Russian gymnast Yana Zaykina won the gold medal at the 2026 European Junior Championships in rhythmic gymnastics on the ribbon exercise.
Sofia Krinskaya from Ukraine took second place, and Melissa Deti from Germany took third place.
During the award ceremony, when the Russian anthem was played, Sofia Kerenskaya covered her ears with headphones and covered her eyes with her hands. This moment was captured on video by the Russian Gymnastics Federation.
Ukrainian Varvara Chubarova did the same thing when she awarded the winners of the exercise with the ball. Belarusian actress Kira Babkevich won here – the Belarusian anthem was played during the award ceremony.
The first medal at the European Championships among Russians was won by Ksenia Savinova, who took second place in the hoop exercise.
Yana Zaykina and Ksenia Savinova are students at the Heavenly Grace Academy of Rhythmic Gymnastics, created by Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva.
Gymnasts from Russia and Belarus will participate in international competitions with the flag and the national anthem for the first time since 2022. The International Gymnastics Federation lifted the restrictions at a meeting on May 16-17.
The European Junior Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships are held in the Bulgarian city of Varna.
Russian gymnasts have been suspended from competitions organized by the International Gymnastics Federation in 2022. From 2024 they were allowed to compete in neutral status.
