News    

2001
Ukrainian coach Nina Vitrichenko, hired as Spanish National Selector of Rhythmic Gymnastics, has got in the Consulate of Spain in Kiev the papers needed for making her contract and already sent it to Madrid. When this papers arrives to Spanish Federation, this will send it to the Ministry and, once the procedure is finished, the sorted out papers will be sent back to Vitrichenko, who will be able to move to the place of her new job. "I hope that at the beggining of next March I will be able to travel to Spain, country where Rhythmic Gymnastics is so valued  and where people supported so much mi daughter Elena in the hard moments in her sports career", Vitrichenko said. The ukrainian coach added that her 24 year old daughter whom she prepared to win European and World Titles, decided to finish her career and plans to work with girls in a School in Kiev. "I want to be useful for the great Rhythmic Gymnastics", stated Nina Vitrichenko in order to explain her decission of accepting "with no doubt"  the Spanish offer. -EFE- NINA VITRICHENKO, mother and coach of the great gymnast Elena Vitrichenko (World and European Champion 1997, Olympic Bronze 1996) has been offered the post of Spanish National Selector, showing great interest; she must reply to the Spanish Federation at the end of January. Vitrichenko would be the head coach of both individual and group National Teams, as well Nancy Usero (Group Selector in Sydney) has been offered to be the group coach.
Both Nina and Elena are very popular in Spanish Rhytmic Gymnastics so it would be some kind of a dream if, finally, they come to Madrid and coach our gymnasts. After a training camp with 15 pre-selected gymnasts, the 7 gymnasts that will join Igone Arribas for the Spanish Senior Group 2001 have been selected.

2000
Group Nationals have been held this weekend in Málaga, with 1000 participants of 145 Clubs from all the Autonomías in Spain. Club Atlético Montemar is, for the 5th conssecutive year, Senior Spanish National Champion. Results here.

