I watched the Olympic rhythmic gymnastics final with great pleasure. I'd like to say right away that I think all the scores were fair with the exception of Joanna Mitrosz's, who alwasys receives more than she deservs. I am sad that Staniouta did not make the final and that Miteva made the mistakes she made but very happy that Rivkin and Rizatdinova made the final, too, as each faced her own challenges. To be honest, Garaeyva and Maximenko did not impress me; I thought both were sloppy.
What made this Olympic final especially memorable for me was Son's performance. She was very close to getting on the podium and I kept wishing she made it there, although the bronze medal winner Charkashyna is one of my favorie gymnasts.
Going in as an underdog, Son finished fifth, very close to Garayeva. Son, however, is a cleaner and more expressive gymnast than Garaeyva by far. She performs with a lot of style so I hope she will stay in competition after this amazing performance in London. My favorite is her hoop routine, which really moves me with the gymnast's enthusiasm, her passionate interpretation of the music:
