TAKASAKI, Japan, Oct. 27, 2019 – Laura Zeng of Libertyville, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center, Lili Mizuno of Northbrook, Ill./North Shore Rhythmic Gymnastics Center and Victoria Kobelev of Palm Coast, Fla./Rhythmic Art, represented the USA in the 2019 Aeon Cup in Takaskai, Japan, where the USA was eighth in the team competition. In the all-around, Zeng and Mizuno finished 10th and 15th in the senior division, and Kobelev was eighth in the junior competition.
Zeng’s 77.950 landed her in 10th place in the senior all-around. Her event scores were: hoop, 20.100; ball, 20.600; clubs, 19.650; and ribbon, 17.600. The event scores for Mizuno, whose 71.600 total earned her 15th place, were: hoop, 19.100; ball, 17.700; clubs, 19.000; and ribbon, 15.750. Russia’s twins Dina and Arina Averina took first (91.350) and second (87.950), respectively. Ukraine’s Vlada Nikolchenko was third at 84.800.
In the junior division, Kobelev tallied a 63.450 for eighth. Her event scores were: rope, 14.950; ball, 16.500; cubs, 16.500; and ribbon, 15.500. Italy’s Sofia Raffaeli was first at 79.500, with Ukraine’s Nikol Krasiuk and Russia’s Sofia Agafonova finishing second (74.300) and third (72.600), respectively.
In the team competition, Team USA was eighth (213.000). Russia easily won the gold (251.900), followed by the Ukraine (240.600) and Belarus (237.400). Team scores included the junior gymnast’s rope and the senior’s hoop scores, plus all three’s marks for ball, clubs and ribbon.