Darja Varfolomeev (Russian: Да́рья Дми́триевна Варфоломе́ева; born 4 November 2006) is a German rhythmic gymnast. She is the 2023 World all-around gold medalist and the 2022 World all-around silver medalist.
| Darja Varfolomeev | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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 Varfolomeev in 2022 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Darja Dmitrievna Varfolomeev | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Dasha | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country represented |  Germany | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 4 November 2006 Barnaul, Russia[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Hometown | Fellbach-Schmiden | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Residence | Fellbach-Schmiden | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 169 cm (5 ft 7 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 47 kg (103 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Rhythmic gymnastics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Level | Senior International Elite | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years on national team | 2019 - present | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | TSV Schmiden | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Gym | Bundesstützpunkt Schmiden | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach(es) | Yulia Raskina | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Personal life edit
Varfolomeev was born in Barnaul, Russia, to father Dmitry and mother Tatiana.[2] Her grandfather is originally from Germany. She started rhythmic gymnastics at a young age thanks to her mother, a former rhythmic gymnast.[3] Varfolomeev moved from Russia to Germany in 2019 without her parents, who would follow three years later, to be coached by Olympic silver medalist Yulia Raskina.[4]
Varfolomeev owns a chihuahua. Due to her training load ahead of the 2024 Summer Olympics, she reduced her schoolwork and delayed her graduation from secondary school.[5]
Career edit
Junior edit
At the first Junior World Championships in rhythmic gymnastics in Moscow in 2019, she placed 15th in the team event with Margarita Kolosov.[6] She also placed 15th in qualifications for the clubs, which was the only apparatus she competed with.
Senior edit
2022 season: Senior debut and World silver all-around medal edit
She debuted in the senior category in 2022, at World Cup Tashkent, where she won the bronze medal in the all-around. She took another bronze medal in the hoop final as well as two silver medals in the ball and ribbon finals, and she placed 4th with clubs. On May 20–22, she competed at World Challenge Cup Pamplona, where she took 4th place in the all-around.[7] She also won two gold medals in the ball and ribbon finals and was 4th place in the clubs final.[8] Varfolomeev continued collecting medals at World Challenge Cup Portimão, where she won silver in the all-around behind Israeli Adi Asya Katz. She took three more medals in the apparatus finals - two gold with ball and clubs and one silver with hoop.[9] In June she competed at the European Championships in Tel Aviv, along Kolosov, the senior group and the two juniors Lada Pusch and Anna-Maria Shatokhin; she won two bronze medals in the ball and clubs finals.[10] In late August she took part in the World Cup in Cluj-Napoca, where she was 6th in the all-around, 4th with ball and 4th with clubs.[11] Varfolomeev was also selected for the World Championships in Sofia along with Kolosov and the senior group. There she won gold in the clubs final, silver in the all-around, team category, and ball, as well as bronze with hoop.[12]
2023 season: World all-around gold sweep edit
In 2023 she showed her clubs routine in the Italian clubs championship' first stage, where she competed for Motto Viareggio.[13] Due to a foot operation in December 2022, Varfolomeev competed with only two apparatuses in the Fellbach-Schmiden Tournament, where she won gold in both the ball and clubs finals.[14] She won one medal at the 2023 European Championships, the gold in ribbon.[15]
At the 2023 World Championships, Varfolomeev won every gold medal available in the all-around and the four apparatus finals, making her the only rhythmic gymnast to do so after Evgeniya Kanaeva.[4] It was the first world all-around title for a German rhythmic gymnast in nearly 50 years, after Carmen Rischer won the 1975 World Championships.[5]
Afterward, she was a co-winner of the Piotr Nurowski Prize awarded by the European Olympic Committees to athletes under 18, along with Turkish swimmer Kuzey Tunçelli.[16] During the off-season, she traveled to give master classes in Spain and Poland.[5]
2024 season edit
In March, Varfolomeev competed at the Rhythmic Gymnastics Grand Prix stage in Marbella, where she won the all-around bronze medal and qualified for the hoop, clubs, and ribbon finals. In the hoop final, she won gold.[17]
The next month, she competed at the World Cup in Baku. She won the all-around gold ahead of Elvira Krasnobaeva and Sofia Raffaeli, and she then went on to win three of the four event final golds as well in the hoop, ball, and ribbon finals. In the clubs final, she dropped her apparatus and came in third behind Raffaeli and Taisiia Onofriichuk.[18][19] The week after, she competed at the next World Cup in Tashkent, where she once again won the all-around, this time ahead of Takhmina Ikromova and Boryana Kaleyn. In the apparatus finals, she won two more golds in clubs and ribbon, and silver in the other two finals, hoop and ball.[20]
Achievements edit
- First German rhythmic gymnast to win a medal in an individual apparatus final at European Championships since 1980, making her the first German rhythmic gymnast to medal in an individual apparatus final at European Championships after the reunification of Germany.