1999
Club Atlético Montemar is, once more, the Spanish National Group Champion. Comunidad Valenciana got 6 medals; País Vasco and Madrid, 5. See Results here. Paula Orive, Sara Bayón, Ana Del Toro and Marta Alvés have been dismissed of the National Team of Groups. The setting of a new group and a new 10 Clubs composition are the steps envisaged by coach Nancy Usero in order to face the Olympic Games with Medal hopes. The Spanish National Team has got the maximum number of places (2 individuals, 1 group) for 2000 Olympics at OSAKA WORLD CHAMPIONSHIPS. The individuals (Caride-Costas, Cid Tostado and Domínguez) did pretty well placing 5th at Teams competition, Esther Domínguez herself placed 9th All Auround while Almudena Cid Tostado was 12th A.A. and 7th in Rope Final. But the group, once again, made a disappointing performance and they almost didn't qualify for the Olympics. Finally they placed 7th A.A., 5th in 5 Clubs and 5th in 2 Hoops & 3 Ribbons. If they had got an All Around medal, they would have been the ONLY group to have been on the podium in every World Championship in the 90's... The Spanish National Team has made its last test before World Championships. Both the individuals and the group did a good job with very few errors. Sara Bayón, Marta Calamonte, Alba Caride-Costas, Almudena Cid Tostado, Esther Domínguez, Lorena Guréndez, Carolina Malchair, Beatríz Nogales, Paula Orive and Adassa Ramos are the gymnasts who will travel to Osaka on the 22nd. The Spanish National Team has made an exhibition, preparing Osaka Worlds, in Leganés (Madrid). Esther Domínguez, Almudena Cid Tostado and Alba Caride-Costas did very well, without any error; but Adassa Ramos was not so good, trowing both her hoop and her ball out of the carpet. The Spanish group did well, performing two times each routine, with the only fail of a hoop drop. The best gymnasts of Leganés: Laura García, Patricia Céspedes, Diana Abad,... made an excellent exhibition. The Spanish group kept on their disastrous season, placing 6th at Bochum DTB Cup. Greece was, again, the winner. The II Individual Masters in Estella has been suspended. Elena Vitrichenko, Alina Kabaeva, Yulia Raskina, etc were scheduled to compete there. Carmina Verdú Ferrer from Club Atlético Montemar is the new Spanish Cup Champion. The four members of the National Team were absent. --Results here-- SPANISH NATIONAL CHAMPIONS (Individual):
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HONOUR CATHEGORY: Esther Domínguez and Almudena Cid Tostado.
FIRST RATE: Laura García Mateos (Leganés, Madrid)
YOUNGSTERS: Laura Morajudo Yagüez (S.G. Chamartín, Madrid)
JUNIOR: Tania Campo Cobo (Cantabria, Santander)
CHILDREN: Tamara Sánchez (Alcalá, Madrid)
NOVICE: Nerea Alcolea (E.G.R. Madrid, Madrid)
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--- Full Results --- Photos --- The Spanish gymnasts made a disappointing performance at the EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS IN BUDAPEST.
The Senior group made a disastrous clubs routine that kept them out of the podium (7th). The bronze medal in the hoop-ribbon final wasn't a good consolation for the World vice-champions and Olympic champions.
The Junior group did quite good, but the small fails and the low scores given by the judges put them into 4th position in the Preliminaries and 5th in the Final.
On individuals, Esther Domínguez would have been in the top ten if it weren't for a mistake in her last routine, the hoop; she was 15th. Almudena Cid Tostado didn't stand out and was 11th.
  Madrid, with 21 medals, was the most successful Autonomía at the NATIONAL CHAMPIONSHIPS FOR CLUBS AND AUTONOMÍAS held in Zaragoza this weekend.--Results--
  The Spanish got 6 Gold and 1 Bronze medals at the INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT OF BUDAPEST. Esther Domínguez won the 4 Events Finals and was 4th All Around behind Frater (HUN), Zacchilli (ITA) and Marchesi (ITA), while Almudena Cid Tostado got the 8th place and the Bronze in Ball. The Senior Group was 1st A.A. superating Bulgaria and Italy, 1st in hoop-ribbon and 4th in clubs. The Junior Group made a very good performance, too, but placed 5th because of a 0.10 deduction for an unexistant way out of the carpet. The Spanish Team made a great performance at the INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT OF PORTIMAO, they got the Gold at the Teams Competition. Alba Caride-Costas won the individual Senior All Around and four medals at the Events Finals (Gold in rope; Silver in hoop, ball and ribbon). The Junior Group got the second place behind Greece. Tania Campo was 5th at the Individual Junior All Around, silver in rope and bronze in ball.
The Spanish Group improved a little their result at the Kalamata Cup, getting two bronze medals (All Around and Hoop-Ribbon Final) at the THIAIS INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT. The group from Greece won the three golds; Belarus, Russia and Bulgaria did not participate. On individual, the winner was Yulia Raskina (BLR). The Spanish group made a disappointing start of the Season placing 7th All Around at the KALAMATA CUP in Greece. The Spanish girls weren't the only ones that made major mistakes, Belarus placed 6th and Russia, 8th. The host country was the winner, while Ukraine took the silver and Bulgaria the bronze. At the 10 clubs Final, Spain got the bronze medal.
Esther Domínguez got the second place at the INTERNATIONAL TOURNAMENT OF PRATO in Italy, before the Bulgarian Viktoria Danova and only superated by Olga Belova from Russia. The other participant from Spain in this competition was Alba Caride-Costas. The junior gymnast Tania Campo has competed at the COUPE D'OPALE this weekend. She got the gold medal at the Rope Final (9'035) and the bronze medal at the Ball Final (8'846). A drop in the hoop routine prevented her to be on the All Around Podium (9th), the Champion was Alexis Yafremava (BLR). In Senior, without Spanish competitors, Emily Livingston (CAN) was the winner. The team from Spain, with Almudena Cid Tostado, got the bronze medal at the American "3 on 3" International. Almudena scored 9'800 in hoop and 9'787 in ribbon.

1998 
SPANISH GROUP NATIONALS IN ZARAGOZA

Champions:
- Novice A.A.: G.R. Atzar (Valencia)
- Children A.A.: C.A. Montemar (Alicante)
- Children Final: C.A. Montemar (Alicante)
- Junior A.A.: C.A. Montemar (Alicante)
- Junior Final: G.R. Atzar (Valencia)
- Youngster A.A.: G.R. Atzar (Valencia)
- Youngster Final: A.D.G.R. Alcorcón (Madrid)
- First Rate A.A.: C.A. Montemar (Alicante)
- First Rate Final: C.A. Montemar (Alicante)

--Thanks to Edurne Andrade and Ellen Burney--

Marta Calamonte has been elected as the best sportperson of the year in Extremadura. The Spanish group was 2nd at the Epson Cup, the Spanish girls got 19.500 in 5 balls and 18.849 in 3 ribbons+2 hoops. Belarus was the winner.
In Individuals, Kabaeva took the gold. Almudena Cid Tostado showed her new routines, placing 8th with 9.566 in rope, 9.649 in hoop, 9.616 in clubs and 9.699 in ribbon.
Full results at: Gymmedia Nancy Usero Til is the new coach of the Spanish Group, Dalia Kutkaite is her assistant and coach of the National Junior Team and Cristina Álvarez is the choreographer.
Nancy was a member of the National Group herself and her greatest success was the bronce medal at the 1984 European Championships. As a coach, she has worked at the Escuela de Gimnasia Rítmica de Zaragoza for many years, getting many National medals and making good gymnasts like Esther Domínguez.
Dalia was born in Lithuania and became European Champion in 1982 competing for the URSS. She has been living in Spain since lasts years of the 80's. She coached at Club Marbella.

