Rhythmic, Raffaeli and the screaming Butterflies: triumph in the World Challenge Cup

The Italy of the rhythmics is doing very well and proves it once again one week before the fifth and final stage of the World Cup, scheduled at the Assago Forum from 21 to 23 July. In the World Challenge Cup of Cluj Napoca, first Alessia Maurelli, Martina Centofanti, Agnese Duranti, Dana Mogurean and Laura Paris, with Alessia Russo, return to the top step of the podium in the general competition, then Sofia Raffaeli grants an encore in the individual, completing a day of glory.

The butterflies

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The victory of the Butterflies is important because it corresponds to the first ring of the season on the complete lap, the only event also present at the Olympics. For Emanuela Maccarani’s pupils it comes to the end of an almost perfect day, as demonstrated by the 33,500 obtained with the three ribbons and two balls (after the 36,550 obtained yesterday with the five hoops). The overall 70,050 points is a sound lesson for the world champions Bulgaria (66,250) and Brazil (64,550), Italy’s direct competitor for a place at the Paris Games. Tomorrow the two specialty final eight.

Raffaeli phenomenon

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First on tape with 32,550, second on clubs with a 34 round. Sofia Raffaeli proves to be almost unbeatable and also in Cluj, with a peremptory total of 133,550, puts Bulgarian Boryana Kaleyn (130,850), German Darja Varfolomeev (127,600), Ukrainian Viktoriia Onopriienko (126,900) and the other Eva Brezalieva (126,850). She is sixth, just like in Tokyo 2021, for Milena Baldassarri, she stops at 123,300 especially for a bad performance at the clubs (29,300). Tomorrow the specialty finals, with the Vulcano di Chiaravalle who will try to transform the four individual tools into gold. In the ribbon and in the ball she too will have to deal with her teammate in Fabriano, Baldassarri herself.