The World Championships in Frankfurt are starting. we attach the link to the start lists: <a href="https://live.gymnastics.sport/schedule.php?idevent=17544">https://live.gymnastics.sport/schedule.php?idevent=17544</a>.August 12 Sofia Ilteriakova (hoop, ball) will compete in Group D, starting at 15:30 Moscow Time. Mariia Borisova (clubs, ribbon) will perform in Group E, starting at 17:15 Moscow Time.The start lists were compiled before the Russian team’s application was updated.

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Competitions

Sofia Ilteriakova (hoop, ball) will compete in Group D, starting at 15:30 Moscow Time. Mariia Borisova (clubs, ribbon) will perform in Group E, starting at 17:15 Moscow Time.

Start lists for the 2026 World Championship

The Russian national team gymnasts became world champions in the team all‑around competition.<ol><li>Russia — 278,300&nbsp;</li><li>Bulgaria — 276,050&nbsp;</li><li>China — 275,400&nbsp;</li></ol>The team members are Mariia Borisova from St. Petersburg, Sofia Ilteryakova from Moscow, and the group exercise gymnasts from St. Petersburg: Arina Lavrenova, Alisa Eremeeva, Anna Nikolaeva, Sofia Solonskaya, Agata Barekzai, and Daria Melnik.Coaches and choreographers of the gymnasts: Irina Gusarova, Natalia Glemba, Elena Petunina, Ekaterina Belova, Ekaterina Sergeeva, and Elena Afanasyeva.

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The team members are Mariia Borisova from St. Petersburg, Sofia Ilteryakova from Moscow, and the group exercise gymnasts from St. Petersburg: Arina Lavrenova, Alisa Eremeeva, Anna Nikolaeva, Sofia Solonskaya, Agata Barekzai, and Daria Melnik.

The Russian national team gymnasts became world champions in the team all‑around competition

Neli Borras, coach of Cuban gymnast Isabella Rojas, spoke about the difficulties with visas and tickets to Germany and Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva's assistance in resolving travel issues:<blockquote>"In the first instance, we ran into problems with getting our German visas. Initially, it was impossible to even book an appointment to submit our documents, and then the visa issuance itself took a very long time. In the end, we got lucky, the visas were issued on the exact same day, although with a major delay. Because of this, we were already missing our flight. Unfortunately, we missed the plane and couldn't take part in the competitions from day one as we had planned. After that, the president of our sports board immediately contacted Alina Kabaeva, the Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy, and they provided us with immense support. We are incredibly grateful to them: they helped us rebook the tickets and did everything possible so that we could get here. First and foremost, thanks to Alina Kabaeva. I feel like it all started back in 2021. Back then, I had gymnasts Gretel Mendoza and Isabella Rojas.&nbsp; Once, at a Sky Grace competition, during the Academy's second tournament, Alina told me that she would support us and that we could count on her help. And she truly kept her word. From the very first moment, she has always stayed updated on how we are doing."</blockquote>The expert shared her impressions of Russian athletes returning to major international competitions:<blockquote>"It seems to me that Russian gymnasts, despite being away from international competitions for a long time due to the situation in our sport, are now gradually returning to the international arena and once again demonstrating their high level of skill and quality of work. The Russian school of rhythmic gymnastics cannot be canceled. Their actual technique is different, from the way they interpret the music to how they build their compositions. Their programs are generally perceived in a different way. They have a different understanding of rhythmic gymnastics. They have a massive amount of experience behind them. One could say that the Russian school largely shaped rhythmic gymnastics into what it is today. The Russian girls are just different. It feels like they are gymnasts from birth — it is as if it is hardwired into their bodies. All the athletes are currently fighting for Olympic quotas — the first Olympic spots are being contested at this championship. I think that the Russian gymnasts will also be able to secure their quotas. The competition here is incredibly fierce. Everyone is under a lot of pressure and very tense — one can really see it. Everyone is trying to give their best performance."</blockquote>Isabella did not compete on the first day of the World Championships due to visa and flight issues. The International Sky Grace Association covered her travel expenses and helped her travel to Germany.

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Opinion

She noted Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva's assistance in resolving travel issues.

