Sofia Raffaeli

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Sofia Raffaeli
Chiaravalle, Marche; Italy
Height1.60 m (5 ft 3 in)[1]
DisciplineRhythmic gymnastics
LevelSenior International Elite
Years on national team2017–present
ClubFaber Ginnastica Fabriano
Head coach(es)Claudia Mancinelli
Assistant coach(es)Valeria Carnali
Former coach(es)Julieta Cantaluppi,[2] Kristina Guiourova
ChoreographerBilyana Dyakova
Eponymous skillsThe Raffaeli: Side split pivot without help, trunk side at horizontal on relevé with free leg bent[3]
World ranking7 WC[4] (2021) 1 WC[5] (2022) 1 WC[6] (2023)
Medal record
Event 1st 2nd 3rd
World Championships
 5 4 3
World Games 1 2 0
European Championships
 4 3 0
FIG World Cup 24 19 10
Grand Prix Final 3 1 2
Junior World Championships 0 3 0
Total 37 32 15
Rhythmic Gymnastics
Representing  Italy
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 2022 Sofia All-Around
Gold medal – first place 2022 Sofia Hoop
Gold medal – first place 2022 Sofia Ball
Gold medal – first place 2022 Sofia Ribbon
Gold medal – first place 2022 Sofia Team
Silver medal – second place 2021 Kitakyushu Team
Silver medal – second place 2023 Valencia All-around
Silver medal – second place 2023 Valencia Hoop
Silver medal – second place 2023 Valencia Ball
Bronze medal – third place 2021 Kitakyushu Hoop
Bronze medal – third place 2022 Sofia Clubs
Bronze medal – third place 2023 Valencia Team
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 2022 Tel Aviv Hoop
Gold medal – first place 2022 Tel Aviv Clubs
Gold medal – first place 2023 Baku Ball
Gold medal – first place 2023 Baku Clubs
Silver medal – second place 2022 Tel Aviv Ball
Silver medal – second place 2022 Tel Aviv Team
Silver medal – second place 2023 Baku All-Around
World Games
Gold medal – first place 2022 Birmingham Clubs
Silver medal – second place 2022 Birmingham Hoop
Silver medal – second place 2022 Birmingham Ball
Junior World Championships
Silver medal – second place 2019 Moscow Team
Silver medal – second place 2019 Moscow Rope
Silver medal – second place 2019 Moscow Clubs

Sofia Raffaeli (born 19 January 2004) is an

rhythmic gymnast. She is the 2022 World all-around, hoop, ball, ribbon and team champion, the 2023 World all-around, hoop and ball silver medalist, the 2023 European ball and clubs champion and silver all-around medalist, and the 2022 European hoop and clubs champion. She is also the 2019 Junior World silver medalist with rope and clubs. 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.

At the national level, she is the 2022 and 2023 Italian National all-around champion, 2021 Italian National all-around silver medalist, and 2020 Italian National all-around bronze medalist. As of 2023, she is the most decorated individual rhythmic gymnast from the Italian Gymnastics Federation.

Personal life

Raffaeli was born in

University of Ancona, while her father, Gianni Raffaeli, is an architect. She has a younger brother, Pietro Raffaeli, who is a fencer.[1] Raffaeli got involved in artistic gymnastics at the age of three, and she switched to rhythmic gymnastics
four years later.

In 2021, she joined the Sports Group of the

Fiamme Oro.[7]

At Gazzetta Sports Awards 2023 (Oscars of Sports), Raffaeli was named the Best Female Athlete of the year alongside the Olympic, World and continental higher jumper champion Gianmarco Tamberi, who was the best male of the year. This made her the first-ever Italian rhythmic gymnast to win this award.[8]

Career

Junior

She represented Italy at the 2018 Junior European Championships in Guadalajara, Spain, where she qualified to the clubs final and she finished in 5th place. In 2019, she competed at the 2019 Junior World Championships in Moscow, Russia. She won three silver medals - team, rope and clubs. She also placed 8th in ball and 7th in ribbon.[9]

