Darja VARFOLOMEEV

Darja Varfolomeev took up rhythmic gymnastics aged three bearing the weight of family expectations. Her mother, Tatjana, was a competitive rhythmic gymnast but injury ended her career prematurely at 18.

"My mother has stopped doing rhythmic gymnastics, and she always wanted me to do it as well, so in a sense, I continued her career," Varfolomeev explained in an interview with Olympics.com.

Darja Varfolomeev: A life-changing move

At 13, Varfolomeev moved to her grandfather's homeland of Germany. Although adjusting to a new country and culture at such a young age was challenging, the youngster persevered.

"I moved there alone at first. My mom and dad did not go with me. That was very hard because I didn't know the language and was in a completely different country," Varfolomeev recalled.

Yulia Raskina, a Belarusian Olympic runner-up in Sydney 2000, was responsible for training the teenager, and success quickly followed. Varfolomeev made her senior debut at the 2022 World Cup held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan. She immediately caught everyone's attention by winning four medals - a bronze in the individual all-around, two silver medals in ball and ribbon, and a bronze in hoop.