Top 10 Best Rhythmic Gymnastic Championships In The World 2025

In 2025, rhythmic gymnastics, which combines ballet, calisthenics, and mastering equipment, achieved unprecedented heights. The 41st FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships, the sport’s biggest event, took place in Rio de Janeiro in August. Athletes from all over the world showed off performances that combined technical skill with artistic flair. There was a lot of competition, significant breakthroughs, and a growing pool of international talent as new stars challenged existing ones. Rhythmic gymnastics became a showcase of athletic poetry in 2025, with Olympic champions defending their crowns and rising stars winning their first major gold.

List Of Top 10 Best Rhythmic Gymnastic Championships In The World 2025

1. Darja Varfolomeev

There is little doubt that Darja Varfolomeev was the queen of 2025. She defended her Olympic all-around gold with a superb win at the global Championships in Rio, making her the global all-around champion for the second year in a row (2023, 2025). She won the hoop qualification gold (30.600) in her clean sweep bid, which meant she made it to all of the individual finals. Her graceful tosses and problem-solving smiles showed how dominant she was. After the Paris Olympics, Varfolomeev’s life has been a whirlwind, yet she kept her title with scores that broke records.

2. Stiliana Nikolova

Stiliana Nikolova, 19, was the epitome of versatility in 2025, clinching European all-around gold in Tallinn with a hat-trick of apparatus victories (ball: 29.800). Her five-medal haul at Rio Worlds—highlighted by all-around silver and hoop silver (29.950)—confirmed her as Varfolomeev’s fiercest rival. Qualifying for all five apparatus finals, Nikolova’s artistry soared, particularly in ribbon, where her flowing lines evoked a modern fairy tale. Bulgaria’s prodigy also shone at World Cups, amassing podiums in every event. Nikolova’s journey from junior standout to senior sensation includes overcoming a 2024 ankle injury through innovative rehab. Her routines, set to orchestral scores, blend power and poetry, earning her the “Queen of Execution” moniker. At 19, she’s already eyeing a 2028 Olympic sweep.

3. Sofia Raffaeli

After a life-changing year after the Olympics, Italy’s Sofia Raffaeli, 23, took back her reign in 2025. She is the most decorated person in Italian rhythmic history. At the Milan World Cup, she won gold in all-around by scoring above 29 on every apparatus. At the Europeans, she won silver in hoop and bronze in clubs, and her new style was clear in the more edgy choreography. Rio Worlds was the high point of her comeback: she won gold in hoop (30.650), the best score in the final, with a routine that included smooth tosses and creative flare. Raffaeli’s four gold medals in the 2022 Worlds set a high standard, and her consistent performance across events in 2025 confirmed her status as an elite athlete. She exercises in a beach cottage, where she finds inspiration for her emotional performances in Italian opera. She balances pressure with delight. Raffaeli is a strong leader who fights for gender equality in coaching.

4. Onofriichuk Taisiia

The spectacular ascension of 17-year-old Taisiia “Taya” Onofriichuk in 2025 was very inspiring. She was the first Ukrainian European all-around champion since 1997. She was at the top of the World Cup rankings, winning the hoop and ribbon events and coming in second in clubs and third in ball. Her win in Tallinn, Europe, had the highest difficulty score in her career, combining the vigor of youth with the calm of experience. Onofriichuk’s performance at the Rio Worlds was amazing. She made it to the finals of all the apparatus events with Varfolomeev and Nikolova and ended in the top five all-around. Her tale is relevant to the problems Ukraine is facing right now; she trained in exile and says her family helped her stay strong. Onofriichuk is a symbol of strength. Her clubs routine, which is a whirlwind of spins, leaves audiences breathless. She won bronze at the 2024 European Championships and gold at the 2025 European Championships.

5. Ikromova Takhmina

In 2025, Uzbekistan’s Takhmina Ikromova, 22, became Asia’s rhythmic queen for good, winning her third straight Asian all-around title in the Singapore Championships. There, she won gold in hoop (28.700) and guided her team to silver. Her routines mix Central Asian themes with very hard tosses, especially in ribbon, where her snake-like waves are the best. Ikromova won the all-around silver medal at the FISU World University Games by performing four perfect routines. In Rio, she moved on to the next round by doing well in ball and clubs. She finished in the top 20 all-around, even though the competition was tough. Ikromova’s gold medals at the 2022 Asian Games (in all-around and team events) set the tone for her career, and her consistency in 2025 earned her respect from everyone. She is the flag-bearer for Uzbekistan and supports regional development by holding clinics in Tashkent.