Senior

2020

In 2020, Raffaeli officially made her senior debut at the 2020 Italian National Championships, where she won the bronze medal in the all-around behind Milena Baldassarri and Alexandra Agiurgiuculese. She also won a gold medal with clubs and a silver medal with ball.[10]

2021

In the 2021 Season, Raffaeli made her senior international debut at the 2021 FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup series. She finished 10th in the all-around behind Sabina Tashkenbaeva and qualified to two apparatus finals, where she won a silver medal with clubs and a bronze medal with ribbon.[11] On 16–18 April Raffaeli competed at the 2021 Tashkent World Cup where she finished 4th in the all-around behind Anastasiia Salos, and qualified to three apparatus finals, winning a silver medal with hoop and ribbon, and also placing 4th in clubs.[12] In May, Raffaeli participated at the 2021 Pesaro World Cup where she placed 8th in the all-round behind Laura Zeng and qualified to 2 apparatus finals, placing 6th in clubs and 5th in ribbon.

In June, she won the silver medal in the all-around final at the

2020 Olympic Games
. Despite the fact that Raffaeli came second, the national coach, Emanuela Maccarani, decided that the gymnast accompanying Baldassarri should be Agiurgiuculese due to her experience throughout the Olympic cycle. Raffaeli also managed to enter all four apparatus finals, winning gold in clubs, silver in hoop, and bronze in ball and ribbon.

Raffaeli was then selected to compete at the

Kitakyushu, Japan. At her senior world championships debut, she won a bronze medal in the hoop final.[13] Raffaeli also made it into the individual all-around final, finishing in 6th place behind Viktoriia Onopriienko. She additionally won a silver medal in the team competition, together with Milena Baldassarri, Alexandra Agiurgiuculese
, and the Italian group.

2022

In the 2022 season, Raffaeli adapted to the new FIG code of points and became the top gymnast of the Italian national team.

Raffaeli competed at the 2022 World Cup Athens and won the gold medal in the all-around, in front of Daria Atamanov, becoming the first Italian individual rhythmic gymnast to win a gold medal in the all-around event of a FIG World Cup stage. She also qualified to three apparatus finals, winning two gold medals with ball and clubs, and a silver medal with hoop.[14][15] On 8–10 April Raffaeli competed at the 2022 World Cup Sofia where she finished second in the all-around behind Boryana Kaleyn. She also won 3 silver medals with hoop, ball, clubs and she placed 6th in ribbon.[16] On 22–24 April Raffaeli competed at the 2022 World Cup Baku where she won the second all-around title of her career ahead of Boryana Kaleyn and teammate Milena Baldassarri. She also won a gold medal with hoop and two bronze medals with ball and clubs, and she placed 5th in ribbon.[17]

On 27–29 May Raffaeli competed at the 2022 Italian National Championships. She won the gold medal in the general all-around competition, and she also managed to win four gold medals in the apparatus finals, all in front of Milena Baldassarri.[18] On 3–5 June Raffaeli competed at the 2022 World Cup Pesaro where she won the gold medal in the all around competition. On top of that, she won three gold medals in the hoop, ball and clubs final and a silver medal with the ribbon behind Viktoriia Onopriienko.[19] With this, she won the all-around trophy of the World Cup circuit, and she also won the apparatus trophies with hoop, ball and clubs.[20]

From 15 to 19 June Raffaeli competed at the

Tel Aviv, Israel. Although a poor performance in the individual final saw her left off the all-around podium, she won two gold medals and two silver medals in the hoop, clubs, ball and team final respectively. This made her the first Italian rhythmic gymnast to win a gold medal at the European Championships.[21] On 12–13 July Raffaeli competed at the World Games 2022. She won the gold medal in the clubs final and two silver medals in the hoop and ball final.[22] She was the first Italian rhythmic gymnast to win a gold medal at the World Games
.

