The 1983 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships were held in Strasbourg, France on November 10–13, 1983. They served as the qualification process for the first Olympic program of rhythmic gymnastics to be held in Los Angeles in 1984, although most of the gymnasts from Eastern Europe, which had the most dominant rhythmic gymnasts, ended up not participating in the Games due to the boycott by the Communist Bloc.
93 individuals and 21 groups competed; groups competed an exercise with hoops and ropes. Two floors were provided, one with carpet, which most gymnasts used, and one with wood, which was easier to spin and slide on.
In the individual event, Bulgarian gymnasts dominated the competition, only challenged by Soviet gymnasts. After the first day of the all-around, the Soviet gymnasts Dalia Kutkaitė and Galina Beloglazova tied for first, followed by the three Bulgarian gymnasts. However, on the second day, Kutkaitė dropped her hoop; Beloglazova had a strong first routine, but she, too, dropped her apparatus (clubs) during her last exercise. The three Bulgarian gymnasts performed more strongly, allowing them to move onto the podium; Diliana Georgieva ended in first place by 0.05 points, while Beloglazova and the other two Bulgarians, Lilia Ignatova and Anelia Ralenkova, tied for second.
The three individual Bulgarians were awarded twelve perfect 10.0 scores across the competition, and the three Soviets were given six. The number of perfect scores given, including five in the ball final, caused American sports photographer Eileen Langsley to comment that it was "indicative of the rising standards within gymnastics but also suggests that the code needs restructuring".
Three judges from the qualification rounds were not allowed to judge in the finals due to national bias in their qualification scores, which Andrea Schmid, a judge from the United States, noted as a first for the World Championships.
Participants The following countries sent competitors: Australia, Austria, Belgium, Brazil, Bulgaria, Canada, China, Cuba, Cyprus, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East Germany, Finland, France, Hungary, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, New Zealand, North Korea, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Kingdom, United States, Soviet Union, West Germany, and Yugoslavia.
Individual Nation Name Nation Name Nation Name Nation Name Gail Duquenin Roxana Merino-Martinez Hiroko Yamasaki Marta Canton Karen Ho Antoniadou Eftythia Irma Borgsteede Pino Diaz Ann Maree Kerr Libuse Mojžíšová Maud van Helvoort Viktoria Bengtsson Karin Elmer Daniela Záhorovská Esther Hielckert Eva Bergstroem Elke Göschl Susanne Ravn Tania Moss Helena Rosander Gertrude Ramsauer Bianca Dittrich Karen Schultz Fränzi Grogg Caroline Vlerick Katrin Huschke Angela Walker Suzanne Müller Sarina Roberti Heide Krause Yenn Ran Kang Grazia Verzasconi Dominique Thiebaut Heli Honko Zai Ran Kim Jacqueline Leavy Rosane Favila Ferreira Leena Murtamo Ok Sun Zang Lorraine Priest Laura Monteiro Benedicte Augst Ingvild Landro Julie Ramsden Maria Luisa Santos Valerie Bonvoisin Anne Langmoen Michelle Berube Diliana Guerguieva Christel Roger Shirin Zorriassateiny Lydia Bree Crabtree Lilia Ignatova Agnes Bencsina Teresa Folga Valerie Zimring Anelia Ralenkova Andrea Sinko Dorota Koslowska Galina Beloglazova Aimee Brender Zsuzsa Turak Anna Klos-Sulima Dalia Kutkaitė Adrianne Dunnett Liath Haninovlitz Margarida Carmo Venera Zaripova Lori Fung Hanit Turner Maria Joao Falcao Claudia Scharmann Xianyuan Huang Manuela Agnolucci Christina Lebre Regina Weber Weihong Li Christina Cimino Alina Dragan Claudia Ziburski Yu Tao Giulia Staccioli Doina Staiculescu Lidija Milicevic Perez Caridad Erika Akiyama Anca C. Zota Milena Reljin Medina Lourdes Hiroko Otsuka Marta Bobo Danijela Simić
Groups Countries who participated in the group competition are as follows.
