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Post by Admin on Aug 6, 2021 19:09:41 GMT
The ROC twins confirmed their status as gold medal favourites during rhythmic gymnastics as they topped qualifying at Tokyo 2020, with Israel's Linoy Ashram in third.
ROC rhythmic gymnasts, Dina and Arina Averina, who are identical twin sisters, are a day away from a very special family portrait after dominating the qualifying competition Friday (6 August) at Tokyo 2020's Ariake Gymnastics Centre.
After four rotations of qualifying competition, Dina Averina leads her twin sister Arina, 106.300 to 106.175. Linoy Ashram of Israel finished third (103.100). Ashram, who has won three world all-around medals since Rio 2016, faltered in her opening routine with the hoop but rebounded with top three scores in ball, clubs and ribbon.
"I'm happy that I performed today, but, unfortunately, there were mistakes, and there are things to work on," said Dina Averina. "Tomorrow, I'm going to improve the details.
All scores start from zero in Saturday's (7 August) final.
Dina Averina enters Tokyo as the three-time reigning World Champion, having taken the crown in 2017, 2018 and 2019. Twice, the sisters have gone 1-2 with Arina Averina taking silver in 2017 and 2019.
"We always support each other"
Together, they've pushed themselves - and the sport - higher. Though they are, perhaps, each other's toughest competitor for gold, neither sees it that way.
"We never compete, but we always support each other," explained Dina Averina. "So if she wins, I'm happy for her. If I win, she's happy for me."
They've each learned from the other as they've dominated their sport. Arina Averina says she admires her sister's resilience.
"I want to learn it. When you think that everything is bad and already lost, it's necessary to find strength in yourself and prove first of all to yourself that everything is not lost and that you can," Arina Averina, the 2021 European all-around champion, told Olympics.com earlier this year. "The main thing to fight to the end."
For Dina Averina, she envies her sisters calmer demeanor.
"I like this small kind of indifference from Arisha - when everything is bad, or if you are being scolded - you do not have to take it close to heart," explained Dina Averina. "Do not be so upset, life does not end with this - it is necessary to listen carefully, to analyse it and to go work further. Nothing horrible happened. Probably, that's what I'm missing because I need everything and at once."
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Post by Admin on Aug 7, 2021 4:25:07 GMT
A pair of Russian twins dominated the women’s rhythmic gymnastics qualifications in Tokyo Friday, taking first and second place and finishing with scores nearly as identical as they are. Dina and Arina Averina, 22, are gold medal favorites heading into Saturday’s all-around finals after collectively scoring 106.300 and 106.175 respectively in the sport’s four events.  The pair, representing the Russian Olympic Committee, blew away Team Israel’s Linoy Ashram, who finished third with a score of 103.100 after losing control of her hoop near the end of her routine. “I’m happy that I performed today, but, unfortunately, there were mistakes, and there are things to work on,” Dina said following her first place win, according to Olympics.com.  “Tomorrow, I’m going to improve the details.” The twins, born about 300 miles east of Moscow in Zavolzhye, a small town along the Volga River, have long claimed to not be in competition with one another and even though they’re both in the running for the gold, they claimed they’re just happy to see the other win.  “We never compete, but we always support each other,” said Dina, the three-time reigning world champion. “So if she wins, I’m happy for her. If I win, she’s happy for me.” |
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Post by Admin on Aug 8, 2021 7:29:07 GMT
Her blue ribbon soared halfway to the rafters, and Israel’s Linoy Ashram spun and swirled and caught it, winning gold in a performance that ended Russia’s decades-long dominance in rhythmic gymnastics.  Ashram, 22, became the first Israeli woman to ever win an Olympic gold medal, edging out a pair of Russian identical twin sisters who were the favorites heading into Tokyo. Dina Averina, 22, placed second and her sister, Arina, fell to fourth place. Alina Harnasko of Belarus won the bronze medal. “This is history. I’m proud of represent Israel here, on the biggest stage in the world,” Ashram said after her victory. “It’s like a dream, I think it’s like I’m not here.” Ashram, 22, has served as an Israeli military secretary since 2017, and she works there every day when she’s not performing. Israeli women are required to perform at least two years of military service, and she said it is important to her to give time and energy to her country.  In her final performance in the four-round competition, she danced to a techno remix of the Jewish celebratory folk song “Hava Nagila” as the crowd clapped along. Ashram, wearing a blue and white feathered bird leotard in the colors of the Israeli flag, missed a catch, and spectators gasped. Dina Averina, who was set to perform just after Ashram, saw her mistake and was hopeful it was a chance for her to take the gold medal back to Russia.  