On 26–28 August Raffaeli competed at the

Sofia, Bulgaria, where she won five gold medals in the all-around, hoop, ball, ribbon and team competition, and a bronze medal in the clubs final. She was Italy's first all-around individual champion at the World Championships.[24]

2023

Raffaeli with Margarita Kolosov (left) and Takhmina Ikromova (right) at 2023 World Cup Tashkent

Raffaeli began her season by competing at the Grand Prix RG Marbella 2023, where she won a gold medal in the all-around and ribbon finals as well as a silver medal in the clubs final. On 18 March, Raffaeli competed at the 2023 World Cup Athens and won the gold medal in the all-around competition. She also won a gold medal in the hoop final and a silver medal in the ball final. On 1–2 April Raffaeli competed at the 2023 World Cup Sofia where she finished second in the all-around. She also won a silver medal with ball, and two bronze medals with hoop and clubs. On 15 April Raffaeli competed at the 2023 World Cup Tashkent and won five gold medals in the all-around, hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon final. The next week, she competed at the 2023 World Cup Baku and finished second in the all-around.

From 18 to 21 May Raffaeli competed at the

Baku, Azerbaijan. She won the silver medal in the all-around final by just 0.05 points after making large improvements to her scores from qualifications. This made her the first Italian individual rhythmic gymnast to win a medal in the all-around final at the European Championships.[25][26] In addition, she won two gold medals in the clubs and ball finals.[27] On 10 June Raffaeli competed at the 2023 Italian National Championships. She won her second consecutive national title in the all-around competition.[28] She also managed to win all the gold medals in the apparatus finals.[29]

On 14–16 July Raffaeli competed at the 2023 World Challenge Cup Cluj-Napoca and won the gold medal in the all around competition. She won the gold medal in the hoop final and two bronze medals in the ball and clubs finals.[30] On 21–23 July Raffaeli competed at the 2023 World Cup Milan, where she won the gold medal in the hoop final and two silver medals in the all-around and clubs final.[31] With this, she also won the FIG World Cup series all-around and hoop trophy for the second year in a row.[32]

Raffaeli was selected to compete at the 2023 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships, in Valencia, Spain, where she won three silver medals in the all-around, hoop and ball finals. She also contributed massively to the Italian team bronze.[33] Throughout the World Championships, Raffaeli was seen training with a new coach, Claudia Mancinelli, and it was rumoured that she and her long-time coach Julieta Cantaluppi had some disagreements. In November, less than a year before the 2024 Summer Olympics, it was formally announced by the Italian and Israeli Gymnastics Federation that Julieta Cantaluppi was leaving Italy to pursuit other coaching opportunities in Israel.[34]

2024

Raffaeli began her season by competing at the 2024 World Cup Athens and won two silver medals with hoop and ball. On 12-14 April, Raffaeli, competed at the 2024 World Cup Sofia, where she finished fourth in the all-around. She also won a bronze medal with hoop and a gold medal with clubs. The next week, she competed at the 2024 World Cup Baku and finished third in the all-around. She also won a gold medal with clubs and a silver medal with hoop.

Eponymous skill

Raffaeli has one eponymous skill listed in the code of points, a 180 degree turn in a side split position on

relevé with the free leg bent.[35] It was added to the code in 2021. She is the second Italian rhythmic gymnast to have an eponymous skill after Alexandra Agiurgiuculese.[3]

Name Description Difficulty[a]
Raffaeli Side split with or without help, trunk horizontal with free bent leg 0.5 base value
  1. ^ Valid for the 2022-2024 Code of Points

Achievements

  • She is the first and only Italian gymnast to have won a medal at a
    Junior World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships
    .
  • She is the first and only Italian individual gymnast to have won a gold medal in the all-around competition at a World Cup.
  • She is the first and only Italian gymnast to have won the entire World Cup circuits in the general competition, hoop, ball and clubs specialties.
  • She is the first and only Italian individual gymnast to have won a medal at a Rhythmic gymnastics European Championhsips.
  • She is the first and only Italian individual gymnast to have won a gold medal at a Rhythmic gymnastics European Championhsips.
  • She is the first and only Italian individual gymnast to have won a gold medal at a Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships.
  • She is the first and only Italian individual gymnast to have won a gold medal in the all around at a Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships.
  • She is the first and only Italian individual gymnast to have won 5 out of 5 golds (all-around, hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon) in a World Cup.
  • She is the first and only Italian individual gymnast to have won a medal in the all around at a Rhythmic gymnastics European Championhsips.

