Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics Daria Varfolomeyeva has been named the 2024 Athlete of the Year in Germany. She announced this on her Instagram page (social network banned in Russia; owned by Meta, recognized as an extremist organization and prohibited in the Russian Federation).
In the voting, the athlete received 1,888 votes, surpassing shot putter Yemisi Ogunleye by 79 votes. She expressed her gratitude to the fans for their support and described the past year as incredible. "I am especially pleased that our underrated sport — rhythmic gymnastics — is gaining more attention," Varfolomeyeva added.
Previously, Varfolomeyeva expressed her pride in moving from Russia to Germany. The athlete emphasized that this was the most difficult decision of her life.
At the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, Varfolomeyeva triumphed in the individual all-around event. For her performance, the 17-year-old athlete scored 142.850 points. Russian gymnasts declined to compete in the Olympics under a neutral status.
Varfolomeyeva was born in Barnaul and represented Russia until she was 13. In 2019, she moved to Germany and changed her sports nationality. Under her new flag, the gymnast became a six-time world champion and a two-time European champion.