RIO DE JANEIRO-Russia won a fifth straight rhythmic gymnastics group all-around gold at the Rio Olympics on Sunday to complete their double on the final day of competition.
The five-woman team maintained their grip on a title they have held since Sydney 2000, a day after Margarita Mamun, achieved the same feat by winning a fifth-straight individual all-around crown for Russia. Russia scored 36.233 with Spain taking silver ahead of Bulgaria, with both scoring 35.766. But the Russians did not dominate the event.
The five-woman team -- Anastasia Maksimova, Anastasia Tatareva, Maria Tolkacheva, Anastasia Bliznyuk and Vera Biriukova -- trailed Spain in Saturday's qualifiers. The Spanish again led after the first Ribbon rotation on Sunday in the Rio Olympic Arena by 0.100 on Bulgaria with Russia third at 0.200. But the world champions sealed victory with their Hoops and Clubs performance to the music of Stravinsky's "Rite of Spring".
It was a second Olympic gold for Bliznyuk, the only survivor of the team from London 2012. "This medal was even harder for me to earn than the first," said Bliznyuk. We have incredibly difficult training sessions."
Anastasiia Maksimova credited coach Irina Viner with their success. "(Her) attention to detail, to each toe, to each nail, the way she watched over in trainings, is why we won." Bliznyuk added: "She (Viner) saved my life when I got sick. I was born again and she is my second mother. "She came up with a new image because she said everybody has hair buns all the time. We need to change something and look different."
The 20-year-old Mamun from Moscow took gold ahead of her world champion teammate Yana Kudryavtseva, with Ukraine's Ganna Rizatdinova claiming bronze. It was the fifth time that Russia have won both titles. Three-time world champion Kudryavtseva's challenge ended after she dropped her club apparatus at the end of the third rotation of four.
Spain return to the group all-around podium for the first time since winning gold in 1996 Atlanta, the first time the event was included in the Olympic programme.