Russia defends Team Ttitle / Kapranova and Sessina win gold once more in finals
![]() |
Vera Sessina is already |
At the 28th World Championships of Rhythmic Gymnastics in Patras the team from Russia defended its title scoring 183.050 points, in other words with a clear lead.
The team composed of Olga Kapranova, (Individual WCh title holder), Vera Sessina (European champion), Olympic champion Alina Kabayeva and ribbon European champion Eugenia Kanayeva came first in front of Belorussia (168.775) and Azerbaijan (163.750).
Places four to six went to Bulgaria (158.175), Israel (155.325) and Kazakhstan (154.775).
In the evening Olga Kapranova won the clubs final (18.650) ahead of Anna Bessonova (UKR/18.400) and her team mate Vera Sessina (18.350) won the ribbon final, scoring 18.650 ahead of Anna Bessonowa (18.350) and Alina Kabayeva (17.225) ...
The Ukrainian team, which had come second at the last three world championships, dropped out of the team ranking due to Natalya Godunko's injury.
The German team consisting of Johanna Gabor, Lisa Ingildeeva (both TSV Schmiden) and Daria Stolbin (TuG Leipzig) scored 147.500 points, thus ranking 14th. In total 30 teams took part.
Johanna Gabor also qualified for the allround final of the best 24 gymnasts on Friday as number 22 of the individual ranking.
![]() |
Eugenia Kanaeva - (team) world champion with just one exercise |
Even if they had mademany faults with the clubs, the Russian gymnasts would still not have lost thier first place today. However Vera Sessina was as perfect as she has been all week, Olga Kapranova was very good and the fact that Alina Kabayeva fell during one turn made no difference for the team result. It did however for the all-round and clubs finals, because the 24 year old Olympic champion will not take part in these. Her only chance to win an individual WCh medal was this evening in the ribbon competition, and she made use of it: once more this gymnasts who has influenced the sport significantly for the last decade won a bronze medal.
All-round final without the Olympic champion
It is however sad that she can't take part in the all-round final as the fourth in the individual ranking! But it is as true as ever that the Russian girl's greatest rivals are their compatriots. And both Sessina and Kapranova are in fantastic shape and perfectly prepared.
![]() |
Anna Bessonova today won silver with the clubs and the ribbon |
Bessonova enchants the audience with the "Bolero"
With her special piece of apparatus Natalya Godunko today prsented a top class exercise despite her injury. She was European champion with the ribbon once in 2005 and reaches almost every international final with her creative exercises. Today she scored 16.900 points and thus ranked 6th in the final.
Anna Bessonova reached the finals easily with her wonderful 'Bolero'-exercise, which she performed with aplomb this morning, scoring 18.100 points and qualifying for the final with the third highest score behind the Russians Sessina and Kabayeva, where she once more enchanted everyone with this artistic composition to win silver overall!
![]() |
Neta Rivkin (ISR) - in 5th place with her team! |
In the team ranking quite a few yhanges have taken place compared to the last WCh in Baku in 2005. Irrespective of the team from Ukraine which unhappily dropped out of the team competition, some teams have made a large leap forward.
Whereas Bulgaria remains in fourth place, Azerbaijan has moved up from 5th to 3rd place, Israel from 9th to 5th (!), Italy from 10th to 7th, China from 13th to 8th and Korea from 17th to 12th...
Spain on the other hand has taken a deep fall (from 6th to 15th) and the Polish girls will also be less than happy with their 16th place after coming 11th in Baku.
![]() |
... brought the noise levels in the gymnasium up sharply this morning. This made for a lively atmophere which reached its peak when the three Greek gymnasts performed in the last round of the team competition with the ribbon. Bu after Eleni Andriola, Evmorfia Dona and Evangelia Gkountroumpi had performed, by the way with the chance of landing a place in the top ten, most of the children left and quiet returned - which was a shame, really...
![]() |
Johanna Gabor |