The last tickets to Rio 2016 Summer Games for the Gymnastics competitions in Rhythmic discipline when the test event took place at Rio Olympic Arena on Thursday. There were only 11 slots remaining to be taken from the event as 15 out of 26 slots were already taken during the Stuttgart 2015 World Championships.
Embracing the chance created by the absence of Yana Kudryavtseva and Margarita Mamun, Melitina Staniouta got a feel of the floor that will be used during the Olympic Games. And all she could do was to put a stunning showcase of her gymnastics skills to clock a total of 72.215 points.
Uzbek Elizaveta Nazarenkova couldn’t build up on her second chance for Olympic qualification to optimum advantage as she dashed her Olympic hopes by a failing to keep the ball, a club and the ribbon under her control.
Contrary to her, Kazakh Sabrina Ashirbayeva didn’t allow anything to dash her Olympic dreams as she showcased great elegance and won the competition among the Olympic place seekers by clocking 69.500 points. Following her to the Olympic stage were Nicol Ruprecht (Austria), Veronica Bertolini (Italy), Ekaterina Volkova (Finland), Anastasiya Serdyukova (Uzbekistan), Ana Luiza Filioranu (Romania), Shang Rong (Chinese) and Jana Berezko-Marggrander (Germany).
Natalia Guadio of Brazil couldn’t perform anywhere closer to the skills shown by the other Gymnasts but could get a walk away to the mega event as the host country privilege. While Natalia Gaudio finished lower down on the scoreboard, she is nonetheless guaranteed a place at the big Olympic rendez-vous. For the privilege of participation of each continent, Australia’s Danielle Prince was just the right candidate to go through to the Olympic level. It, however, is still to be determined as to who is going to be representing Africa.