FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup B
Corbeil-Essonnes (FRA), May 11 - 13, 2012

LAUSANNE (SUI), FIG Office, May 14, 2012: Russian Rhythmic gymnasts Evgenia Kanaeva and Alexandra Merkulova divvied up the Gold medals of the FIG World Cup “Véronique de Kristoffy Memorial” in Corbeil-Essonnes (FRA) last weekend.

While Kanaeva defended her All-around title (116.400) and her titles on Ball and Hoop, Merkulova, who had won her first World Cup Gold on Clubs last year in Tashkent, prevailed on Clubs and Ribbon. The 2010 Youth Olympic Champion came second in the All-around (115.425), outscoring her compatriot Daria Dmitrieva (115.075) by a narrow margin. Dmitrieva had the highest score of the meet during Qualifications on Ribbon (29.500), but failed to do as well in the Final, where she placed second. She also collected a Bronze on Hoop. Kanaeva took the Silver on Clubs, but was unable to qualify for the Ribbon Final due to the two per country rule.

Belarusian Liubou Charkashyna garnered Silvers on Ball and Hoop as well as Bronze on Clubs and Ribbon, while Azerbaijan’s Aliya Garayeva went home with Bronze on Ball. With four fourth places and a sixth rank on Hoop, Bulgarian Silvia Miteva, remained at the foot of the podium this time around. France’s Delphine Ledoux qualified for all Finals, with her fifth place on Hoop being her best result.

Results

The FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup Series continues on May 18 – 20 in Tashkent (UZB), the ultimate event prior to the 28th European Championships on May 30 – June 3 in Nizhny Novgorod (RUS).

About the 2012 FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup Series

The 2012 FIG World Cup circuit in Rhythmic Gymnastics includes one Category A event (Sofia) and six Category B events. Apart from Corbeil-Essonnes (Individuals only), all events include both Individual and Group competitions, with All-around competitions serving as qualifiers for the Apparatus Finals.

With stopovers on two continents, the competitions are slated for March 16 – 18 in Kiev (UKR), April 13 – 15 in Pesaro (ITA), April 28 – 29 in Penza (RUS), May 5 – 7 in Sofia (BUL), May 11 – 13 in Corbeil-Essonnes (FRA), May 18 – 20 in Tashkent (UZB) and July 13 – 15 in Minsk (BLR).

The world ranking points collected by competitors at their best four events of the circuit will add up to a total, and the top scorers in each discipline will be crowned the winners of the overall series at the final event in Minsk.

Participation in Category A World Cups is limited to a maximum of two Individual gymnasts and one Group per federation, while invitations are restricted to federations with Individual gymnasts among the top 18 (C I, All-around) and the best 12 Groups from the 2011 World Championships, with an additional wild card for the host country if not represented.

Category B World Cups are open to all FIG member federations. Countries with gymnasts in the top 40 at the 2011 World Championships are entitled to participate with two Individual gymnasts; all other federations are allowed one gymnast only. All federations are entitled to enter one Group. In addition to the places listed above, the current All-around champions of the Olympic Games, World and Continental Championships are invited to both A and B World Cups.

At Category A and B World Cups, both Individuals and Groups, the best eight in the All-around competition qualify for the Apparatus Finals. In the event of failure to qualify, the host federation may participate in one Individual Final of its choice.

The world ranking points collected by competitors at their best four events of the circuit will add up to a total, and the top scorers in the All-around and per Apparatus will be crowned the winners of the overall series at the final event in Minsk.