Rhythmic Gymnastics Poll Final

2000 Sydney Winner

1. Alina Kabaeva (RUS) 43
This cute, tiny and very flexible gymnast seems to have convinced everybody in her way to the Sydney Gold Medal. What else can we say?
2. Elena Vitrichenko (UKR) 21
The former World Champion is beaten again!
3. Julia Raskina (BLR) 6
4. Teodora Alexandrova (BUL) 5
One of my favourites did not make it to the very top this time.
5. Evgenia Pavlina (BLR) 4
Maybe one of the most experienced gymnasts will perform well in Sydney?
6. Mila Marinova (USA) 3
Will this former Bulgarian gymnast do things better under the American flag?
7. Eva Serrano (FRA) 2
   Erika-Leigh Stirton (CAN) 2
8. Anna Kwitniewska (POL) 1
   Siri Kjeksrud (NOR) 1
   
   Will Norway's hope get to go to Sydney or not?
   Victoria Danova (BUL) 1
   Irina Tschaschina (RUS) 1

Best Music

1. Carmen, Georges Bizet 7
Used by many gymnasts and liked by many of you!
2. Bolero, Maurice Ravel 6
   
   In my ears this gets a bit boring...
   Riverdance, Bill Whelan 6
3. Rhapsody in Blue, George Gershwin 5
4. Romeo and Juliet, Sergej Vasiljevitsj Prokofiev 4
   Desire, Yanni 4
   Mission Impossible, Danny Elfman 4
5. Libertango, Astor Piazzolla 3
   Malagueña 3
   Phantom of the Operah, Andrew Lloyd Webber 3
   Sing, Sing, Sing, Benjamin "Benny" Goodman 3
   Swan Lake, Pjotr Tsjaikovskij 3
   Tango Jalousie, Jacob Gade 3
6. Ave Maria, Franz Peter Schubert 2
   Dark Eyes, Russian Trad. 2
   
   Simply one of my favourites!
   James Bond 2
   Kalinka, Paul Mouriat 2
   Lily was Here, Candy Dulfer 2
   Sabre Dance, Aram Iljitsj Khatchaturian 2
7. Adagio, Tomasso Albinoni 1
   Bamboleo, Gypsy Kings 1
   Chi Mai, Ennio Morricone 1
   Fiddler on the Roof, Jerry Bock 1
   
   This music made famous by Maria Petrova (BUL) in her old clubs routine.
   Flight of the Bumblebee, Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov 1
   In the Mood, Glenn Miller 1
   Man With the Harmonica, Ennio Morricone 1
   Metallic Rain, Vangelis 1
   Nah Neh Nah, Vaya Con Dios 1
   Nostalgia, Yanni 1
   Rainman, Hans Zimmer 1
   Rondo Capriccioso, Charles Camille Saint-Saëns 1
   Summertime from Porgy and Bess, George Gershwin 1
   The Race, Yello 1
   West Side Story, Leonard Bernstein 1
   Zorba's Dance, Mikis Theodorakis 1

Coolest & Funkiest Routine

1. Yana Batyrchina (RUS), hoop 1997 14
Is this really the coolest routine of all?
2. Alina Kabaeva (RUS), hoop 1998 13
3. Elena Vitrichenko (UKR), clubs 1997 11
I kept my votes for this one...
4. Maria Petrova (BUL), ribbon 1996 9
...and for this one!
5. Larissa Lukyanenko (BLR), rope 1996 6
6. Maria Petrova (BUL), clubs 1992 5
Everybody knows the "Suzanne Vega" routine!
7. Ekaterina Serebrianskaya (UKR), clubs 1996 3
   Elena Vitrichenko (UKR), clubs 1995 3
   
