The Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships open in Frankfurt on August 12, with Olympic champion Darja Varfolomeev among the leading favorites despite a mixed showing at last weekend's German Championships in Hannover.
The 19-year-old, who won gold at the 2024 Paris Olympics at age 17, arrives as defending world champion in the all-around, clubs, ball and ribbon. She took the all-around, hoop and ball titles at the German nationals but showed uncharacteristic weakness in the ribbon and clubs finals. She told a German Gymnastics Federation media event that not everything had gone perfectly, but that she now knew what the team needed to work on and why the errors had occurred.
The competition venue, Frankfurt's historic Festhalle, introduces an unusual variable. Magdalena Brzeska, a 26-time German champion serving as championships representative, said that competing under a dome was noticeably different and that athletes might find it harder to judge their throws. Varfolomeev, who visited the venue on Thursday with her teammates, called it special and praised its facilities and history.
The team will train at the Kienbaum center in Brandenburg in the coming week, focusing on artistry and execution. Varfolomeev said she still had some uncertainties and that the squad would think tactically, weighing whether to adjust difficulty or elements.
German team chief Isabell Sawade said that if Varfolomeev completed her routines cleanly she had medal chances, but added that the outcome would also depend on rivals. The team has not set gold as a stated goal internally, Sawade said, aiming instead to deliver their best performance at the season's highlight. Lada Pusch and Anastasia Simakova join Varfolomeev in the individual competition, while Sawade is targeting a top-eight finish for the group.