Routine music information

Year Apparatus Music title
2024 Hoop Rescue by Lauren Daigle
Ball Bella ci dormi by Maria Mazzotta and Pulcinella
Clubs Dark Mirror by Power-Haus, Christian Reindl and Lucie Paradis
Ribbon Vesoul by Mouron and Terry Truck
2023 Hoop Psycho Suite by
Bernard Hermann and The Murder by Danny Elfman
Ball Il Mondo by Jacopo Rossetto
Clubs Quand C’est by Stromae
Ribbon That’s life by Frank Sinatra
2022 Hoop Vai Vedrai by Cirque du Soleil
Ball Nemesis by Benjamin Clementine
Clubs Call me Cruella by
Florence + the Machine
Ribbon (first) Two Trains by Jan A. P. Kaczmarek
Ribbon (second) Ladder Fight (Xena Warrior Princess Soundtrack) by Joseph Lo Duca
2021 Hoop
Montagues & Capulets by Richard Clayderman
, Bulgarian Symphony Orchestra, Deyan Pavlov
Ball (first) Oogie Boogie's Song by Danny Elfman
Ball (second) The man with the harmonica Song by Ennio Morricone
Clubs Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence by Ryuichi Sakamoto
Ribbon Tango De Amor (The Addams Family Ost) by Nathan Lane, Bebe Neuwirth
2020 Hoop
Dance Of The Sugar Plum Fairy by Jennifer Thomas
Ball Oogie Boogie's Song by Danny Elfman
Clubs (first) Aha! by Imogen Heap
Clubs (second) Merry Christmas Mr Lawrence by Ryuichi Sakamoto
Ribbon Tango De Amor (The Addams Family Ost) by Nathan Lane, Bebe Neuwirth
2019 Rope Far From Over by Frank Stallone, From "Staying Alive" Soundtrack
Ball Amara Terra Mia by Ermal Meta
Clubs Money by Alan Cumming
Ribbon The Penguins of Madagascar by Lorne Balfe
2018 Hoop
Edith Piaf
Ball Main Theme (From "Pink Panther") by
The City of Prague Philharmonic Orchestra
Clubs Marajà by Vinicio Capossela
Ribbon The Penguins of Madagascar by Lorne Balfe

Competitive highlights

(Team competitions in seniors are held only at the World Championships, Europeans and other Continental Games.)

