Ancona, August 15, 2026 – For the fourth consecutive edition a majestic Sofia Raffaeli secured the podium in the individual all-around competition of the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships. After Sofia’s historic triumph in 2022, the runner-up position in Valencia 2023, and the third place in Rio de Janeiro 2025, in fact, the twenty-two-year-old from Marche won another bronze medal, this time in Frankfurt (Germany), the venue of the 42nd world event of the small apparatus.
But it doesn’t end here. The young Italian, finishing in the top 3, secured the first Olympic quota place for the Italy Team for the Los Angeles 2028 Games. The three best-placed individuals at the end of the all-around final, in fact, guaranteed their respective NOC a nation spot for the next summer event with five rings in California.
The latest masterpiece of a career with many pages still to be written for the Volcano of Chiaravalle, materializing just over two years after the other unforgettable bronze medal obtained at the Paris 2024 Olympic Games. Only the home Olympic champion Darja Varfolomeev (gold with 119.500) and the Bulgarian Stiliana Nikolova (silver with 117.600) did better than the Italian star.