Adassa Ramos, from Tenerife, has been selected for the National Team of Individuals.

Natalia Lipkovskaia (RUS), Yana Batyrchina (RUS), Ekaterina Serebrianskaya (UKR) and Amina Zaripova (RUS) have recently retired.
Please read my small Homage to Natalia Lipkovskaia. The National groups' camp has already finished. The selection has already been made. The Junior gymnasts have came back to their respective homes and clubs and the Senior gymnasts have gone to the permanent residence and trainings in Madrid.
GYMNASTS SELECTED FOR THE 1999 SENIOR GROUP:
- Marta Alvés Navarro
- Sara Bayón Martínez
- Nuria Cabanillas Provencio
- Marta Calamonte Márquez
- Ana Del Toro Berrio
- Lorena Guréndez García
- Raquel López de Arroyabe Loyo
- Carolina Malchair Selecque
- Beatríz Nogales González
- Paula Orive Ozores The Spanish National Team of groups (both Junior and Senior) has started a 40-day camp in Vitoria. In this camp, wich participants are 15 Seniors (Cabanillas, Guréndez, Calamonte, Orive, Nogales, Bayón, Malchair, Castro, Montes, Marta Alvés, Raquel López, Griselda Marfil, Vanessa Cardeñosa and Adassa Ramos) and 16 Juniors, the National Selector will decide the 10 first team gymnasts for 1999 European and World Championships. María Fernández has came back to her place as Spanish National Selector of Rhythmic Sportive Gymnastics and National Group Coach. The Spanish Team members are back from a small vacations period and they have no coach. The Spanish Federation is trying to convince María Fernández to come back. They are also looking for a new coach in case María decides to not return. (Thanks to Marina Gil Celedonio for providing me this info!) WORLD YOUTH GAMES IN MOSCOW (RUS)
Tania Campo (C. Cantabria) was the most successful of the Spanish RSG gymnasts, placing 17th in Junior All Around and 8th in Ball. The other gymnasts were: In Juniors, Griselda Marfil (Cataluña) who placed 33rd; and in Seniors Carmina Verdú (C.A. Montemar) and Raquel López de Arroyabe (Oskitxo) who placed 23rd and 31st respectively. These gymnasts do not train at the National Team.
The winners were the Russians Alina Kabaeva in Senior and Zarina Gizikova in Junior. SPANISH NATIONALS OF CLUBS AND AUTONOMÍAS IN GIJÓN
Valencia was the most successful autonomía, winning 3 of the 4 Cathegories. SPANISH INDIVIDUAL NATIONALS finished today in Barcelona.
Esther Domínguez Zurita is the new Spanish Champion in the All Around and in the four apparatus.
Alina Kabaeva from Russia won the five golds at the Open Tournament, tying the clubs title with Esther Domínguez.
Results and Pictures EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS IN PORTO:
Rope Champion: Yana Batyrchina (RUS). Hoop Champion: Ekaterina Serebrianskaya (UKR). Clubs Champion: Elena Vitrichenko (UKR). Ribbon Champion: Eugenia Pavlina (BLR). EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS IN PORTO:
Alina Kabaeva (RUS) is the new European Champion. Eugenia Pavlina (BLR) and Yanina Batyrchina (RUS) were behind her.
The Spanish gymnasts did well, with Almudena Cid Tostado placing 9th and Esther Domínguez Zurita placing 11th. EUROPEAN CHAMPIONSHIPS IN PORTO:
The Individual Teams Competition has been won by Belarus (Pavlina- Raskina- Vatkina), Ukraine (Vitrichenko- Serebrianskaya- Popova- Erofeeva) was second and Russia (Batyrchina- Kabaeva- Zaripova- Tschaschina) third.
Spain (Cid Tostado- Domínguez- Caride-Costas) repeated the 5th place from 1996. The Spanish group has won two medals at the 1998 World Championships.
After this, María Fernández Ostolaza -the Spanish National selector and National group coach- has preseted her resignation. The pressident of the Royal Spanish Federation of Gymnastics has resigned, too, in his case because of economical problems in the Federation.
Almudena Cid Tostado got four 6th places at the Individual Masters. Almudena Cid Tostado has won the International Tournament in Portimao (POR), Elena Sidorenko (RUS) was second, Irene Polidorou (GRE) was third, Laura Zachilli (ITA) was 4th, Alba Caride-Costas was 5th and Esther Domínguez, 8th.
On the apparatus Finals, Almudena got three gold medals (rope, hoop and clubs), Alba two silver medals (hoop and ribbon) and one bronze medal (clubs) and Esther got one gold medal (rope). Spain has been first at the International Tournament in Budapest.

