The World Today
MADRID, 19 (EUROPA PRESS)
The Spanish rhythmic gymnastics team faces the World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro (Brazil) between August 20 and 24, 2025, with optimism and ambition. The team has a good chance of winning a medal after an exciting 2025, especially in the group category. The main objective in the individual category is to remain among the international elite.
For the first time in its 41 editions, the World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships are being held in South America, at the Olympic Park in Rio de Janeiro, hosting the first world championship event of the new Olympic cycle. More than 300 athletes from nearly 80 countries will compete, giving them an opportunity to adapt to the new code of points and begin preparing for Los Angeles 2028.
In Spain's specific case, it is attending the World Championships with a delegation of eight gymnasts: two in the individual category—Lucía González and Alba Bautista—and six who will form the team—Inés Bergua, Andrea Corral, Marina Cortelles, Andrea Fernández, Lucía Muñoz, and Salma Solaun. All of them will be led by the national coach, Alejandra Quereda, a silver medalist at the 2016 Rio Games.
And it's in the group where the Spanish national team has placed its greatest hopes, after a 2025 that has already brought much joy. Last June, the Spanish team shone at the European Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, winning three golds in the all-around, ball and hoop, and the all-around, reaching the pinnacle of continental competition more than 30 years later.
Furthermore, there is a desire for revenge among the Spanish team, which, despite being one of the contenders to win a medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, was eliminated from the final and was not eligible for a medal. Therefore, this World Championship will be a testament to the Spanish team, which did manage to reach the podium at the last edition of the tournament in 2023 in Valencia, with a silver and bronze in eventing. They now arrive with a strong team, although only Inés Bergua and Salma Solaun remain.
The Spanish team will compete primarily against teams from China, Italy, Germany, Israel, and Bulgaria, without forgetting the hosts, Brazil, who also have high hopes in the individual competition with gymnasts Bárbara Domingos and Geovanna Santos.
In the individual category, Spain is also a medal contender. Alba Bautista, ranked eighth in the All-Around at the 2023 World Championships and part of the Spanish team that won bronze at the 2022 World Championships in Sofia, is looking to compete at her second World Championships, after finishing eighth in 2023. However, her 2025 season has been lacking in competition due to injury, but she retained her title as national champion in the senior category just under two months ago.
Lucía González, meanwhile, finished fifth at the World Cup in Romania at the end of July and reached the all-around final at the European Championships in June, where she finished sixth, becoming one of the continent's most promising gymnasts. Now, both are traveling to Rio de Janeiro with the goal of reaching the all-around final with their ball, clubs, ribbon, and hoop exercises.
In this individual event, there are four international names to watch. Germany's Darja Varfolomeev is the gymnast of the moment, reigning Olympic champion and the big winner at the 2023 World Championships in Valencia, with five gold medals (event, ball, hoop, clubs, and ribbon). Italy's Sofia Raffaeli also has a track record in major competitions, winning silver in Valencia and world champion in 2022, and also standing on the podium in Paris with a bronze.
In addition, 17-year-old Ukrainian Taisiia Onofriichuk boasts up to six medals at the 2024 and 2025 European Championships, becoming this year's continental champion in the individual competition. Bulgarian gymnast Stiliana Nikolova will also be a candidate for the podium, with up to 19 medals between the European and World Championships, eight of them gold.
"What better place to showcase this magic than Brazil, where joy and color are part of the national identity? This European Championship promises not only top-level performances, but also an atmosphere full of energy, warmth, and excitement. It will be a celebration of sport, beauty, and passion," said Morinari Watanabe, president of the International Gymnastics Federation, in a statement published by the FIG.
