The blue butterflies of rhythmic gymnastics continue to fly high. After the bronze at the Tokyo Olympics, also in Japan where the World Cup is underway, the super team led by Alessia Maurelli with Martina Centofanti, Agnese Duranti, Martina Santandrea and Daniela Mogurean is vice champion behind Russia and ahead of Belarus. Another exploit that combined with the results of the three blue in the individual resulted in two silver medals between team All-around and Team ranking: adding to the two team exercises also the eight routines that Milena Baldassarri, Sofia Raffaeli and Alexandra Agiurgiuculese have brought to qualification, Italy is also positioned on the second step of the podium in the Team classification with a total of 277.575 points.
Gold goes to Russia (pt. 304.575) and bronze to Belarus (pt. 275.875). «Two silvers – underlined the technical director of the National team, Emanuela Maccarani – that give me indescribable pride. It could be the last time I accompany the team in the competition because, if I am elected to the international technical committee at the next Fig conference in Antalya (Turkey), I will no longer be able to stop at the foot of the platform to wait for my girls after their exercises. I am very proud of them and of the individualists. They all did an amazing job that was done very carefully and with multi-year planning. The goal of this world championship was to show the world that Italy has not only a very strong team, but also three individualists who, as we have seen, are among the best gymnasts on the international scene. Their exercises, combined with those of the Butterflies, allowed the conquest of the second silver of the day and we are all happy about it ». Maccarani added that today’s result «is the worthy conclusion of a four-year period that has given us many successes, alternating with moments of difficulty that we have been able to manage and overcome all together. The race here in Japan was the culmination of this path carried out by all the coaches that I am honored to direct. I do not deny that we were hoping for an all-around gold medal because these girls deserve it all given the competition they have led. A team – concludes Maccarani – which has returned from an Olympic bronze in Tokyo and which presented itself here in Kitakyushu with the desire to fight as champions they are. Russia was very good at giving everything and the competition did not skimp on emotions. Now we are preparing for the individual final on Saturday with Milena and Sofia and for the specialty ones on Sunday with the team. The World Cup is not over yet ».