The Italy Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation watched Sofia Raffaeli claim her second consecutive silver medal at the European Cup in Baku, Azerbaijan, cementing her status as one of the discipline's most consistent performers even as the sport enters a transformative phase under a new scoring code. Competing at the Milli Gimnastika Arena on the second day of competition, the 22-year-old from Fabriano finished with 28.000 points in the ball routine, trailing only neutral Russian athlete Arina Kovshova (28.600) and securing her spot on the podium for the second time in two weeks at the same venue.
Why This Matters:
• Raffaeli sits in third place provisionally in the all-around competition after day one, positioning herself for a strong finish in the Cross Battle final on Sunday, broadcast live on SportFace and Prime Video.
• The result marks another medal under new coach Amina Zaripova, a strategic hire designed to prepare Raffaeli for the 2026 World Championships in Frankfurt (August 12-16), where the first Olympic qualification spots for Los Angeles 2028 will be awarded.
• Italy's Tara Dragas, 19, finished fifth overall in the all-around with 54.800 points, highlighting the country's depth in a sport increasingly dominated by emerging junior talent from Eastern Europe.
• The competition underscores Italy's evolving approach to rhythmic gymnastics as the 2025-2028 Olympic cycle prioritizes artistry and character over pure technical difficulty under the new Code of Points.
The Ball Routine: Familiar Territory for Raffaeli
Raffaeli's silver in the ball was no fluke. Two weeks prior, she stood on the same podium at the World Cup stage held in the identical arena, earning 28.800 points in that competition. This time, her score was 28.000 points, but the result remained unchanged: second place behind Kovshova, who has emerged as Raffaeli's most consistent challenger this season. Russia's Mariia Borisova placed third with 27.500 points but was denied the bronze medal due to the neutral athlete passport rule, which limits podium spots for competitors from countries competing under the AIN (Authorised Independent Neutral) designation. The bronze instead went to Cyprus' Vera Tugolukova (27.250), the fourth-place finisher.
For Italy, the day brought a second narrative thread: Tara Dragas, coached by her mother Špela Alenka, finished sixth in the ball with 26.850 points but rebounded strongly in the hoop routine. Dragas scored 27.950 in the hoop, matching the total of Belarus' Darya Viarenich but losing the podium spot on execution deductions (7.550 for Dragas versus 7.700 for Viarenich). The performance lifted Dragas into fifth place in the all-around standings with 54.800 points, trailing only the leading trio and Tugolukova (54.900).
All-Around Standings: Onofriichuk Leads at Midway Point
After two rotations, Ukraine's Taisiia Onofriichuk commands the all-around leaderboard with 57.250 points, fueled by a dominant 30.150 in the hoop, the highest individual score of the day. Kovshova sits second with 57.000 points, while Raffaeli is tied for third with Onofriichuk on total medals but trails in the standings due to a lower hoop score of 27.750, which placed her fifth in that apparatus.
The competition format—introduced for the 2026 European Cup—culminates Sunday with a Cross Battle final among the top 16 qualifiers. Raffaeli, the reigning European Cup champion from 2025, remains a favorite, though Onofriichuk's explosive start and Kovshova's consistency present formidable obstacles. The battle will be streamed live with commentary from former Italian gymnast Marta Pagnini and new analyst Alice Benassi, a pairing designed to boost domestic interest in a sport that has historically struggled for mainstream visibility in Italy.
What This Means for Italian Gymnastics
Raffaeli's performance is significant not only for her medal count but for what it signals about Italy's strategic investments in rhythmic gymnastics. The Italian Federation appointed Amina Zaripova, a renowned Russian coach with a reputation for psychological acumen and individualized training, to guide Raffaeli through the new Olympic cycle. Zaripova, who previously coached Olympic champion Margarita Mamun, brings extensive experience in preparing athletes for elite international competition.
The collaboration includes intensive daily training sessions supplemented by work with choreographers. Raffaeli and her teammates have also participated in specialized training experiences designed to immerse themselves in high-pressure competitive environments that produce world-class athletes. Zaripova's coaching philosophy emphasizes psychological support and individualized approaches rather than rigid traditional methods.
The timing of this transition is critical. The 2025 Code of Points, which governs scoring through the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics, reduces the emphasis on technical difficulty in favor of artistry, facial expression, and thematic coherence. This plays to Raffaeli's strengths: her routines have long featured unconventional music choices—Alfred Hitchcock soundtracks, Frank Sinatra ballads—and a narrative-driven approach that resonates with judges under the new criteria.
Dragas, meanwhile, represents Italy's long-term depth. Her consistent top-five finishes suggest she is on the cusp of a breakthrough, and her strong hoop performance in Baku indicates she can compete with the sport's elite when execution is clean. The Italian Federation's decision to field multiple squads at different World Cup stages reflects a broader strategy to build bench strength ahead of the World Championships.
The Competitive Landscape: Neutrals, Juniors, and New Rules
Baku also highlighted the evolving geopolitical and generational dynamics reshaping rhythmic gymnastics. Russian athletes continue to dominate under the AIN banner, claiming gold in the junior team event despite competing without national flags. The neutral passport rule, which bars more than two athletes from the same country from appearing on a single podium, has created awkward moments like Borisova's exclusion from the ball medals despite finishing third.
Junior competition, meanwhile, is producing a wave of talent from Eastern European nations, signaling deep pipelines of emerging athletes. Several countries have accelerated development timelines by fielding younger gymnasts at senior international events, while Italy is strategically introducing younger athletes at World Cup stages to gain competition experience.
The Road to Frankfurt
For Raffaeli, the immediate goal is Sunday's Cross Battle final, where a strong finish would extend her reign as European Cup champion. But the bigger prize looms in August: the World Championships in Frankfurt, where the first Olympic berths for Los Angeles 2028 will be allocated. Italy has historically punched above its weight in rhythmic gymnastics—Raffaeli's 2024 Olympic appearance in Paris marked the country's continued presence on the global stage—but the competition is intensifying.
Ukraine's Onofriichuk, Germany's Darja Varfolomeev, and the cohort of neutral Russian athletes represent the immediate threats. Behind them, a generation of juniors is ascending rapidly, armed with routines tailored to the new code's emphasis on storytelling and emotion. Raffaeli's advantage lies in her adaptability: she has thrived under multiple coaches, navigated rule changes, and consistently delivered medals across venues and formats.
Her nickname—"Formica Atomica" (Atomic Ant)—captures both her diminutive stature and explosive energy. At 22, she is neither a veteran clinging to past glory nor a rookie overwhelmed by expectation. She is, instead, a steady presence in a sport that rewards both precision and artistry, a combination that has made her one of Italy's most reliable medal earners.
The Baku results suggest that while Raffaeli may not dominate every apparatus, she remains competitive across all four, a critical asset in the all-around format. Dragas, meanwhile, is closing the gap, transforming from a promising junior into a legitimate podium contender. Together, they represent Italy's dual-track strategy: Raffaeli as the established star targeting Olympic qualification, Dragas as the rising talent building toward 2028 and beyond.
As the European Cup concludes Sunday, the broader narrative is clear: Italian rhythmic gymnastics is in transition, investing in coaching expertise, expanding its talent base, and adapting to a scoring system that rewards the very qualities—artistry, emotional depth, narrative coherence—that have long defined its best athletes. Whether that investment pays off in Frankfurt, and ultimately Los Angeles, will depend on whether Raffaeli can maintain her consistency and Dragas can take the final step from contender to champion. For now, Baku offers evidence that both trajectories are pointing upward.