International: Senior
Year Event AA Team Hoop Ball Clubs Ribbon
2024 World Cup Baku 3rd 2nd 4th 1st 15th(Q)
World Cup Sofia 4th 3rd 4th 1st 12th(Q)
World Cup Athens 8th 2nd 2nd 11th (Q) 29th (Q)
2023 Aeon Cup 3rd 4th
World Championships Valencia 2nd 3rd 2nd 2nd 15th (Q) 4th
World Cup Milan 2nd 1st 7th 2nd 8th
World Challenge Cup Cluj-Napoca 1st 1st 3rd 3rd 6th
European Championships Baku 2nd 4th 4th 1st 1st 29th (Q)
World Cup Baku 2nd 2nd 7th 6th 14th (Q)
World Cup Tashkent 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st
World Cup Sofia 2nd 3rd 2nd 3rd 5th
World Cup Athens 1st 1st 2nd 5th 5th
Grand Prix Marbella 1st 4th 4th 2nd 1st
2022 World Championships Sofia 1st 1st 1st 1st 3rd 1st
World Challenge Cup Cluj-Napoca 1st 1st 8th 3rd 1st
World Games 2022 2nd 2nd 1st 11th (Q)
European Championships Tel Aviv 4th 2nd 1st 2nd 1st 9th (Q)
World Cup Pesaro 1st 1st 1st 1st 2nd
World Cup Baku 1st 1st 3rd 3rd 5th
World Cup Sofia 2nd 2nd 2nd 2nd 6th
World Cup Athens 1st 2nd 1st 1st 14th (Q)
2021 World Championships Kitakyushu 6th 2nd 3rd 9th (Q) 16th (Q)
Grand Prix Marbella 4th 7th 3rd 1st 3rd
European Championships Varna 8th 6th 11th (Q) 9th (Q) 8th 39th (Q)
World Cup Pesaro 8th 9th (Q) 19th (Q) 6th 5th
World Cup Tashkent 4th 2nd 11th (Q) 4th 2nd
World Cup Sofia 10th 29th (Q) 14th (Q) 2nd 3rd
International: Junior
Year Event AA Team Hoop/Rope Ball Clubs Ribbon
2019 Junior World Championships 2nd 2nd 8th 2nd 7th
2018 Junior European Championships 4th 7th (Q) 5th
National
Year Event AA Team Hoop Ball Clubs Ribbon
2023 Italian National Championships 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st
2022 Italian National Championships 1st 1st 1st 1st 1st
2021 Italian National Championships 2nd 2nd 3rd 1st 3rd
2020 Italian National Championships 3rd 4th 2nd 1st 17th (Q)
2019 Italian National Championships 3rd 3rd 4th
Q = Qualifications (Did not advance to Event Final due to the 2 gymnast per country rule, only Top 8 highest score);
WR = World Record; WD = Withdrew; NT = No Team Competition; OC = Out of Competition(competed but scores not counted for qualifications/results)

