5th World Cup in Portimao was a very good test before the Europeans

Evgenia Kanaeva (RUS)
won all-around, rope, ball and ribbon

Started on Thursday, March 11, the 5th Portimao FIG World Cup of Rhythmic Gymnastics, and the already traditional Portimao International Tournament for junior gymnast in its 24th edition finished at Sunday.
After Montreal and Debrecen it was the third event of the young season 2010, already! This is definitely one of the biggest meetings before the European Championships in Bremen (GER) in April and so 58 senior gymnast from 22 countries, 45 juniors from 21 countries and 15 groups presented their new choreographies with the new modified code of points. The junior competition is being held following the UEG system that will be also the ones used in Bremen, with the team competition and apparatus finals. Olympic Champion Evgenia Kanaeva was without mistakes but won three of the four finals.
In the group competition Belarus beat the Russians (5 hoops) and Italy won gold with ropes/ribbons ...

The venue in Portimao, before starting the events
* Gymmedia correspondent Esther Teijeira (photos & text) reporting from Portimao

Jana Berezko-Marggrander (GER), surprised at the 1st day ...!

* Thursday, March 11:
A German Surprise ...!
At the thursday's afternoon the junior gymnasts competed with two apparatuses and, as expected, Russia is leading before Belarus and, as a little surprise, - Germany!
The German gymnasts Laura Jung and Jana Berezko-Marggrander did a very good and clean competition which helped the team to get this awesome provisional third position. Italy also showed really strong performaces, thus getting the 4th place by now.
Other traditional countries like Bulgaria or Ukraine didn’t have luck and, due to some serious mistakes, couldn’t reach the top positions.
In general the competition is being rather flawless for this early moment in the season, and we can expect a hard fight for the best places at Friday.
As an interesting remark, the national team of Ecuador sent three gymnasts. It’s always great to see not so usual countries participating in this kind of international events.
>> Provisional Results, Day 1

Russian Group

The groups competition started today with the expected result of Russia taking the leadership with a big difference with the second team, Italy. Both of them performed without any important mistake and so they were able to open a gap with the followers. Israel is in a surprising third place, after making a flawless routine, which gave them the chance to be in advantage with Belarus, which is in the fourth place, with a nice routine, but unfortunately not free of some failures.
The unlucky team of the evening was Ukraine, with a lot of problems during their performance, and even a hoop running out the carpet.

The great RSG star Anna Bessonova, current Olympic bronze, is with the technical staff of the Ukrainian team, and her presence hasn’t gone without being noticed.
At Friday, March 12, the competition will be resumed with the senior individual event.

* FRIDAY, March 12:
At the Elite's individual competition that started only today the surprise of the evening was that after the first two apparatuses Russia’s Olympic Champion Evgeniya Kanaeva, was beaten by her teammate, vice-worldchampion Daria Kondakova. Kanaeva fell unluckily on the floor during her hoop exercise and hopefully did not injure herself. After them placed Daria Dimitrieva, also from Russia, Aliya Garaeva from Aserbaidshan and the rising star from Belarus Melitina Staniouta.
On the sixt place ranks Neta Rivkin from Israel who left behind her such big names as Liubov Charkashyna, Silviya Miteva and surprisingly also her teammate Irina Risenzon.

... and the Junior competitions
After an emotive session, the junior all around competition finished with two non surprises, like Russia leading and Belarus on the 2nd place, and the big success for the team from Germany with their well deserved bronze medal.
>> Team Results

Lauda Jung, Jana Brezko-Marggrander (GER)

Laura Jung and Jana Berezko-Marggrander could defend yesterday’s ranking and left behind such traditionally strong rhythmic gymnastics countries as the Ukraine and Bulgaria – all in all quite promising for the European Championships in only once month in their home country.

On Saturday, we’ll know the defintive ranking for the Senior groups, that will perform with two ropes and three ribbons, the winner of the 5th Portimao World Cup for Senior individual gymnasts and also the best juniors in apparatus finals.
>> Groups, All-around

Top three of All-around ...