6. Simakova Anastasia

Anastasia Simakova, 20, from Germany, provided technical skill and steady performance to the 2025 circuit. She won gold in rope and team events at the 2019 World Junior Championships, but had a quieter year in 2024. At the European Championships, she won silver in ball. Her routines are hard because they have mills, spirals, and illusion aspects that need to be done perfectly in a single second. Simakova’s best moment was the Rio Worlds hoop final, where she won bronze with a score of 29.400, behind only Italy’s Raffaeli and Bulgaria’s Nikolova. She did well on all of the equipment and made it to the finals, finishing in the top 10 all-around. Her hoop routine combined otherworldly music with strong strength, which got her excellent marks for execution. Simakova has been a key player in Germany’s success as a team, especially preparing for the Olympics, alongside Varfolomeev. Off the mat, she is studying sports science because she wants to coach after she retires.

7. Keys Rin

In a landmark year for American rhythmic gymnastics, 16-year-old Rin Keys etched her name in history as the first U.S. senior to medal at the World Championships. Keys dominated domestically, sweeping all five titles (all-around, hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon) at the 2025 USA Gymnastics Championships in Providence. Her international breakthrough came at the Cluj-Napoca World Cup, where she snagged ribbon silver, followed by Pan American golds in team, all-around, ball, and clubs. At Rio Worlds, Keys’ ball final routine a whirlwind of tosses and pivots netted her silver with a score that stunned the gymnastics world. Backing up her junior bronze from 2024, she helped the U.S. team to 12th in qualifications. Keys’ story is one of perseverance; overcoming a mid-year injury, she relived the “Are you sure?” shock of her medal moment in post-event interviews, crediting her coaches for rebuilding her confidence. With Pan Am dominance and Worlds silver, Keys is heralding a U.S. rhythmic renaissance.

8. Brezalieva Eva

In 2025, 19-year-old Bulgarian prodigy Eva Brezalieva came out of nowhere with routines that were as dramatic as storms on the Black Sea. She started the season with a silver medal in hoop and a gold medal in ribbon at a World Cup event. Her ribbon technique, which included complicated spirals and illusion tosses, wowed the crowd. Brezalieva came in the top eight all-around at the European Championships in Tallinn. People praised her explosive force in clubs. The Rio Worlds were her big break. She qualified for the clubs final with a great score of 28.800 and came in fourth overall in that event, just missing the podium. Her hoop qualification routine (28.150) showed off her perfect body waves and risky moves, making her a great candidate for medals in the future. Brezalieva’s expressive performances show that she has trained in both ballet and contemporary dance. As Bulgaria’s next generation following icons like Nikolova, she’s already teaching younger dancers, making sure the country’s rhythmic tradition lives on.

9. Domingos Barbara

In 2025, Bárbara Domingos became the first Brazilian to podium at senior World Cups consecutively in rhythmic gymnastics. Domingos, the 2023 and 2024 Pan American all-around champion, began the year with a great performance at the Portimão World Challenge Cup in Portugal, winning bronze in ribbon with samba-inspired tosses. Her club routines generally include Brazilian cultural motifs like carnival beats, which judges praised for their artistry. With the Worlds on home soil in Rio, she qualified for numerous apparatus and placed in the top 15 overall, a testament to her consistency in a field full of Europeans. Domingos helped Brazil’s group obtain continental quotas for future Olympics. Beyond competition, she mentors new Brazilian talent, promoting diversity in an Eastern European-dominated sport. At 22, her force and grace make her South America’s rhythmic ambassador.

10. SumKin Meita Maayan

Meital Maayan Sumkin, 18, debuted in 2025, proving youth can overcome experience. The European Championships in Tallinn, Estonia, awarded Sumkin bronze medals in ball and team competitions for Israel. Her flowing execution and emotional depth in routines garnered praise. She won gold in the high-stakes cross battle final at the European Cup in Burgas, Bulgaria, a stressful, elimination-style competition that required speed, precision, and adaptation. She showed her dexterity with ribbon and ball in her best win of her early career. As a debutant on the world stage, Sumkin placed 10th in the individual all-around in the Rio World Championships, wowing with her creative modern dance choreography. Sumkin’s fast rise shows Israel’s rhythmic strength, and with a silver medal at Europeans, she’s ready for much more in 2026. She promotes mental wellness in gymnastics, describing how visualization helped her handle the Burgas pressure cooker.