Sofia Raffaeli: Maestosa Podio Mondiale e Primo Pass Italia per Los Angeles

For the fourth consecutive edition, the magnificent Sofia Raffaeli has secured a podium finish in the individual all-around competition at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships. Following her historic triumph in Sofia in 2022, a second-place finish in Valencia in 2023, and a third place in Rio de Janeiro in 2025, the 21-year-old from the Marche region has once again clinched a bronze medal, this time in Frankfurt, Germany, the venue for the 42nd world championship for rhythmic gymnastics apparatuses. But that's not all. By finishing in the top-3, the young Italian gymnast has secured Italy's first Olympic qualification card for the Los Angeles 2028 Games. The three highest-ranked individual gymnasts at the end of the all-around final guarantee their respective National Olympic Committees a spot in the next Summer Olympic event in California. This is another masterpiece from a career that still has many chapters to be written for the "Volcano of Chiaravalle," mirroring the epic bronze she achieved at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games just over two years ago. Raffaeli's journey on the iconic Festhalle floor began with the fifth highest score (85.000) in the double qualification session, which earned her a place in the final for the top 18 performers in the full routine.

Gold for Darja Varfolomeev

Only 11th after a slightly hesitant performance with the ball (28.250 with a 0.5 penalty), the Italian star powerfully re-entered the competition with a commanding performance with the clubs (30.250), finishing the first half of the competition in second place. Raffaeli's routine with the challenging ribbon was also consistent and of excellent quality (28.650), placing her fifth heading into the final and decisive rotation. The Italian gymnast then performed admirably with the hoop (30.400), securing the final podium spot and the consequent qualification for Los Angeles at the last moment, with a total score of 117.550 and a comfortable margin over Ukraine's Taisiia Onofriichuk (fourth with 116.050), who narrowly missed out on a medal. Only the home Olympian Darja Varfolomeev (gold with 119.500) and Bulgaria's Stiliana Nikolova (silver with 117.600) surpassed the Italian star. For the Italian national team, it's also worth noting the 16th position of Tara Dragas (110.750), her second consecutive appearance at a senior world championship.