1st.  Spain ......... 39.650  (balls- 19.900, hoops and ribbons- 19.750)
2nd. Hungary .... 38.750
3rd. Russia ........ 38.200

The Spanish Group has won three medals (two golds and one silver) at the Kalamata Cup in Greece on this weeekend.

Results:

All Around       Five Balls                     Two Hoops+Threee Ribbons
1. Greece           1. Spain ..... 19.783            1. Spain ..... 19.766
2. Spain            2. Belarus ... 19.650          2. Greece ... 19.533
3. Belarus          3. Greece ... 19.616           3. Belarus ... 19.483

Esther Domínguez has been 5th at the Cope D'Opale in Calais (FRA). Valeria Vatkina (BLR) won the gold, Stella Salapatiyska (BUL) the silver, Belova (RUS) the bronze and Emily Livingstone (CAN) was fourth . The Spanish Group had a great starting in the way to the World Championships at Sevilla on next May wining the International Tournament of Thiais (FRA) that took place on last weekend.

Results:
                        total    (2 hoops+3 ribbons-5 balls)
1. Spain ......... 38'834 (19.667-19'167)
2. Russia ........ 38'634 (19'267-19'367)
3. Bulgaria ..... 38'483 (19'183-19'300)
4. Belarus ...... 38'267
 

    Tania Lamarca (Olympic Gold Medal Winner) has quit the Spanish Group because she had problems with her weight. She is now 10kg heavier than in 1996 so her coach asked her to loose 4 kg. She has only been able to loose 2 kg and her doctor said that she could get ill if she tries to loose more weight. Tania said: "My body is not able to loose more weight. My health is more important than the Team". -More Information-


1997 
    The group Nationals have taken place in Sevilla this weekend.
More information here.
    The Spanish Group has four new members: Paula Orive, Beatríz Nogales, Carolina Montes and Ana Del Toro.         Spain has won the Epson Cup. In individuals, Almudena Cid Tostado and Esther Domínguez have been 7th and 9th respectively.
    Pictures at RSG FAN page.
 
      Almudena Cid Tostado was 8th in clubs and 7th in ribbon at the World Championships in Berlin Events Finals.     Almudena Cid Tostado and Esther Domínguez Zurita finished 11th and 24th All Around at the World Championships. Alba Caride-Costas had to quit because of an ankle injury.     The Spanish individual Team was 7th at the World Championships in Berlin.
      Alba Caride is the new Spanish Champion (77'632). Esther Domínguez (77'466) and Almudena Cid (77'098) were second and third.
Davinia Melgar (Atzar-Valencia) in First Rate, Laura García (Leganés-Madrid) in Youngsters, Beatríz Nogales (Oskitxo-Vitoria) in Junior, Patricia Céspedes (San Fernando-Madrid) in Children's and Jennifer Sanabria (E.G.R. Tenerife-Canarias) in Novice were the other winners.
      Esther Domínguez won the Spanish Cup Final, held in Palencia. Alba Caride and Almudena Cid were behind her.
      Silver in five balls and bronze in three balls and two ribbons for the Spanish Group at the European Championships. Almudena Cid Tostado was 8th in hoop.
      The Spanish group was 4th All Around in the European Championships in Patras. Almudena Cid Tostado was 11th and Alba Caride-Costas was 13th.
      The Spanish group got two silver medals at the International Tournament "Town of Ibiza".

Results:

All Around

                      Total:   (5 balls  - 3 balls+2 ribbons)

1.- Russia ..... 39'133   (19'550 - 19'583)
2.- Spain ...... 38'666  (19'133 - 19'533)
3.- Ukraine ... 37'133  (18'400 - 18'733)
4.- France .... 36'699  (18'583 - 18'116)
5.- Australia . 35'966 (17'716 - 18'250)
6.- Netherlands
7.- Greece

Campofrío Trophy

                      Free routine

1.- Russia ..... 19'650
2.-Spain ....... 19'416
3.-Ukraine ... 18'933

    The individual gymnast Esther Domínguez has joined the Spanish group because of the retirement of three of the  Olympic medallists and the injury of Marta Calamonte. She will probably compete at the European Championships in a month.
      Marta Baldó, Estela Jiménez and Estíbaliz Martínez, Olympic gold medal winners, have anounced their definitive retirement from the competition because of injury.
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