2014 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships
| 2014 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships | |
|---|---|
Halkapınar Sport Hall, where the competition took place | |
| Venue | Halkapınar Sport Hall |
| Location | İzmir, Turkey |
| Start date | 21 September 2014 |
| End date | 28 September 2014 |
The 2014 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships, the 33rd edition, was held in İzmir, Turkey, from 21 to 28 September, 2014 at the Halkapınar Sport Hall.
Apparatus finals were held concurrently with the all-around qualifications, with the top gymnasts on each apparatus competing in the final after the apparatus qualifications were finished. 58 federations sent a total of 312 gymnasts: 133 individuals and 179 members of 31 groups.
Yana Kudryavtseva of the Russian Federation lead the all-around qualifications ahead of fellow Russian Margarita Mamun and Ukrainian Hanna Rizatdinova, and the medal placements were repeated in the final. Kudryavtseva became the youngest rhythmic gymnast to win back-to-back individual all-around titles in the World Championships at 16 years old.
Kudryavtseva also won the apparatus titles in hoop, ball (shared with Mamun), and clubs, while Mamun won the gold with ribbon. Son Yeon-jae from South Korea won her country's first medal at the World Championships, a bronze with hoop. Melitina Staniouta of Belarus won the ball bronze. Rizatdinova won the other two apparatus bronze medals with clubs and ribbon.
In the group competition, the host country of Turkey entered a group for the first time, as did Egypt and Thailand. The Russian group was favored to win, but they had serious mistakes in both routines: one gymnast had to run off the floor after a club in the 10 clubs routine, and they had a knotted ribbon in their 3 balls + 2 ribbons routine. They finished off the podium in fourth place, while the Bulgarian group won the group all-around 18 years after they last did so at the 1996 World Championships held in Budapest, Hungary. The Italian group won silver and the Belarusian group bronze.
In the group apparatus finals, the Spanish group, which had placed 11th in the all-around, rebounded to win the 10 clubs final, as they had done at the 2013 World Championships, and the Russian group also defended their title in the 3 balls + 2 ribbons final.
The Longines Prize for Elegance was awarded to Kudryavtseva.