For the first time in history, Brazil will have two athletes in the apparatus finals of a stage of the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup. Starting at 4 am (Brasília time) this Sunday (16), Bárbara Domingos and Maria Eduarda Alexandre will fight for the podium in Tashkent (Uzbekistan), in the ribbon and hoop competitions, respectively. The finals will Live broadcast on the Brazilian Olympic Channel.
Woohoo! Another weekend, another stage of the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup, and maaaais a final for Babi Domingos on the tape! ??? pic.twitter.com/z5mDw4QHh5
— Brazilian Gymnastics Confederation (@cbginastica) April 15, 2023
Saturday (14) was special for Babi Domingos, 23, from Curitiba. In addition to qualifying for the ribbon final in fourth place (29,750 points), the gymnast achieved an unprecedented eighth place in the all-around individual event, the best result in the country in the event. Gold went to Italian Sofia Raffaeli (131,850), silver to Uzbek Takhmina Ikromova (126,250) and German Margarita Kolosov (125,200) took bronze.
Babi Domingos has been achieving historic achievements for the country in rhythmic gymnastics. In the opening of the season, in Sofia (Bulgaria), the Brazilian became the first athlete from Latin America to climb to the podium in the tournament, when she won bronze in the ribbon. Also this month, she won gold in the French Grand Prix ribbon race.
Debuting in the competition, Duda Alexandre, aged 15, also has a chance to climb the podium this Sunday (16). The gymnast advanced to the arch final with the eighth position (31,240 points).
Eyes on Paris 2024
To guarantee a place in the team competition at the Games in Paris (France) – there will be 14 sets (with five gymnasts each) – Brazil will have to compete for one of the five places available at the World Championship of the modality, between August 23 and 27, in Valencia (Spain). If he doesn’t succeed, he will have one last chance to qualify if he is champion in the Pan American Championship, scheduled for April or May 2024.
The individual dispute in Paris will have 24 gymnasts, with a limit of two representatives per country. The World Cup in Valencia will distribute 14 places, while the Pan American Championship will award the champion athlete.
Brazil has never won medals in rhythmic gymnastics at the Olympics. The best individual performance was the 23rd place of Natália Gaudio, at Rio 2026. In the team competition, the country reached the eighth position twice, in the editions of 2000, in Sydney (Australia), and 2004, in Athens.