Laura Zeng Has Returned: Ready and Confident

Laura Zeng from the United States has returned confidently on the carpet after a suspension due to the use of a prohibited substance. In the 2019 season, she showed she kept in good form and worked to meet the next challenge with difficulty and originality.

While prohibited substance use happens rarely in rhythmic gymnastics, the federations and communities may consider why it should happen at all and whether the substances used really have a significant effect on performance at all, in a sport where success does not depend on strength or speed.

Boryana Kaleyn Faces New Challenges Following Her Amazing European Championship Performance

The new leader of the Bulgarian team, Boryana Kaleyn, took two bronze medals with ball and ribbon at the EC in Baku. In her interviews for Bulgarian TV, she shared that the week following the championship will be very challenging for her because her "matura," exams, which take place during the last year of high school, are coming up.

She has been studying for these exams while also preparing for a very strong performance at the EC. A high school senior, Boryana placed ahead of gymnasts who are 6-7 years older and much more experienced than her, including her teammate,  the Olympian Vladinova, who is 25.

Boryana truly is one of the most hard-working and determined athletes in Bulgaria and I am sure she will shine in everything she does, from school to sports, to her personal hobbies and aspirations.

We are fortunate to have her on a team that really needs new ideas and originality in order to defend a proud and beautiful gymnastics tradition. Go Boryana!

Captain of Bulgarian Group Simona Dyankova Can Rock on Any Carpet

Photography:Dimo Dimov

We have all seen her leap in the year behind her teammates but do you remember her as an individual gymnast? I wrote about her  along time ago here: https://ludafenka-en.blogspot.com/2011/01/beautiful-young-gymnast-from-bulgaria.html.

At first I was skeptical about her move to the group. This is a gymnast who always adds her own interpretation to every movement and, with those touches, can make a routine memorable, but groups are about uniformity and harmony, not rock-star individual stage presence. I thought she would stand out with her own style and not look like the other four girls, to put it simply. Now that she has been with the group for a while, I think her place as leader of the group has made a significant impact on the entire national team, an impact she may not have had the chance to make before. She raises everyone's spirit and pushes for a more expressive style.  I think the others on the team perform more boldly under her guidance and contagious example. 

Being part of the group exercise does not work smoothly for everyone and many top performers retire due to the internal politics of their federation because they don't "break through" as an individual competitor, or at least not as quickly as their coaches expect. The group is not some kind of second chance, though; it is simply a different challenge and a choice to commit and contribute to a shared goal.

While Simona had a lot of potential to bring her gymnastics to the next level as an individual as she's a true actress and a diva of dance and expression, all the personal sacrifices she has made to be part of the group are definitely well worth it. She has become the leading athlete in a dream team and is participating in performances that will leave a mark on the history of the sport.