Around 2,000 spectators were treated to a journey through the “Wonderful World of Gymnastics” on Saturday night. At times loud, at times quiet, at times fast-paced, at times slow-moving, the journey took the audience through the many facets of the sport. It featured great moments, intense emotions, and big names. Take German rhythmic gymnastics legend Magdalena Brzeska, for example, who admitted after an atmospheric 100 minutes: “Standing on a gymnastics floor again after 29 years, in a setting like this — that was truly exciting.”
The Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships representative quietly returned to the gymnastics floor and was joined not only by Paris 2024 Olympian Margarita Kolosov but also by Melissa Diete, a 13-year-old gymnast who represents the future of the sport. Rhythmic gymnastics was also showcased in group performances by the German junior national team and the hosts' champion club TV Dahn.
Displays from various clubs highlighted the achievements of the people affiliated with the German Gymnastics Federation. Groups of up to 30 members from TV Ludwigshafen-Bodensee, TSV Hüttingen, FC Röhlingen, Stedinger TV Berne, and Schwarz-Weiß Oldenburg demonstrated— with artistry, dynamism, elegance, and humour —why they had already been awarded top marks at the “Rendezvous der Besten” and had successfully represented the DTB on the international stage.
The technical team from the host organisation, the DTB, was once again in top form, transforming the Festhalle into a spectacle of light, sound, and visuals from the very first minute. They skilfully alternated between spine-tingling moments and a party atmosphere — including the daring stunts of a hoop diver followed by a group breakdance performance.
One of the biggest audience cheers came for the Special Olympics group that demonstrated just how inclusive the use of balls, ribbons, hoops, and clubs can be. Moving moments with sensitive choreography on a stage that, in the past few days has belonged to the world’s very best. A stage where perhaps even male rhythmic gymnast Eneko Lamea might one day have a shot at a medal. With the ribbon, the Spaniard demonstrated why rhythmic gymnastics doesn’t have to remain a women’s sport.
With a fiery tango, the 26-time German champion Brzeska then demonstrated her flexibility and dancing prowess as the winner of television show “Let’s Dance” in 2014. Emerging from what she herself described as a surprising period of obscurity, she and her partner Erich Klann showcased the beauty of ballroom dance.
Team Germany, which had enchanted the audience that afternoon with two world-class Group routines and a fourth-place finish in the World Championships All-Around competition, demonstrated their pure passion for rhythmic gymnastics. Even on the evening before their two apparatus finals, the five gymnasts didn’t miss the opportunity to present a choreography — rehearsed during their Worlds preparations — to the home crowd alongside six teammates from the national squad.
It featured a solo by Melanie Dargel, who was part of Germany’s gold-medal-winning team at last year’s World Championships in Rio de Janeiro. This was followed by a serene pas de deux by Olympian Anne Jung and her partner.
And then Kolosov finally made her grand entrance on the stage where she had hoped to compete as a Championships participant. Instead of gymnastics, she showcased freestyle dancing set to rock music — a piece she had always wanted to use for a routine but which had been deemed too fast. But on this evening, anything that put people in a “good mood” was allowed, including, to the delight of the audience, the upbeat song of the same name.
The journey through the wonderful world of gymnastics took the audience Denmark for its final leg. The Oellerup Gymnastics School, once again demonstrated at a major event in Germany how it can thrill the gymnastics audience with grand dance sequences and a fireworks display of jumps on the trampoline.
The show’s late-arriving star guest proved that all it takes is a wave to the audience to spark cheers in the stands. But to achieve such an effect, you probably have to be Darja Varfolomeev. Even the Olympic champion preferred a guest appearance on stage to an early night’s rest — the very stage where she had won her first gold medal of these World Championships the night before with a breathtaking All-Around performance.
True to form, she didn’t turn down a single selfie request from the volunteers after the show — volunteers who were also part of the final scene. Together with all the performers and the audience, the well-deserved anthem rang out through the Festhalle: “Three cheers for us!”
