FIG World Challenge Cups 2019, Rhythmic Gymnastics

After the four-series of World Cup Events within just one month (April 2019) in spring of 2019 the FIG started a five-series so-called World Challenge Cups.
Beginning in Guadalajara (ESP) in May (03 - 05) just before the European Championships in Baku (AZE), this challenge cup circuit is continued with another three events in August in  Minsk, followed in Cluj Napoca, now in Kazan / Russia, and ends in September 08 in Portimao.
Subsequently, the Rhythmic World Championships will take place in Baku in mid-September.
 

♦♦ (5) RG WORLD CHALLENGE CUP 2019
        - PORTIMAO / POR (Sep. 06 - 08) -

♦ Individual:
Held in Portimão, Portugal, the fifth and final WCC competition in this series took place Sept. 6-8. It's the last test before the beginning of mid-September in Baku World Championships of rhythmic gymnastics.
Russia's Alexandra SOLDATOWA dominated the all-around (85,150) ahead of Italy's Milena BALDASSARI (84,250) and Belarus's Alina HARNASKO (81,150). Laura Zeng of Libertyville, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics, finished sixth in the all-around and qualified for the hoop, ball and clubs finals at the Portimao Arena. Camilla Feeley of Deerfield, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, placed eighth in the all-around and advanced to the ribbon final: She won the first bronze medal this year for the colors of USA!!
A total of 33 gymnasts took advantage of this last World Cup test; the entire German-speaking area was not represented.
  ► Individual, All-around

♦ G r o u p s :
ITALY (58,050) ahead of JAPAN (56,150) and BELARUS (55,150) determined the level of athleticism in the group competition of the 13 participating nations. The U.S. group advanced to both the 5 balls and 3 hoops/2 pairs of clubs finals, as well as finished sixth in the all-around. The German National Group took rank 9 (23,500 / 24,550 = 48,050).
* Italy won the event’s 5-balls-gold medal at 29.500. Japan grabbed second at 28.950 to edge out Belarus’ 28.900, USA came on 7th place.
* In the 3 hoops/2 pairs of clubs final Belarus won the title at 28.950, and Italy was on their heels at 28.550. Japan was third with a 28.400, the USA garnered at 22.400 for eighth.
This World Challenge Cup is the final tune-up to next week’s World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan.
  ► Groups, All-around

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♦♦ (3) RG WORLD CHALLENGE CUP 2019
   - C L U J   N A P O C A (ROU) - (Aug. 23 - 25 )

♦ INDIVIDUAL
The third Rhythmic Gymnastics World Challenge Cup took place at the BT Arena in Cluj-Napoca between August 23 and August 25. More than 125 athletes from 23 countries participated in the competition, with Romania being represented by Denisa Mailat and Andreea Verdeş.
Israel’s gymnasts took their opportunity to shine at last weekend’s World Challenge Cup in Romania, with three golds for Linoy ASHRAM and another in the Group All-around.
Linoy Ashram took the All-around honours.
It was the first All-around victory by a non-Russian gymnast at a World Cup or World Challenge Cup this season as Ashram took full advantage of the absence of some of her leading rivals in Romania by winning three golds overall.
The 20-year-old Ashram had taken bronze behind the Averina sisters at the previous World Challenge Cup event in Minsk, as well as silver behind Aleksandra Soldatova at the Sofia World Cup. Now she completed her colour collection for 2019 with the gold, improving her score from the 86.650 gained in Minsk to 88.850 in Cluj-Napoca. Ekaterina Selezneva (RUS) took the silver and Nicole Zelikman (ISR) the bronze. Ashram’s other gold medals came in the Hoop and Ribbon finals. She won with the Hoop thanks to a score of 23.400, with Selezneva and Zelikman completing the podium.
The Israeli’s victory in the Ribbon final, meanwhile, came thanks to a score of 22.250. Italy’s Alexandra Agiurgiuculese won the silver medal – an upgrade from her bronze in the same event in Guadalajara – and Zelikman bronze. Ekaterina Selezneva ensured the Russian flag flew high once at least when prevailing in the Ball final. It was her first World Challenge Cup gold of the season and came by a narrow margin as she outscored compatriot Daria Trubnikova by 0.100, courtesy of her superior execution, scoring 22.850 to Trubnikova’s 22.750.

Again, Zelikman was in the bronze-medal position. After four bronze medals, Ukraine’s Vlada Nikolchenko claimed her first gold of the season with victory in the Clubs final by 0.400 points from Ashram. There was a breakthrough bronze medal for the 16-year-old Romanian Denisa Mailat in front of her home crowd – the teenager’s first at a World Challenge Cup. There was also success for Israel in the Group competitions.
► All-around - qualification
    ► Final results
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♦ GROUPS COMPETITION
Israel’s team profited in similar fashion with gold in the Group All-around at the event, which ran from 23-25 August.
In the absence of the teams of Russia, Italy and Bulgaria – the top three at the last Worlds – the Israelis triumphed in the All-around with a score of 50.250, a total achieved with the help of an unsurpassed 26.650 with the 5 Balls. Azerbaijan and Ukraine ranked second and third.
Ukraine won the two apparatus finals – they scored 28.400 to claim the 5 Balls gold ahead of Azerbaijan and Israel, and 27.800 in the / 3 Hoops / 2 Pairs of Clubs final, leaving Israel second and Azerbaijan third.
 ► Groups Results, all

* There are two more World Challenge Cups – in Kazan, Russia (30 August-1 September) and Portimao, Portugal (6-8 September) – before the World Championships begin in Baku, Azerbaijan on 16 September.
* The competition at the end of this week is an important one in the international calendar, because it takes place before the World Qualification Championship at the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.
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♦♦ (1) RG WORLD CHALLENGE CUP 2019
            - Guadalajara / ESP (May 03 - 05)

* Indiv. All-around (04-Apr-2019)
1. SOLDATOVA, Alexandra      RUS  84,000
2. SELEZNEVA, Ekaterina         RUS 80.850
3. AGIURGIUCULESE, Alexa.    ITA  77,300
4. POHRANYCHNA Khrystyna   UKR 76.600
5. MELESHCHVK Yeva             UKR 75.300
6. ZENG Laura                          USA 75.000
► Detailed Ind. All-around Results

* Groups, All-around:
1. ITALY          - 50,250
2. BULGARIA  - 49,100
3. RUSSIA       - 46,950
► Detailed Groups AA Results

* Indiv. FINALS:
Alexandra SOLDATOVA also landed the total triumph after winning with all four handsets. 

* GROUP FINALS:
1. RUS,  2. ITA,  3.BUL - was the final ranking with 5 Balls;
1. BUL,  2. RUS, 3. ITA - was the medal ranking of the combi exercise
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     ►► Results all (Event website)
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