarded on Sunday. Two years ago in Valencia, Germany's Sportswoman of the Year won all five titles. Before Varfolomeev, the last person to achieve this feat was Russian Yevgeniya Kanaeva in 2009 and 2011.

World Championship debutant Simakova, who had relegated Olympic fourth-place finisher Margarita Kolosov (Potsdam) to the reserve position, showed nerves of steel. The 20-year-old's sixth-place finish was a well-deserved reward for a commanding performance. "I did well today. I'm very pleased to have been able to participate in this major competition," said Simakova. On Sunday, the Russian-born athlete will compete in the individual hoop and ribbon finals.

RND/dpa