Flag Nation Flag Nation Flag Nation Flag Nation Australia Czechoslovakia New Zealand United States Brazil Finland North Korea USSR Bulgaria France Norway West Germany Canada Italy Spain China Japan Sweden Cuba Netherlands Switzerland
Medal table Place Country Gold Silver Bronze Total 1 Bulgaria 7 2 5 14 2 USSR 2 3 2 7 3 North Korea 0 0 1 1
Individual Final
Individual All-Around Place Nation Name Hoop Ball Clubs Ribbon Total 1 Diliana Guerguieva9.8009.95010.0009.90039.650 2 Galina Beloglazova9.90010.0009.8009.90039.600 2 Lilia Ignatova9.80010.00010.0009.80039.600 2 Anelia Ralenkova9.9009.95010.0009.75039.600 5 Dalia Kutkaitė9.8009.9009.9009.85039.450 6 Doina Staiculescu 9.7009.8009.8009.60038.900 7 Bianca Dittrich 9.6009.7009.7509.55038.600 8 Libuse Mojžíšová 9.8009.6509.5009.55038.500 8 Regina Weber 9.6009.6509.5009.75038.500 10 Marta Bobo 9.7509.7509.6509.20038.350 11 Daniela Záhorovská 9.6009.4509.7009.45038.200 12 Zai Ran Kim 9.7009.4009.5009.50038.100 13 Yenn Ran Kang9.6509.6009.6009.20038.050 13 Venera Zaripova 8.8009.6509.8009.80038.050 15 Marta Canton9.6009.4509.5509.30037.900 16 Agnes Bencsina 9.4509.3009.5009.55037.800 17 Alina Dragan9.6509.3009.3009.50037.750 17 Giulia Staccioli 9.6509.6509.3509.10037.750 19 Heide Krause 9.7509.5009.4009.05037.700 19 Anca C. Zota 9.5509.5009.3009.35037.700 21 Xianyuan Huang 9.4009.3509.4509.45037.650 22 Milena Reljin 9.5509.4509.5009.10037.600 23 Lori Fung 9.1509.2509.6009.55037.550 24 Teresa Folga 9.6009.2009.2509.40037.450 25 Dorota Koslowska 9.6009.5509.0009.25037.400 25 Ok Sun Zang 9.7009.4509.0009.25037.400 27 Erika Akiyama 9.5009.2509.1509.35037.250 27 Claudia Scharmann 9.3009.1509.6509.15037.250 27 Danijela Simić 9.3009.3009.5009.15037.250 30 Christina Cimino 9.4009.1509.2009.40037.150 31 Manuela Agnolucci 9.5009.4508.8509.30037.100 31 Benedicte Augst 9.1509.4009.2509.30037.100 33 Grazia Verzasconi 9.3509.1509.3509.20037.050 34 Viktoria Bengtsson 9.3008.9509.4009.35037.000 34 Michelle Berube 9.3009.1009.2509.35037.000 34 Anna Klos-Sulima 9.1009.3509.2009.35037.000 34 Andrea Sinko 9.4509.3509.2009.00037.000 34 Hiroko Yamasaki 8.8009.1009.5509.55037.000 39 Weihong Li 9.0509.0009.4509.35036.850 40 Pino Diaz 9.4009.3509.4008.65036.800 40 Zsuzsa Turak 8.7509.6009.0009.45036.800 40 Maud van Helvoort 9.0509.3009.5008.95036.800 43 Roxana Merino-Martinez 9.1509.1509.2509.20036.750 44 Medina Lourdes 9.4508.9509.3508.95036.700 44 Shirin Zorriassateiny 9.3509.0009.0509.30036.700 46 Perez Caridad 9.2009.0509.1509.25036.650 46 Katrin Huschke 8.8009.3009.3009.25036.650 48 Irma Borgsteede 9.1509.0509.1509.20036.550 48 Valerie Zimring 9.5508.9508.8509.20036.550 50 Christel Roger 9.2509.1009.0009.15036.500 51 Anne Langmoen9.3008.9509.0009.15036.500 52 Suzanne Müller9.1509.0509.4508.75036.400 52 Claudia Ziburski 9.3508.9509.0509.05036.400 54 Karen Ho 9.1509.0509.1509.00036.350 54 Jacqueline Leavy 9.2009.0509.0009.10036.350 54 Caroline Vlerick 9.2008.7509.2509.15036.35057 Rosane Favila Ferreira 9.3009.0009.2008.80036.30057 Esther Hielckert 9.0508.7509.4009.10036.30059 Valerie Bonvoisin 9.4008.9508.9009.00036.25060 Tania Moss 9.2008.8009.4008.80036.20061 Adrianne Dunnett9.3509.1508.6009.00036.10061 Maria Joao Falcao 9.1508.8009.4508.70036.10063 Fränzi Grogg 9.3508.6009.0509.05036.05064 Margarida Carmo9.1008.6509.1509.10036.00064 Ann Maree Kerr8.9508.8009.1509.10036.00066 Lydia Bree Crabtree8.8008.6509.3509.15035.95067 Maria Luisa Santos 9.2008.9509.1508.60035.90067 