WINNIPEG – Among Canada’s top rhythmic gymnasts, Patricia Bezzoubenko is the gold standard.
The two-time Canadian champion, who has dual citizenship and splits her time between Toronto and Moscow, swept all four events and the all-around title in another dominant performance on Sunday at Elite Canada.
After leading all qualifiers on Saturday, Bezzoubenko towered above the 15 finalists winning the all-around gold with a total combined score of 132.450 points.
Toronto’s Carmen Whalen won the silver medal with 118.450 points and Vancouver’s Katherine Uchida took the bronze with 115.700.
Bezzoubenko’s best individual performance came in the hoop event, but she also easily topped the field in her routines with the ball, ribbon and clubs.
Taking her cue from Bezzoubenko, Toronto’s Ecaterina Cozma ran away with the junior all-around title and won three-of-four individual events.
Cozma, who says she looks to Bezzoubenko for inspiration, won the all-around gold with a score of 109.150 points.
“She’s so amazing, I look up to her all the time,” said Cozma, who added individual gold medals in the ball, ribbon and rope events.
“The way she performs reflects on me and I try to apply it to my work too. This was one of my best competitions but there’s always room for improvement.”
Athena Tsaltas of Georgina, Ont., won the silver medal with 100.950 points and Isabel Todorova of Vancouver earned the bronze with 96.750 points.
The top 15 competitors in both the junior and senior events earned a spot at 2015 Canadian championships.
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