12. October 2008  
Tokyo, Japan  
Rhythmic Gymnastics

Russians dominated 2008 AEON CUP in Japan

All the three Olympic medallists of Rhythmic gymnastics - Olympic champion Evgenia Kanaeva (RUS), silver medallist Inna Zhukova (BLR) an bronze medallist Anna Bessonova (UKR) - represented the world elite of rhythmic gymnastics at the Friday's press conference of the 2008 International AEON CUP, which helds this weekend in Tokyo, Japan.
These event is like a worldwide R.G. Club championships and every year the best clubs come to Japan, now one year before the next F.I.G. Worlds, which will held in 2009 in the city of Mie.

<< Olympic Champion Evgenia KANAEVA and Russia Team GAZPROM with Aleyandra Soloveva and junior Daria Dimitreva (photo, left by Takako Kobayashi)dominated this event clearly .....

Anna Bessonova, Ukraine

<< ... Zhukova starts at the Gala, only

This time the Byelorussian star and Olympic silver medallist Inna Zhukova will not entry the official Aeon competition, but she promised that she'll perform the closing Gala. 

Nevertheless thes eare good news not only for all the Japanese rhythmic gymnastic fans, but also all the junior gymnasts, because they can observe here at the AEON CUP all the three Olympic medal winners six weeks after Beijing Olympics.

So this 2008 AEON CUP draws a lots of attention around the world and it is a very good publicity for the next years Worlds of Rhythmic Gymnastics, which will held in Mie, Japan.
* Report & photos by T. Kobayashi, Tokyo, Japan
* GYMmedia will report from this event at the weekend
* E L I T E, Individual All-around
1. Evgenia KANAEVA
    (Gazprom/RUS)             - 75.715

2. Anna BESSONOVA
    (Deriugina School/UKR)  -74.532
 
3. Natalia GODUNKO
    (Deriugina School/UKR) - 71.566

4. Aliya Garayeva
    (NEFTCHI/AZE)   -71.465

5. Liubov Cherkashina
    (DINAMO Minsk /BLR)   - 66.565

6. Neta Rivkin
    (MacaBy/ISR)  - 65.847
7. Alexandra Solovyeva
    (Gazprom/RUS)   - 65.531

8. Carolina Weber
    (ASVO/AUT)  - 64.998

New interst faces, the best jubiors in Tokyo
1 Daria DIMITRIEVA (RUS; middle); 2. Melitina STANOUTA (BLR; left.), 3. Samira MUSTAFAJEWA

* Juniors, Individual All-around
_________________________

1. Daria Dmitrieva    - 102.816
     (Gazprom/RUS)

2. Melitina Staniouta  -  99.331
    (DINAMO Minsk/BLR) 
 
3. Samira Mustafayeva- 93.397
    (NEFTCHI/AZE)  

4. Viktoriya Mazur           - 91.565
    (Deriugina School/UKR) 
5. Tsvetelina Stoyanova   - 90.765
    (SC"Iliana-E.ON". /BUL)  
6. Dana Adiv                    - 90.299
    (MacaBy/ISR) 
7. Emi Miyamoto             - 87.848
    (Hikosen RG Club/JPN)  
8. Nataly Hamrikova      - 87.781
    (SK GITY MS BRNO/CZE) 


* Information / photos:
    -  by Takako KOBAYASHI, Japan