Russia has swept the sports’ gold medals in every Olympics since 2000. Averina, a three-time world champion, said after the competition that she wasn’t expecting gold, but she’d been working hard to win it. In the rhythmic gymnastics individual all-around competition, gymnasts perform with each of the sport’s four apparatuses — a hoop, a ball, a pair of clubs and a ribbon — tossing and catching them while dancing and spinning in leotards heavy with thousands of crystals. Rhythmic gymnasts are judged on two criteria, the difficulty of their routines and how well they execute them. |
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Post by Admin on Aug 8, 2021 19:30:26 GMT
Enjoy this exclusive Insight into the Life of Linoy Ashram - Individual rhythmic gymnast from Israel and 2018 World All-around silver medalist.  Linoy Ashram is known for her high leaps and powerful jumps. Her signature skill is the back-bend turn on floor with help - also known as the 'Ashram'.  Her dream is to become Israel's first rhythmic gymnast to win her country an Olympic medal. Will she make it? |
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Post by Admin on Aug 9, 2021 2:08:56 GMT
In the all-around qualification, the top 24 gymnasts, maximum two per country, advanced to the all-around finals based on the gymnast’s top three of four or three scores from the qualification round. Russia’s Dina Averina has tallied a three-event score of 71.350 for the top spot, with a comfortable lead over Israel’s Linoy Ashram at 68.400. Arina Averina rounded out the top three in the all-around rankings at 67.750. Both Griskenas (62.900/10th) and Zeng (62.250/13th) advanced to the event finals and will compete in the 5:30 p.m. local time all-around session tomorrow. Griskenas’ scores for each event were: hoop, 21.000; ball, 21.200; clubs, 20.700; and ribbon, 18.600. Zeng’s scores for each event were: hoop, 20.700; ball, 20.400; clubs, 21.150; and ribbon, 19.400.
In the team competition, the USA finished seventh at 163.150. The team ranking was based on the top eight of 10 scores from the qualification round (two hoop, two ball, three clubs and three ribbon routines). Russia claimed the gold with a 186.500. Israel was second at 174.750, with Belarus in third at 168.550.
In the ribbon qualification, Zeng posted a 19.400 for ninth place, but qualified to the event final via the max two per country rule. Griskenas landed in 17th place with an 18.600. Camilla Feeley of Deerfield, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, scored a 17.200 for 33rd. Dina Averina scored the event’s top mark at 21.700, followed by Ukraine’s Vlada Nikolchenko and Ashram at 21.150. Ashram placed second via the tie-breaker. For clubs, the U.S. final rankings were Zeng, 11th; Griskenas, 14th; and Feeley, 46th. Arina Averina garnered the event’s best score at 24.250, just edging out twin sister, Dina, at 24.000. Ashram was third (23.600). Zeng is the second reserve athlete for the clubs final. More than 150 rhythmic gymnasts participated in the clubs and ribbon preliminary rounds.
For the Olympic Games qualifying, the top 16, max two per country, in the final all-around rankings and the top five groups in the all-around, who have not already qualified, will qualify for Tokyo. For the 2021 World Games, the top 20 in the all-around final, as well as four wild cards from the qualification round, will earn berths to Birmingham.
Group rhythmic gymnastics begins Sept. 21, and the U.S. group includes Isabelle Connor of Manhattan Beach, Calif.; Connie Du of Deerfield, Ill.; Yelyzaveta Merenzon of Buffalo Grove, Ill.; Elizaveta Pletneva of Deerfield, Ill./; Nicole Sladkov of Vernon Hills, Ill./; and Kristina Sobolevskaya of Chicago. All of them train at North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center. The group competition has the all-around and event finals (top eight per event).
Sept. 19, Finals, clubs and ribbon
7:30 p.m. - Clubs final
8:05 p.m. - Ribbon final
Sept. 20, Final, all-around
2:30 p.m. - Group B (rank 13-24)
5:30 p.m. - Group A (rank 1-12)
Sept. 21, Group - Final, all-around; qualification, 5 balls, 3 hoops/2 pairs of clubs
2:30 p.m. - Group A (USA, 5 balls; 3 hoops/2 pairs of clubs)
4:30 p.m. - Group B
Sept. 22, Group - Final, 5 balls and 3 hoops/2 pairs of clubs
2:30 p.m. - 5 Balls
3:15 p.m. - 3 hoops/2 pairs of clubs
U.S. fans can watch the finals via a livestream and tape-delayed broadcast, with a simulcast, on OlympicChannel.com and the Olympic Channel, respectively. NBC Sports and the Olympic Channel: Home of Team USA will have coverage of the finals at FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan. Fans can catch all the action in spectacular high definition via NBCSports.com/Live or through the NBC Sports app, which is available on the iTunes App Store, Google Play, Windows Store, Roku Channel Store, Apple TV and Amazon Fire.
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