- First German rhythmic gymnast to win two medals in individual apparatus finals at European Championships.
- First German rhythmic gymnast to win a medal in an individual apparatus final at World Championships since 1977, making her the first German rhythmic gymnast to medal at World Championships after the reunification of Germany.
- First German rhythmic gymnast to win a gold medal in an individual apparatus final at World Championships since 1975, making her the first German rhythmic gymnast to become a World Champion after the reunification of Germany.
- First German rhythmic gymnast to win a medal in an all-around final at World Championships since 1975, making her the first German rhythmic gymnast to achieve this after the reunification of Germany.
Routine music information edit
| Year | Apparatus | Music Title |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Hoop | Jackseye's Tale, Escape from East Berlin, Take You Down by Daniel Pemberton |
| Ball | In the Closet by Michael Jackson | |
| Clubs | Batshit - Ilkay Sencan Remix by Sofi Tukker | |
| Ribbon | Generali by HAVASI | |
| 2023 | Hoop | Jackseye's Tale, Escape from East Berlin, Take You Down by Daniel Pemberton |
| Ball | Mercy (Remix) by Duffy | |
| Clubs | Calabria /Destination Calabria by Alex Gaudino, Crystal Waters | |
| Ribbon | Generali by HAVASI | |
| 2022 | Hoop | John Drops In by John Powell |
| Ball | Mercy (Remix) by Duffy | |
| Clubs | Calabria /Destination Calabria by Alex Gaudino, Crystal Waters | |
| Ribbon | Doowit by Pharrell Williams | |
| 2021 | Hoop | John Drops In by John Powell |
| Ball | Ojos Así (Thunder Mix) by Shakira | |
| Clubs | On The Floor by Jennifer Lopez feat Pitbull | |
| Ribbons | The Duel by HAVASI | |
| 2020 | Rope | Ride by ZZ WARD feat Gary Clark jr |
| Ball | Ojos Así (Thunder Mix) by Shakira | |
| Clubs | On The Floor by Jennifer Lopez feat Pitbull | |
| Ribbon | ||
| 2019 | Rope | |
| Ball | Ojos Así (Thunder Mix) by Shakira | |
| Clubs | Tico Tico by Dalida | |
| Ribbon |
Competitive highlights edit
(Team competitions in seniors are held only at the World Championships, Europeans and other Continental Games.)
