Vera Tugolukova | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Nickname(s) | Verochka | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Country represented | Cyprus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Former countries represented | Russia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Born | Moscow, Russia | 16 September 2008|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Hometown | Lyubertsy, Russia | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Residence | Kato Polemidhia, Cyprus[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Training location | Novogorsk, Russia[2] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Discipline | Rhythmic gymnastics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Level | Senior International Elite | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Years on national team | 2023–present (Cyprus) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Club | Andreas Trikomitis Club | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Head coach(es) | Natalia Sokolova, Chrystalleni Trikomiti | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Vera Tugolukova (born 16 September 2008) is a Russian-born rhythmic gymnast who has competed for Cyprus in international competitions since 2023. She is representing Cyprus at the 2024 Summer Olympics in Women's rhythmic individual all-around on 8-9 August 2024.
In 2022, Tugolukova won the gold medal with the hoop at the Russian Junior Championships.[3] At the Children of Asia International Sport Games in Vladivostok, she won silver all-around as well as gold in the ribbon final, bronze in the ball final, and silver in the club final.[4]
She could not compete in International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) sponsored competitions due to the suspension of Russian athletes following the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[5] In November 2022, the FIG announced that Tugolukova had changed her nationality to Cyprus.[6] Irina Viner, head coach of the Russian rhythmic gymnastics team, noted that Tugolukova's parents had moved to Cyprus.[7]
Tugolukova joined the Cypriot national team as a junior in 2023 and her first international competition representing Cyprus was in March at the Aphrodite Cup in Athens, Greece, finishing fifth in the all-around in her age category and winning silver in the hoop final.[8] Then at the Sofia Cup, she won two golds in the ball and club finals and silver in the ribbon final, while in hoop she was fifth.[9][10] In the AGF Trophy in Baku, Azerbaijan, she won gold medals in the all-around and with the hoop and silver medals in the ball and clubs finals.[11]
Tugolukova was selected to compete at the 2023 Junior World Championships in Cluj-Napoca, Romania. She competed with hoop, ball, and clubs, while her teammate, Nika Khodareva, did so with the ribbon.[12] Tugolukova qualified for three apparatus finals and finished seventh in hoop, fifth in ball, and sixth in clubs.[13]
Tugolukova became age-eligible for senior competitions in 2024. She made her senior debut at the Palaio Faliro World Cup and finished sixth in the all-around.[14] In the apparatus finals, she won a bronze medal in the ribbon final, which was the first-ever medal for Cyprus on the FIG World Cup series.[15] At her next event, the Sofia World Cup, she finished 14th in the all-around.[16] She then won three medals at the first edition of the European Cup in Baku: silver with the ribbon and bronze with the hoop and clubs.[17]
At the 2024 European Championships in Budapest, she finished 11th in the all-around during the qualification round. As the highest-ranked gymnast from a country that had not already qualified, Tugolukova earned the continental berth for the 2024 Summer Olympics ahead of Poland's Liliana Lewińska.[18][19] The Polish Gymnastics Federation protested the results and filed appeals to the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation.[20][21] Tugolukova's Olympic qualification was confirmed by the FIG on 4 June.[22] She finished 16th in the all-around final,[23] fourth in the clubs final,[24] and seventh in the ball final.[25]
Year | Event | Team | AA | HP | BA | CL | RB |
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Junior | |||||||
Representing Russia | |||||||
2022 | Russian Junior Championships | ||||||
Children of Asia International Sport Games | |||||||
Representing Cyprus | |||||||
2023 | Aphrodite Cup | 5 | |||||
Sofia Cup | 4 | 5 | |||||
AGF Trophy | |||||||
Junior World Championships | 7 | 5 | 6 | ||||
Senior | |||||||
2024 | Palaio Faliro World Cup | 6 | |||||
Sofia World Cup | 14 | ||||||
European Cup | |||||||
European Championships | 16 | 7 | 4 | ||||
Olympic Games | 16 |
Year | Apparatus | Music title |
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2023 | Hoop | "Miserlou" by Caroline Campbell and William Joseph (feat. Tina Guo) |
Ball | "Mama" by Dalida | |
Clubs | "Macarena" by Los del Rio | |
Ribbon | "Gelato Al Cioccolato" by Enzo Ghinazzi | |
2024 | Hoop | "Misirlou" by David Garrett |
Ball | "Seven Nation Army" by Postmodern Jukebox (feat. Haley Reinhart) | |
Clubs | The 5th by David Garrett | |
Ribbon | The Firebird: Ep 16. Danse infernale de tous les sujets de Kastchei by Chicago Symphony Orchestra |