Vedeneeva defends worlds ribbon bronze
Tokyo, Japan
Slovenian rhythmic gymnast Ekaterina Vedeneeva.
Photo: Anže Malovrh/STA
File photo
Slovenian rhythmic gymnast Ekaterina Vedeneeva.
Photo: Anže Malovrh/STA
File photo
Ekaterina Vedeneeva, a Russian-born rhythmic gymnast who has been competing for Slovenia since 2018, won bronze in the ribbon event at the 40th FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Valencia, Spain, on 24 August, to defend her third place at last year's competition.
Vedeneeva secured her top-eight final appearance by qualifying seventh, but the 29-year-old has proved many times that the ribbon event is where she is the strongest and most likely to reach for medals.
Her lyrical performance to Russian music with a Spanish twist brought the enthusiastic and temperamental Spanish audience to its feet. She scored 31.200 points to clinch her second world championships medal.
Germany's Darja Varfolomeev took gold (33.350 points) and Bulgaria's Boryana Kaleyn (31.850 points) won silver.
Vedeneeva also secured a Paris Olympics spot for Slovenia, having ranked fifth in the all-around competition that served as a qualifier for the 2024 Summer Olympics. She finished sixth in both the hoop and ball events on 23 August.
"Bronze and a ticket to Paris bring satisfaction. And also relief after two exhausting days," she wrote on social media.
By far the oldest competitor at major rhythmic gymnastics competitions in recent years, Vedeneeva stressed the significance of this medal for her entire team and Slovenia.
She is the only Slovenian so far to win a medal at rhythmic gymnastics European or world championships.
