Bulgaria win rhythmic gymnastics group gold to end Russian streak at Olympic Games

Bulgaria scored 92.100 points to end Russian winning streak that stretches back to Sydney 2000

Team Bulgaria perform during the Group All-Around Final at Ariake Gymnastics Centre on August 08, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. Team Bulgaria won the gold medal.

Team Bulgaria poses after winning the gold medal.

Team Bulgaria perform during the Group All-Around Final at Ariake Gymnastics Centre.

Team Bulgaria perform during the Group All-Around Final.

Gold medalists Team Bulgaria pose after the Group All-Around Final.

Bulgaria's rhythmic gymnastics' team, Simona Dyankova, Stefani Kiryakova, Madlen Radukanova, Laura Traets and Erika Zafirova, perform during the rhythmic gymnastics group all-around final at the 2020 Summer Olympics.

Bulgaria's rhythmic gymnastics' team, Simona Dyankova, Stefani Kiryakova, Madlen Radukanova, Laura Traets and Erika Zafirova, perform during the rhythmic gymnastics group all-around final.

Bulgaria's rhythmic gymnastics' team, Simona Dyankova, Stefani Kiryakova, Madlen Radukanova, Laura Traets and Erika Zafirova.

Bulgaria's rhythmic gymnastics' team, Simona Dyankova, Stefani Kiryakova, Madlen Radukanova, Laura Traets and Erika Zafirova, perform during the rhythmic gymnastics group all-around final.

Team Bulgaria reacts after competing in the group all-around final.

Team Bulgaria competes in the group all-around final.

Team Bulgaria competes in the group all-around final.

Team Bulgaria perform in the rhythmic gymnastics group all-around final.

Team Bulgaria poses with coaches after winning the gold medal.

Team Bulgaria perform in the rhythmic gymnastics group all-around final.

Bulgaria's perfect co-ordination helped them bag gold in the rhythmic gymnastics group event at the Tokyo Olympics on Sunday, ending a Russian winning streak that stretched back to the Sydney Games in 2000.

In the two rotations - five balls; three hoops and two clubs - Bulgaria scored 92.100 points, weighted towards the first round.

The Russian Olympic Committee (ROC) scored 90.700 points overall, taking silver, while Italy won the bronze with 87.700 points. Russian athletes are competing under the ROC flag in Tokyo as part of sanctions for doping scandals.

Rhythmic gymnastics sees athletes perform exquisite contortions and manoeuvres to music while using hoops, balls, clubs or ribbons.

Bulgaria's five women tapped, spun and juggled five balls between them, tallying 47.550 points to a Bulgarian folk music tune arranged by Stoyan Yankulov, one of the country's most popular percussionists.

The sport was added to the Olympic programme as an individual event in 1984, with the first group gold awarded at Atlanta in 1996, when Spain took the title.

Since then Russian teams have dominated but on Sunday they came up second best.

It was the second upset in a row for Russian rhythmic gymnasts after Israel's Linoy Ashram on Saturday finished ahead of three-time individual all-around world champion Dina Averina to win gold on Saturday by 0.150 points.

The ROC's Anastasiia Maksimova said they were feeling "very mixed emotions".

"Of course there is joy but there is also sadness," she said. "We feel like we fought for our country, for our team, for our coach. We did what we could."