Here’s a video I found trawling YouTube, and it stunned me. I had never watched rhythmic gymnastics before, and sort of made fun of it as a “non-sport”. But I was wrong. This kind of stuff is more than just art: it shows amazing agility, timing, flexibility and athleticism. The YouTube notes say this:
PARIS 2024 OLYMPICS – A Work of Art: Raffaeli’s Sublime Rhythmic Gymnastics Choreography
“Raffaeli” is the performer: Italian gymnast Sofia Raffaeli, who also works with hoops and ribbons. From Wikipedia:
Sofia Raffaeli (born 19 January 2004) is an Italian individual rhythmic gymnast. She is the 2024 Olympic bronze medalist, the 2022 World all-around, hoop, ball, ribbon and team champion, the 2023 World all-around, hoop and ball silver medalist, the 2025 World all-around bronze medalist and a two-time (2023, 2024) European silver all-around medalist. She is the first Italian individual rhythmic gymnast to win a gold medal at the World Championships, European Championships and World Games, and she has won seven all-around gold medals in the FIG World Cup circuit. She is the first Italian individual rhythmic gymnast to win a medal at the Olympic Games.
The narration is in French, but you don’t need to understand it. The performance speaks for itself.
Oh hell, it’s almost Friday, so let’s have two more: one with clubs and another with a hoop:
Very beautiful and very athletic and strong.
Very true!
Impressive!
If anything, this is a more sane form of gymnastics. Modern gymnastics seems to require extreme body types (read: very short and compact), dangerous movements, and punishing training regimens that can be permanently debilitating. These gymnasts look more like athletic, but not stunted, young women who will likely still be intact when they retire.
If you like the individual event, check out the team event–equally mesmerizing!
Phenomenal!
Sorry but I prefer the athletic challenges…strength, coordination, quickness…of artistic gymnastics where records are clearly measurable.
Mr. Coyne,
Take a look at https://www.youtube.com/shorts/fA_90x5WUB8
Very impressive!