Lorraine Priest 8.7508.7009.3009.15035.90067 Julie Ramsden8.8508.7009.3009.15035.90067Susanne Ravn9.2008.6509.0009.05035.90067Angela Walker 9.2008.7009.0508.95035.90072Christina Lebre 9.1008.7008.8509.20035.85072Lidija Milicevic8.7508.9509.1509.00035.85072 Sarina Roberti9.2008.7009.0008.95035.85075Elke Göschl9.0008.8009.0508.90035.75075 Hiroko Otsuka9.5009.1509.2007.90035.75077Ingvild Landro9.1508.8008.8008.90035.65077Yu Tao8.4508.9009.3009.00035.65079Liath Haninovlitz8.8008.7509.3008.75035.60080Gertrude Ramsauer9.0008.6509.0008.85035.50081Aimee Brender9.2008.9008.7508.55035.40081Helena Rosander9.0508.3509.2508.75035.40083Heli Honko9.1009.1008.4508.50035.15084Eva Bergstroem8.8508.7508.6508.85035.10084Karin Elmer8.6508.9008.9508.60035.10086 Karen Schultz9.1008.3508.7008.90035.05087 Hanit Turner8.4008.7009.0508.65034.80088Leena Murtamo8.5508.6008.4008.75034.30089Dominique Thiebaut8.5508.3008.8008.55034.20090Gail Duquenin8.4008.6508.5508.55034.15091Laura Monteiro7.5508.7508.9008.45033.65092Antoniadou Eftyhia7.2008.0008.7007.85031.750
Individual Hoop Place Nation Name All AroundHoopTotal 1 Anelia Ralenkova 9.90010.00019.900 2 Galina Beloglazova 9.9009.90019.800 3 Lilia Ignatova9.8009.85019.650 3 Dalia Kutkaitė 9.8009.85019.650 5 Libuse Mojžíšová9.8009.80019.600 6 Diliana Guerguieva9.8009.75019.550 6 Heide Krause 9.7509.80019.550 8 Marta Bobo 9.7509.70019.450
Individual Ball Place Nation Name All AroundHoopTotal 1 Galina Beloglazova10.00010.00020.000 1 Lilia Ignatova10.00010.00020.000 3 Diliana Guerguieva9.95010.00019.950 3 Anelia Ralenkova 9.95010.00019.950 5 Dalia Kutkaitė 9.90010.00019.900 6 Doina Staiculescu9.8009.85019.650 7 Marta Bobo 9.7509.80019.550 8 Bianca Dittrich 9.7009.80019.500
Individual Clubs Place Nation Name All AroundClubsTotal 1 Diliana Guerguieva10.00010.00020.000 1 Lilia Ignatova 10.00010.00020.000 3 Dalia Kutkaitė 9.90010.00019.900 3 Anelia Ralenkova 10.0009.90019.900 5 Galina Beloglazova9.80010.00019.800 6 Doina Staiculescu9.8009.90019.700 7 Bianca Dittrich 9.7509.85019.600 7 Venera Zaripova9.8009.80019.600
Individual Ribbon Place Nation Name All AroundRibbonTotal 1 Galina Beloglazova9.90010.00019.900 1 Diliana Guerguieva9.90010.00019.900 3 Anelia Ralenkova 9.75010.00019.750 4 Lilia Ignatova 9.8009.90019.700 4 Venera Zaripova 9.8009.90019.700 6 Dalia Kutkaitė 9.8509.80019.650 7 Regina Weber 9.7509.60019.350 8 Doina Staiculescu9.6009.60019.200
Group
Preliminaries Place Nation First Exercise Second Exercise Total 1 Bulgaria 19.60019.20038.800 2 USSR 19.55019.25038.800 3 North Korea19.05019.35038.400 4 Czechoslovakia 18.90019.30038.200 4 Spain 19.00019.20038.200 6 West Germany 18.50019.00037.500 7 China18.40018.95037.350 8 Japan18.40018.90037.700 9 France18.20018.50036.700 10 Italy 17.40018.50035.900 11 Norway 17.60018.00035.600 12 Canada17.80017.60035.400 13 Netherlands 17.50017.80035.300 13 Cuba17.85017.45035.300 15 Sweden17.50017.55035.050 16 Finland17.20017.70034.900 17 Brazil17.20017.60034.800 18 USA16.95017.70034.650 19 Switzerland17.70016.75034.450 20 New Zealand17.10016.40033.500 21 Australia 16.15016.35032.500
Finals Place Nation Average Final Total 1 Bulgaria 19.40019.90039.300 2 USSR 19.40019.80039.200 3 North Korea 19.20019.60038.800 4 Czechoslovakia19.10019.25038.350 5 Spain19.10019.15038.250 6 West Germany18.75019.25038.000 7 Japan18.65019.10037.750 8 China18.67519.05037.725
References
External links FIG - International Governing Body for Rhythmic Gymnastics