Ukraine's Onofriichuk wins first individual world rhythmic gymnastics title in 13 years

Ukrainian rhythmic gymnast Taisiia Onofriichuk claimed gold in the hoop final at the 2026 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships in Frankfurt am Main. Performing a routine set to Michael Jackson's "Thriller," the Kyiv-born athlete earned a total score of 30.700, made up of 8.300 points for artistry and 14.100 for difficulty.

Her score placed her ahead of Italy's Sofia Raffaeli, the 2022 Olympic bronze medallist, who took silver with 30.500 points. Germany's Darja Varfolomeeva, who was born in Russia, secured bronze with 30.400 points. Israel's Daniela Munits finished fourth and Uzbekistan's Takhmina Ikromova rounded out the top five.

The win marks Ukraine's first gold medal at this year's World Championships. It is also the country's first individual world title since 2013, when the championships were held in Ukraine and Hanna Rizatdinova won gold, also in the hoop event. For Onofriichuk, this is her first World Championship title, following two bronze medals she won at last year's championships in Rio de Janeiro.

More finals ahead

Ukraine has two more finals on 16 August. Onofriichuk will compete in the clubs final, while Ukraine's group will compete for gold in the three hoops and two pairs of clubs final. Earlier in the championships, the Ukrainian team narrowly missed a medal in the five-ball final.