** SATURDAY, March 13
Individual all-around:
As expected Olympic Champion Evgeniya Kanaeva’s placing second after two routines on Friday wouldn’t last more than one day.
On second day she showed all her experience and artistry and won with clean routines over her teammate Daria Kondakova who had some little mistakes with ball.
Kanaeva conquered the first place with 114,675 points - only 0,325 points ahead of Kondakova – what might mean that Kondakova could take over the leadership of the Russian team in no time.

Third placed Russia’s “second Dasha”, Daria Dimitrieva who surely will be one of Russia’s future star.
On the next places follow Silviya Miteva from Bulgaria, Aliya Garaeva from Aserbaidshan and Liubov Charkashyna from Belarus.
Very bad luck had Melitina Staniuota, also from Belarus and yesterday placed fourth, but today, due to a very unlucky loss of the ball at the end of her exercise, she only became seventh.

>> Individual, All-around

Daria Kondakova (RUS), winning with hoop

** SUNDAY, March 14
Elite's Individual Finals
After four long days full of great sport at the 5th Portimao World Cup came to an end. At today’s senior finals, the gymnasts seamed to be already a little bit tired and made more mistakes than usual.

* R o p e
In rope final the podium was as expected winning Evgeniya Kanaeva in front of Daria Kondakova (both from Russia) and Aliya Garaeva from Aserbaidshan who already won medals at European Championships in 2007 and 2009.
>> Detailed Results

* H o o p
Russia’s Kanaeva missed for the first time in years a final, concretely the hoop final, due to her unlucky performance in the all-around, so her teammate Daria Kondakova took the gold medal ahead of Daria Dimitrieva (RUS) and Silviya Miteva from Bulgaria.
>> Detailed Results

* B a l l
In the individual ball final, both Evgeniya Kanaeva and Daria Kondakova made mistakes, while Kanaeva still got 28,050 points and win gold, Kondakova dropped the ball out of the carpet what meant that she even lost her medal to Aliya Garaeva and on the third place Neta Rivkin from Israel, surely the surprise of the afternoon.
>> Detailed Results

* R i b b o n
In ribbon final Evgeniya Kanaeva won with a perfect routine full of emotion, but her teammate again had an unlucky mistake with her apparatus and so Liubov Charkashyna and Melitina Staniouta - both from Belarus - placed second and third.
>> Detailed Results

Italian Girls beat Russia:
best with ropes & ribbons

* Group's Finals
* 5 H o o p s
Byelorussian girls won with a faultless exercise in front of Italy who only had a small drop and Russia that had a big drop out of the carpet.
The German group didn’t qualify for this final, as the second non-eastern european country Switzerland could make it into the final with five hoops and placed 7th with a clean and well-choreographed routine.
>> Detailed Results

* 2 R o p e s / 3 Ri b b o n s
The group final with ribbons & ropes was a complete desaster for the Russian and Byelorussian groups, both having countless drops and even knots. Thereby the Italian girls took their chance and won ahead of Russia and Israel.
The German group showed a good exercise and placed on a fantastic 5th place. >> Detailed Results

Alina Maxymenko (UKR), Irina Risenzon (ISR)

"... most elegant,
... most sympathetic":
The price for the most elegant gymnast went to the Ukrainian Alina Maxymenko, without doubt a perfect decision for this tall and beautiful gymnast with elegant lines.
The price for the most sympathetic gymnast won the Israelian Irina Risenzon, who surely has a big collection of these kind of trophys at her home winning the public with her smile and beside her performances.

So with these news of the rhythmic world, the 5th Portimao World Cup ends and the big rhythmic family this night and tomorrow goes back to their homes all over the world.
See you next year in Portimao!
* GYMmedia reports/photos by Ester Teijeira (ESP)
Editor: Eckhard Herholz

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