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Piccardi, Gaia (2022-10-27). ""Comaneci chi?". Nel mondo di Sofia Raffaeli, campionessa di ritmica con 5 medaglie mondiali" ["Comaneci who?" In the world of Sofia Raffaeli, a rhythmic gymnastics champion with five world medals]. Corriere della Sera (in Italian). Retrieved 2024-03-07.
  2. ^ "Cantaluppi lascia l'Italia. Tecchi: "Il progetto olimpico di Fabriano va avanti"" (in Italian).
  3. ^ a b "GINNASTICA RITMICA, SOFIA RAFFAELI ENTRA NEL CODICE DEI PUNTEGGI! INVENTATO UN NUOVO MOVIMENTO". eurosport.it/ (in Italian).
  4. ^ "Rhythmic Gymnastics World Ranking 2021 Individual Competitions" (PDF). fig-gymnastics.com.
  5. ^ "Rhythmic Gymnastics World Ranking 2022 Individual Competitions" (PDF). fig-gymnastics.com.
  6. ^ "Rhythmic Gymnastics World Ranking 2023 Individual Competitions". fig-gymnastics.com.
  7. ^ "Sofia Raffaeli entra a fare parte del Gruppo Sportivo delle Fiamme Oro della Polizia di Stato" (in Italian). 9 August 2021.
  8. ^ "La "Donna del 2023"? Sofia Raffaeli è già la miglior ginnasta di sempre" (in Italian). 4 December 2023.
  9. ^ "Mosca - Tanto azzurro sul Mondiale Junior di Ritmica: anche la formula di gara è Made in Italy!" (in Italian). 23 July 2019.
  10. ^ "Folgaria – Campionato Assoluto: Milena Baldassarri cala il tris nelle finali. Sofia Raffaeli miglior ginnasta alle clavette" (in Italian). 1 November 2020.
  11. ^ "Stunning in Sofia, Raffaeli rising to Tashkent Rhythmic World Cup challenge". 13 April 2021.
  12. ^ "Tashkent - Sofia ha l'argento vivo! Due piazze d'onore a cerchio e nastro per la più giovane della tappa di Coppa del Mondo" (in Italian). 18 April 2021.
  13. ^ "Kitakyushu - Raffaeli di bronzo. Sofia al debutto conquista la prima medaglia individuale italiana al cerchio. Baldassarri quinta e sesta in due finali" (in Italian). 27 October 2021.
  14. ^ "Sofia Raffaeli scrive la storia: è la prima italiana a vincere l'oro all around a una World Cup" (in Italian). 19 March 2022.
  15. ^ Rebecca Alessi (20 March 2022). "WORLD CUP PALAIO FALIRO, FINALI: SOFIA RAFFAELI BRILLA D'ORO E D'ARGENTO" (in Italian).
  16. ^ "Sofia - Trionfo azzurro, tre argenti per Raffaeli e bronzo per Baldassarri nelle finali di World Cup" (in Italian). 10 April 2022.
  17. ^ "Baku - Farfalle e Raffaeli ragazze d'oro, e insieme alla Baldassarri l'Italia supera la prova del 9" (in Italian). 24 April 2022.
  18. ^ Rebecca Alessi (28 May 2022). "ASSOLUTI 2022: SOFIA RAFFAELI, NUOVA CAMPIONESSA ITALIANA ASSOLUTA" (in Italian).
  19. ^ "Pesaro - L'Italia sfiora il filotto. Raffaeli e Farfalle, è un dominio azzurro. Nastro d'oro all'ucraina Onopriienko" (in Italian). 5 June 2022.
  20. ^ "Pesaro - La ritmica italiana si laurea in filoSofia! E' la Coppa Raffaeli. Baldassarri d'argento per una doppietta storica" (in Italian). 4 June 2022.
  21. ^ Owen Lloyd (19 June 2022). "Raffaeli and Kaleyn win two golds apiece on final day of European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships".
  22. ^ "Birmingham – Clavette d'oro per Sofia Raffaeli ai World Games" (in Italian). 14 July 2022.
  23. ^ "Cluj - Sofia Raffaeli è oro nella World Challenge Cup, brava Milena Baldassarri. Domani le finali" (in Italian). 27 August 2022.
  24. ^ "Stellar in Sofia, Raffaeli romps to World All-Around title in Rhythmic Gymnastics". International Gymnastics Federation. 17 September 2022. Retrieved 2024-03-07.
  25. ^ Jiwani, Rory (20 May 2023). "Boryana Kaleyn takes all-around title at 2023 European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships". Olympics.com.
  26. ^ "Bulgaria win individual and group all-around titles in Baku". 20 May 2023.
  27. ^ "Double delight for Italian Raffaeli as 2023 European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships ends". 21 May 2023.
  28. ^ "Ginnastica ritmica, Campionato Assoluto 2023: Raffaeli trionfa a Folgaria e concede il bis". Sportface.it (in Italian). 2023-06-10.
  29. ^ "Folgaria - FLASH NEWS: Raffaeli di un altro pianeta. Baldassarri, Dragas e Sella incantano nelle finali Assolute". Federginnastica.it (in Italian). 2023-06-10.
  30. ^ "Kaleyn, Raffaeli, Italy and Brazil the toast of Cluj-Napoca Rhythmic World Challenge Cup". 17 July 2023.
  31. ^ "Varfolomeev emerges as the toast of Milan as Italy and Israel share Group glory". 24 July 2023.
  32. ^ "2023 Rhythmic World Cup rankings decided". 25 July 2023.
  33. ^ "Valencia - Raffaeli, argento mondiale, ragazza d'oro: "E' la vittoria più bella che dedico a Fabriano". Milena Baldassarri fa 13!" (in Italian). 26 August 2023.
  34. ^ "מינויים חדשים למאמני נבחרות ההתעמלות" (in Hebrew). 13 November 2023.
  35. ^ "2022–2024 Code of Points Rhythmic Gymnastics" (PDF). International Gymnastics Federation. 25 April 2022. Retrieved 5 March 2024.

External links

Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Sofia_Raffaeli&oldid=1220384048"