site.btaStiliana Nikolova Claims Three Titles in Apparatus Finals at 41st European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships
Stiliana Nikolova won all three of her apparatus finals - on hoop, ball, and clubs - securing three gold medals at the 41st European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Tallinn.
She delivered a powerful performance in the clubs final and earned a score of 30.400 points (14.0 for difficulty, 8.050 for execution, and 8.350 for artistry). With this result, Nikolova reaffirmed her status as one of the world's top gymnasts. She finished the competition with three gold medals from the apparatus finals, and a silver medal in the all-around competition on Saturday.
Ukraine's Taisiia Onofriichuk, the all-around champion, scored 30.400 like Nikolova but had a lower execution score. Sofia Raffaeli (Italy) was third with 29.400 points.
At just 19 years old, Nikolova brought the European title on clubs back to Bulgaria after a 37-year gap. The last Bulgarian gold in this apparatus was won in 1988 in Helsinki, when Adriana Dunavska shared the title with former Soviet gymnast Alexandra Timoshenko.
Nikolova told BTA: "I am very pleased with my performance today, especially with the way I presented my routines. Of course, I am also happy with the final result."
She thanked the fans: "They were amazing, and I am grateful they cheered for us throughout the competition."
Regarding the 41st FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships, which will be held in Rio de Janeiro on August 20-24, Nikolova said: "This is the most important competition of the year, and I just want to handle the challenge and perform my routines as well as I possibly can."
No Bulgarian gymnasts competed in the ribbon final. The gold medal went to Paris 2024 Olympic champion Darja Varfolomeev (Germany) with 30.650 points, followed by Meital Sumkin (Israel) with 29.550 and Taisiia Onofriichuk (Ukraine) with 29.500.
There were no Bulgarian participants in the group finals.
Bulgaria wraps up the European Championships with five medals: three gold and one silver for Stiliana Nikolova in the apparatus and all-around competitions, and a bronze for the junior group in the five pairs of clubs final.
/DD/
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