| International: Senior | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Event | AA | Team | Hoop | Ball | Clubs | Ribbon |
| World Cup Tashkent | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | ||
| World Cup Baku | 1st | 1st | 1st | 3rd | 1st | ||
| 2024 | Grand Prix Marbella | 3rd | 1st | 12th (Q) | 6th | 7th | |
| 2023 | Aeon Cup | 1st | 1st | ||||
| World Championships | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | |
| World Cup Milan | 1st | 3rd | 1st | 1st | 3rd | ||
| World Challenge Cup Cluj-Napoca | 3rd | 5th | 12th (Q) | 2nd | 1st | ||
| European Championships | 4th | 5th | 12th (Q) | 5th | 5th | 1st | |
| World Challenge Cup Portimão | 1st | 1st | 3rd | 1st | 1st | ||
| World Cup Baku | 4th | 8th | 1st | 3rd | 24th (Q) | ||
| World Cup Tashkent | 5th | 6th | 19th (Q) | 2nd | 2nd | ||
| 2022 | World Championships | 2nd | 2nd | 3rd | 2nd | 1st | 10th (Q) |
| World Challenge Cup Cluj-Napoca | 6th | 9th (Q) | 4th | 4th | 9th (Q) | ||
| European Championships | 5th | 5th | 9th (Q) | 3rd | 3rd | 6th | |
| World Challenge Cup Portimão | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | 5th | ||
| World Challenge Cup Pamplona | 4th | 12th (Q) | 1st | 4th | 1st | ||
| World Cup Tashkent | 3rd | 3rd | 2nd | 4th | 2nd | ||
| International: Junior | |||||||
| Year | Event | AA | Team | Rope | Ball | Clubs | Ribbon |
| 2019 | Junior World Championships | 15th | 15th (Q) | ||||
| National: Senior | |||||||
| Year | Event | AA | Team | Hoop | Ball | Clubs | Ribbon |
| 2023 | German Championships | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | |
| 2022 | German Championships | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 3rd | |
| National: Junior | |||||||
| Year | Event | AA | Team | Hoop | Ball | Clubs | Ribbon |
| 2021 | German Junior Championships | 1st | |||||
| Year | Event | AA | Team | Rope | Ball | Clubs | Ribbon |
| 2019 | German Junior Championships | 1st | 2nd | 1st | 2nd | 1st | |
| Q = Qualifications (Did not advance to Event Final due to the 2 gymnast per country rule, only Top 8 highest score, no Event Finals held); WD = Withdrew | |||||||
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Darja Varfolomeev / FIG Athlete's profile". Retrieved 29 May 2022.
- ^ "Русская гимнастка завоевала сразу две медали на чемпионате мира. Вот за кого можно болеть!". championat.com. 15 September 2022. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
- ^ "#4 Road to Paris - Wie alles begann" (in German). 2018-05-18. Retrieved 2023-05-22.
- ^ a b "Germany's golden girl Darja Varfolomeev relives emotional journey - and reveals her superpowers". Olympics.com. 29 August 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
- ^ a b c Jörgensen, Steven (2023-12-25). "Deutschlands Goldkönigin: „Ich trainiere so viel, dass ich nicht besonders aufs Gewicht achten muss" - WELT" [Germany's Gold Queen: "I train so much, I don't have to pay attention to my weight."]. Die Welt (in German). Retrieved 2024-04-27.
- ^ "Darja Varfolomeev Erfolge" (in German).
- ^ "World Challenge CUP RG 2022, Botones Acceso Resultados en Directo" (in Spanish). Retrieved 29 May 2022.
- ^ Eliott Brennan (22 May 2022). "German rhythmic gymnasts star at FIG World Challenge Cup in Pamplona". Retrieved 29 May 2022.
- ^ "Je zweimal Gold und Silber für Varfolomeev" (in German). Retrieved 29 May 2022.
- ^ "2022 European Championships Result Book" (PDF). europeangymnastics.
- ^ "Gymnastics - World Cup Rhythmic Gymnastics - Cluj-Napoca 2022 - Results". www.the-sports.org. Retrieved 2023-01-19.
- ^ "2022 World Championships Result Book" (PDF). gym.longinestiming.
- ^ MottoViareggio (2023-02-03). "La Motto ingaggia la campionessa tedesca Daria Varfolomeev". Accademia di Ginnastica Ritmica - ASD R Motto Viareggio (in Italian). Retrieved 2023-03-08.
- ^ "Gymnastik International in Schmiden". Deutscher Turner-Bund e.V. (in German). Retrieved 2023-03-08.
- ^ "2023 European Rhythmic Championships Result Book" (PDF). European Gymnastics. 21 May 2023. Retrieved 30 January 2024.
- ^ "Varfolomeev and Tunçelli first shared winners of EOC Piotr Nurowski Prize". www.insidethegames.biz. 2023-10-06. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
- ^ "Grand Prix Marbella 2024 Media Post Event Results Book" (PDF). International Gymnastics Federation. 10 March 2023.
- ^ "Mehrkampf-Gold für Varfolomeev" [All-around gold for Varfolomeev]. Deutscher Turner-Bund (in German). 20 April 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
- ^ "Drei weitere Goldstücke für Varfolomeev" [Three more gold medals for Varfolomeev]. Deutscher Turner-Bund e.V. (in German). 21 April 2024. Retrieved 2024-04-22.
- ^ "FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup Tashkent (UZB) 2024" (PDF). International Gymnastics Federation. 28 April 2024.