   This is one of my favourites...
   Oksana Kostina (RUS), rope 1992 3
...along with this one!
8. Alexandra Timochenko (UKR), ribbon 1989 2
   Alicia Albe (USA), clubs 1997 2
   Amina Zaripova (RUS), rope 1996 2
   Erika-Leigh Stirton (CAN), clubs 1997 2
   Kristina Kliukevichute (LTH), clubs 1993 2
   Yana Batyrchina (RUS), rope 1995 2
A really cute routine! :-)
9. Adriana Dounavska (BUL), ribbon 1988 1
   Elena Gatilova (UKR), ribbon 1995 1
   
   This routine gave her the 5th best ribbon score during the 1995 European Championships! Well done!
   Elena Vitrichenko (UKR), clubs 1996 1
   Ivana Smitakova (CZE), clubs 1993 1
   
   Have you seen this? If not, you have really missed something inside rhythmic gymnastics...
   Oksana Kostina (RUS), ball 1992 1
   Tatiana Popova (UKR), clubs 1997 1
   Teodora Alexandrova (BUL), clubs 1998 1
   Teodora Alexandrova (BUL), ribbon 1997 1

Most balletical Routine

1. Maria Petrova (BUL), ball 1996 12
   
   Not good enough to win in Atlanta, but good enough to win here!
   Ekaterina Serebrianskaya (UKR), ball 1993 12
2. Yana Batyrchina (RUS), clubs 1997 11
3. Natalia Lipkovskaia (RUS), ribbon 1997 10
Dramatic, don't you think?
4. Marina Lobatch (BLR), ribbon 1988 9
5. Larissa Lukyanenko (BLR), clubs 1996 7
One of Larissa's most balletical routines ever performed.
6. Amina Zaripova (RUS), clubs 1993 5
Take the clubs out of Amina's hands and put ballet shoes on her feet: You'll have a prima ballerina!
7. Alexandra Timochenko (UKR), ball 1989 4
   Oksana Kostina (RUS), ball 1989 4
I hope as many as possible of you will remember this routine. It touches your heart!
8. Oksana Kostina (RUS), clubs 1992 2
   Natalia Lipkovskaia (RUS), ball 1995 2
   Tatiana Popova (UKR), hoop 1997 2
9. Alina Kabaeva (RUS), ball 1996 1
   Amina Zaripova (RUS), ball 1993 1
   Amina Zaripova (RUS), ribbon 1996 1
   Maria Petrova (BUL), ball 1993 1
   Maria Petrova (BUL), hoop 1993 1

Cutest

1. Yana Batyrchina (RUS) 23
Yana always had the crowd on her side because of her beauty and charm...
2. Alina Kabaeva (RUS) 18
It surprised me that Alina did not beat Yana here...
3. Teodora Alexandova (BUL) 9
4. Natalia Lipkovskaia (RUS) 5
You can not call Natalia "cute", it has to be beautiful...
5. Evgenia Pavlina (BLR) 4
6. Inger Marit Arnestad (NOR) 3
   
   Oh, I am in the list, - WOW!
   Emmy van Montfoort (NED) 3
7. Ekaterina Serebrianskaya (UKR) 2
   Elena Vitrichenko (UKR) 2
   Oksana Kostina (RUS) 2
8. Agnieszka Brandenbura (POL) 1
   Alba Caride-Costas (ESP) 1
   Assel Moustafina (RUS) 1
   Carolina Pascual (ESP) 1
   Diana Popova (BUL) 1
   
   I heard someone say that Diana reminds you of Cindy Crawford(!).
   Edita Schaufler (GER) 1
   Heini Lautala (FIN) 1
   Irina Tschaschina (RUS) 1
   Julia Raskina (BLR) 1
   Maria Petrova (BUL) 1
   Stella Salapatiyska (BUL) 1
   Susanna Marchesi (ITA) 1
   Zarina Gizikova (RUS) 1

Coolest leotard

1. Elena Vitricneko (UKR), clubs 1997 8
Is this the leotard you thought of? In that case, you are completely right!
2. Alina Kabaeva (RUS), hoop 1998 4
3. Natalia Lipkovskaia (RUS), hoop 1997 3
   Emmy van Montfoort (NED), ribbon 1999 3
Although 1999 has just started, Emmy got 3 votes!
4. Elena Vitrichenko (UKR), ribbon 1997 2
   Julia Raskina (BLR), clubs 1998 2
   Olga Gontar (BLR), ball 1995 2
   
