Olympian Kolosov to lead Germany's bid for rhythmic gymnastics medals at Rhine-Ruhr Universiade

ESSEN, Germany, July 17 (Xinhua) -- Rhythmic gymnast Margarita Kolosov, who came close to claiming a medal at last summer's Olympics in Paris, will lead the host nation's bid for the podium at a FISU World University Games.

Kolosov, the world championship silver medalist, is one of two student-athletes in her sport representing Germany at the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 Games.

Just 1.05 points separated Kolosov from claiming the bronze medal in the individual all-around in Paris, and the 21-year-old is looking forward to competing from July 17-19.

"After my fourth place at the Olympic Games, this is the next big highlight in my career," Kolosov said prior to her debut at the Universiade.

"It's a great honor for me, especially in my role as ambassador for German university sport," she added.

Kolosov will be joined by her sole rhythmic gymnastics teammate, Anastasia Simakova, a former two-time junior world champion.

Simakova is trained by Yulia Raskina - the same coach who led Germany's Darya Varfolomeev to all-around Olympic gold last year in Paris.

Before that, at the age of 16, Varfolomeev won all five individual events at the 2023 world championships in Valencia.

"My goal is to deliver a strong performance and compete against the best female athletes in the world," the 20-year-old Simakova said.

"I'm looking forward to experiencing the atmosphere of a home event. With the support of family, friends and fans, it will certainly be a special experience."

The Rhine-Ruhr 2025 rhythmic gymnastics competition features a change of rules. In the three-point RSG judging system - defined by difficulty, artistry and execution - the difficulties have been reduced and the risk elements simplified.

The change is expected to shift the judges' focus to the artistry of each performance.

Some 81 student-athletes will participate in eight medal events in rhythmic gymnastics, which is the sole women-only discipline on the Rhine-Ruhr 2025 program.

Japan, South Korea and Ukraine will each be represented by eight competitors. ■