Isabella Rojas’s coach from Cuba, Neli Borras, spoke about the difficulties with visas and tickets to Germany for the World Championships

The results of the all‑around final at the 2026 World Championships have been determined.Darja Varfolomeev from Germany became the absolute champion of the tournament. Stiliana Nikolova from Bulgaria came in second. Sofia Raffaeli from Italy took third place.Mariia Borisova has made it into the top five best gymnasts.<h1>Results</h1><ol><li>Darja Varfolomeev (Germany) — 119.50</li><li>Stiliana Nikolova (Bulgaria) — 117.60</li><li>Sofia Raffaeli (Italy) — 117.55</li><li>Taisiia Onofriychuk (Ukraine) — 116.05</li><li>Mariia Borisova (Russia) — 116.00</li><li>Akmaral Yerekesheva (Kazakhstan) —115.80</li><li>Daniela Munits (Israel) — 115.65</li><li>Rin Keys (USA) — 114.50</li><li>Alina Harnasko (Belarus) — 113.90</li><li>Qi Wang (China) — 113.20</li><li>Megan Chu (USA) — 113.15</li><li>Sofya Ilteryakova (Russia) — 113.15</li><li>Takhmina Ikromova (Uzbekistan) — 112.55</li><li>Vera Tugolukova (Cyprus) — 112.50</li><li>Zilu Wang (China) — 112.15</li><li>Tara Dragas (Italy) — 110.75</li><li>Meital Maayan Sumkin (Israel) — 106.65</li><li>Barbara Domingos (Brazil) — 106.30</li></ol>

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Mariia Borisova has made it into the top five best gymnasts.

Results of the all‑around final at the 2026 World Championships

Mariia Borisova from St. Petersburg was the first to be mentioned in an article on the International Gymnastics Federation website titled "Newcomers make headlines at the individual qualifications in Frankfurt".<blockquote>"The only gymnast to qualify to all five finals was 19-year-old Mariia Borisova (RUS)....a remarkable debut at her first world championships," it states in the article.</blockquote>Source: <a href="https://live.gymnastics.sport/news_display.php?idevent=17544&amp;urlnews=4860655">https://live.gymnastics.sport/news_display.php?idevent=17544&amp;urlnews=4860655</a>&nbsp;

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The gymnast from St. Petersburg was the first to be mentioned in an article on the International Gymnastics Federation website titled "Newcomers make headlines at the individual qualifications in Frankfurt".

Mariia Borisova was mentioned in an article on the website of the International Gymnastics Federation

Olympic champion and President of the Sky Grace International Association, Alina Kabaeva, congratulated Russian gymnasts on completing the individual all-around at the World Championships in Frankfurt am Main:<blockquote>"Congratulations to Mariia Borisova from St. Petersburg and Sofia Ilteryakova from Moscow on completing the individual all-around at their debut World Championships!&nbsp;Masha, you did a great job! Performing clean in eight out of eight routines and breaking into the top 5 gymnasts in the world is a strong and decent result. Even though there were minor mistakes, we will keep working hard. Thank you for your dedication, efforts in training, and self-delivery! I thank the entire team at the Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy, all the specialists, fans, and everyone who stood by us and supported us along this challenging path.&nbsp;Sonya, this is your first senior season and your first World Championships. Not everything went perfectly, but let this serve as motivation for future work. You are a young gymnast with everything ahead of you.&nbsp;This is a special World Championships for us — after a five-year break, the Russian team is competing in the world championship once again. Ahead of us are the group all-around performances and the individual finals. We will support our gymnasts!"</blockquote>

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Alina Kabaeva

Olympic champion and President of the Sky Grace International Association, Alina Kabaeva, congratulated Russian gymnasts on completing the individual all-around at the World Championships in Frankfurt am Main.

Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva congratulated Russian gymnasts on completing the individual all-around at the World Championships in Frankfurt am Main