   Really beautiful, this white leotard (sleeveless, long legs).
   Tatiana Ogrizko (BLR), ribbon 1997 2
   Yana Batyrchina (RUS), ribbon 1997 2
5. Alexandra Timochenko (UKR), ribbon 1988 1
   Alina Kabaeva (RUS), rope 1998 1
   Andrea Szalay (HUN), rope 1996 1
   Carolina Pascual (BLR), ball 1993 1
   Carolina Pascual (BLR), clubs 1993 1
   Carolina Pascual (BLR), hoop 1993 1
   Ekaterina Serebrianskaya (UKR), ball 1996 1
   Ekaterina Serebrianskaya (UKR), clubs 1996 1
   Elena Vitrichenko (UKR), clubs 1996 1
   Elena Vitrichenko (UKR), ribbon 1996 1
   Elena Vitrichenko (UKR), rope 1996 1
   Evgenia Pavlina (BLR), ribbon 1997 1
   Larissa Lukyanenko (BLR), rope 1994 1
   Leigh Marning (AUS), clubs 1998 1
   Natalia Lipkovskaia (RUS), ribbon 1997 1
   Nicole Gerdes (GER), clubs 1995 1
   Oksana Skaldina (UKR), clubs 1992 1
   Olga Gontar (BLR), ribbon 1995 1
   Simone Peytheva (?), clubs 1998 1
   The Belarussian Group, balls 1998 1
   The Spanish Group, balls 1998 1
   Valeria Vatkina (BLR), rope 1998 1
   Vibeke Wøyen Hansen (NOR), ribbon 1997 1
   Yana Batyrchina (RUS), clubs 1997 1
   Yana Batyrchina (RUS), hoop 1998 1

Most Flexible

1. Alina Kabaeva (RUS) 42
This girl seems to have forgotten her joints somewhere...
2. Amina Zaripova (RUS) 29
...but her former team-mate is not far away, either!
3. Yana Batyrchina (RUS) 12
4. Alexandra Timochenko (UKR) 2
   Inger Marit Arnestad (NOR) 2
   
   I am certainly not as flexible as this...
   Siri Kjeksrud (NOR) 2
   Youlia Barsoukova (RUS) 2
Have you got pictures of Youlia? If so, please send them to me!
5. Assel Moustafina (RUS) 1
   Elena Vitrichenko (UKR) 1
   Elena Shamatulskaya (BLR) 1
   
   You should have seen her feet!
   Emilie Livingston (CAN) 1
   Larissa Lukyanenko (BLR) 1
   Stella Salapatyiska (BUL) 1

Best Ever Seen

1. Elena Vitrichenko (UKR) 14
2. Ekaterina Serebrianskaya (UKR) 13
3. Maria Petrova (BUL) 12
A really close race between the top three... I will give you no comments, but I think you know who my favourite is...
4. Alexandra Timochenko (UKR) 8
   Oksana Kostina (RUS) 8
5. Yana Batyrchina (RUS) 7
6. Larissa Lukyanenko (BLR) 6
7. Natalia Lipkovskaia (RUS) 5
8. Alina Kabaeva (RUS) 4
   Amina Zaripova (RUS) 4
9. Anelia Ralenkova (BUL) 2
   Emmy van Montfoort (NED) 2
10. Assel Moustafina (RUS) 1
    Bianka Panova (BUL) 1
    Carolina Pascual (ESP) 1
    Diliana Gueorguieva (BUL) 1
    Inger Marit Arnestad (NOR) 1
    
    This is certainly not true, and we all know that. So...who was that stupid idiot who got me into this list? ;-)
    Julia Raskina (BLR) 1
    Mila Marinova (BUL) 1
    Teodora Alexandrova (BUL) 1
    Zarina Gizikova (RUS) 1