World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships 2023: Atamanov, Varfolomeev, Nikolova and other rising stars of the sport
The world of rhythmic gymnastics is always changing. These young stars give a taste of how exciting that future is, and why you should tune in. Read about the next big stars of the sport and watch the Olympic qualifier on Olympic Channel via Olympics.com.
Rhythmic Gymnastics
Young, talented and ready to impress.
There will be plenty of Olympic and world medallists in action at the 2023 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships this week, but don't get distracted. If you look only at the familiar top names, you may miss the diamonds in the rough who are on the verge of setting the world of rhythmic gymnastics alight.
Olympics.com took a closer look at five young athletes who are set to dazzle a year to go before the Paris 2024 Olympic Games.
Read on and make sure not to miss their performances when the World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships unfurl in Valencia, Spain from 23 to 27 August.
Daria Atamanov, 17 - Israel
Israel's Daria Atamanov was 15 years old when she sat, in tears, watching her hero and training partner Linoy Ashram become the first Israeli woman to win Olympic gold. Fast forward two years and the Tokyo 2020 champion is coaching Atamanov, who is now her country's biggest medal hope for the upcoming Olympic Games.
The 17-year-old has already made a mark, winning the European all-around title in 2022, as well as medals in all four apparatus at the World Cup level.
She withrew before the start of last year's world championships due to injury, but is back to show off her impressive skill set in Valencia.
Darja Varfolomeev, 16 - Germany
Germany's Darja Varfolomeev wasted no time in getting her name heard when she made her senior debut in 2022.
Her first World Cup, in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, yielded four medals, including a bronze in the individual all-around. She has since picked up four more medals at the World Cup, including gold in ball in Baku in April.
But her greatest success has come at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria last year where she finished second in the all-around, and also picked up a full set of individual medals in three apparatus: gold in clubs, silver in bronze, and bronze in hoop, as well as another silver with the team.
With her success in Sofia Varfolomeev became the first rhythmic gymnast from unified Germany to win a world championships medal.
Stiliana Nikolova, 17 - Bulgaria
If there was ever an athlete born for rhythmic gymnastics greatness, it was Stiliana Nikolova. The daughter of 1983 and 1985 world champion Paulina Nikolova [Krasteva], Stiliana started playing with the ribbon at her mother's gym when she was four years old.
Her competitive drive was further inflammed by having a professional footballer for a father - Ilia Dyakov represented Bulgaria at the 1986 World Cup in Mexico.
Nikolova made her senior World Cup debut at home in Sofia and was an instant sensation, taking gold in clubs, silver in ribbon and bronze in the all-around. Sofia was a lucky place for her yet again later in the season when she won four individual medals at the 2022 Worlds - bronze in the all-around and silver in ball, clubs and ribbon.
Nikolova is in top form going into her second world championships. At the season's penultimate World Cup in April she beat reigning world champion Sofia Raffaeli to take gold in the all-around and also picked up gold in hoop, clubs and ribbon.
Panagiota Lytra, 16 - Greece
Making a mark in the sport when you come from a rhythmic gymnastics powerhouse like Bulgaria brings a lot of pressure. Blazing a trail from a country that often flies under the radar can be equally hard, however.
Panagiota Lytra knows that first-hand. The teenager broke onto the international scene in 2022 and won a medal at her first ever World Cup. The clubs bronze at the home competition in Athens marked the first time that a Greek gymnast won an individual medal on the circuit.
While Lytra has not managed to return to a World Cup podium since, she has qualified for several apparatus finals and in 2022 achieved the best ever ranking by a Greek rhythmic gymnast in clubs at a European Championships, finishing seventh overall.
Polina Karika, 18 - Ukraine
Polina Karika is known for her perfectly-timed moves in Ukraine's group routines, but more recently she has also started to break out as an individual gymnast.
The 2023 European Championships silver medallist in the group broke into the top five of the individual all-around as well as two apparatus finals at the World Cup in March, and will aim to give another strong individual performance in Valencia.