Isabella Rojas from Cuba spoke about the preparations for the World Championships:<blockquote>"First of all, I want to mention the financial support we received from the Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy. We didn't expect to encounter visa issues, and even after we missed our flight, they continued to help us. I am very grateful to them. Thanks to their support, I was able to come to this championship. This is my second World Championship. I also competed in World Cups and many competitions organized by Sky Grace. So, I am truly grateful to them."</blockquote>She thanked Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva and the specialists at the Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy for their comprehensive help:<blockquote>"First and foremost, I want to thank Alina Kabaeva and the Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy for all their support and for believing in me. They've supported me since I first arrived there in 2023. Thanks to them, I'm where I am today. I've grown so much as a gymnast, achieved so much, and, frankly, I'm incredibly proud of it. It's hard for me to even find the words to describe how happy I am and how much it means to me to be able to compete and feel this support. I also want to thank all the coaches who helped me in Russia and the choreographers who helped prepare me. They helped me improve, made my programs more challenging, and taught me new things. Thank you all."</blockquote>The gymnast shared what she learned during her training at the Academy:<blockquote>"When I first came to the Academy, I was just moving up a category and didn't know much yet. They really helped me improve the cleanliness of my routines. We worked a lot on my legs: toe point, relevé work. This is one of the hallmarks of Russian gymnasts. In addition to their flexibility and beauty, they have excellent footwork, and everything is executed very cleanly and accurately. I also learned a lot about working with DB and risks. Overall, I gained a lot of new knowledge and met some wonderful people."&nbsp;</blockquote>Isabella also praised the performances of the Russian gymnasts:<blockquote>"I'm watching the competitions, and honestly, I really like Maria Borisova and Sofia Ilteryakova. There are many other gymnasts I like, too.The Russian gymnasts perform very well and very beautifully. It's truly impressive. For me, Russian rhythmic gymnastics is, above all, elegance and perfection. They do an amazing job. I really wanted to see Arina Kovshova, but I couldn't. It was a great honor for me to train at the Academy and have the opportunity to see Russian gymnasts in action, directly during training. It was incredibly rewarding and allowed me to learn so much."</blockquote>Isabella missed the first day of the World Championships due to visa and flight issues. The Sky Grace International Association covered her travel expenses and helped the gymnast to arrive in Germany.

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The Cuban gymnast told us about her preparation for the competition and thanked Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva and the specialists at the Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy for their comprehensive help.

"I can hardly find the words to describe how happy I am!" Isabella Rojas from Cuba talks about participating in the World Championships

Mariia Borisova finished fifth in the all-around at her World Championships debut. The gymnast’s coach is Irina Gusarova, and the choreographer is Ekaterina Belova.First place in the all-around went to Darja Varfolomeev of Germany, second to Bulgarian Stiliana Nikolova, and third to Sofia Raffaeli from Italy.Ahead are the finals of individual events.Mariia Borisova from St. Petersburg is a medalist at the European Championships. She is a member of the Russian National team’s main roster and lives and trains at the Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy. Her coach is Irina Gusarova, and her choreographer is Ekaterina Belova.

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Ahead are the finals of individual events.

Mariia Borisova finished fifth in the all-around at her World Championships debut

Olympic champion, President of the Sky Grace International Association and Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Media Group and Sport Express, Alina Kabaeva, congratulated Sport Express on its 35th anniversary:<blockquote>"35 years is an entire era in the history of Russian sports journalism. During this time, Sport Express has witnessed the most important events and victories in both Russian and world sports and preserved the most memorable pages of athletic history for future generations.&nbsp;Sport Express doesn't just inform about sports, it fulfills an important social mission. The breaking news, reports, and interviews with renowned athletes shared by the publication inspire people, especially young people, to choose a healthy and active lifestyle.&nbsp;I wish all the Sport Express staff new, interesting content, vibrant characters, professional success, and, of course, many more years of covering the biggest events in big-time sports! Congratulations!"</blockquote>

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Olympic champion, President of the Sky Grace International Association and Chair of the Board of Directors of the National Media Group and Sport Express, Alina Kabaeva, congratulated Sport Express on its 35th anniversary.

Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva congratulated Sport Express on its 35th anniversary

Mariia Borisova will compete in four finals at the 2026 World Championships in Frankfurt.Mariia became the only gymnast at the World Championships to qualify for all four event finals — hoop, ball, clubs, and ribbon.And in the individual all-around qualification, Mariia finished third.Sofia Ilteryakova qualified for three finals — ball, clubs, and ribbon — and finished fourth in the individual all-around qualification.Mariia Borisova from St. Petersburg is a medalist at the European Championships. She is a member of the Russian National team’s main roster and lives and trains at the Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy. Her coach is Irina Gusarova, and her choreographer is Ekaterina Belova.

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Mariia became the only gymnast at the World Championships to qualify for all four event finals — hoop, ball, clubs, and ribbon.

Mariia Borisova will compete in four finals at the 2026 World Championships

The Russian athletes' individual program has wrapped up their team competition.Our Mariia Borisova passed these challenges with flying colors and earned the team the highest score of 86.900. Sofia Ilteryakova scored 85.600.The all-around group competition will take place on August 15, after which the team's Top-3 will be determined.And on August 14, we look forward to the individual finals.

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Our Mariia Borisova passed these challenges with flying colors and earned the team the highest score of 86.900. Sofia Ilteryakova scored 85.600.