Averina sisters dominate second International Online Rhythmic Gymnastics competition
The twins swept the five available gold medals at the event
Rhythmic Gymnastics
It may be a strange year for sport, but there was a sense of normality to Dina Averina's victory at the second International Online Rhythmic Gymnastics competition in Moscow.
Four months on from the first version of the event, where Averina and her twin sister Arina won three of the four individual events, the unstoppable duo were back on top again.
Dina scored 102.5 to take top spot, while Arina secured the second-best score of the event with 102.0 points, and another Russian in Lala Kramarenko was next with 95.2.
However, tournament rules allowed only one place per nation on the podiums, meaning the silver medal went to Spain's Alba Bautista with an 85.40 total. Latvia's Jelizaveta Polstjanaja took bronze. In individual apparatus competition, Dina (ball, 27.10; clubs, 26.65) and Arina (hoop, 26.56; ribbon, 23.25) split the titles.
It was also the last major tournament of the year for Russia’s gymnasts, who will not travel to the European Championships in Ukraine this November due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We have already adapted to performances without spectators,” Dina Averina told RSsport.
“I tried to correct my mistakes from the Russian Cup. For two weeks we sat from morning till night and worked so the exercises were like a performance to convey to the audience the programmes that, perhaps, they previously did not understand. I am satisfied with how a lot of the programmes turned out, I was able to show a lot.
“I am glad that I performed today, because there are not enough competitions this year due to the situation in the country.”
Averina was recently nominated for the Athlete of the Year title in Russia’s 2020 National Sports Awards alongside 2019 pole vaulting world champion Angelica Sidorova and Rio 2016 silver medal-winning gymnast Angelina Melnikova. The winner will be announced at a ceremony in December.
In group exercises, Russia won with 69.05 points, followed by Uzbekistan.
More detail here, including how rhythmic gymnastics is included in the all-around competition at the Olympics in Tokyo 2020.