Lidiia Iakovleva (gymnast)

Lidiia Iakovleva
Iakovleva at the 2018 Youth Olympic Games
Personal information
Full nameLidiia Anatolyevna Iakovleva
Alternative name(s)Lidiya Yakovleva
Nickname(s)Lida
Country represented Australia
Born (2003-08-28) 28 August 2003 (age 21)
Petrozavodsk, Russia
ResidenceBrisbane, Australia
Height158 cm (5 ft 2 in)[1]
DisciplineRhythmic gymnastics
ClubAspire Gymnastics Academy
Head coach(es)Iuliia Iakovleva
Medal record
Representing  Australia
Commonwealth Games
Silver medal – second place 2022 Birmingham Team
Representing International Olympic Committee Mixed-NOCs team
Youth Olympic Games
Bronze medal – third place 2018 Buenos Aires Mixed team

Lidiia Anatolyevna Iakovleva (Russian: Лидия Анатольевна Яковлева; born 28 August 2003)[1] is a Russian-born Australian rhythmic gymnast who represented Australia at the 2020 Summer Olympics in the individual all-around. She represented Australia at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics and won a bronze medal in the mixed multi-discipline team event. She won a silver medal in the team event at the 2022 Commonwealth Games. She will compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics as part of Australia's rhythmic gymnastics group.

Early life

Iakovleva was born in Petrozavodsk, Russia, and she began rhythmic gymnastics when she was five years old.[2] She moved with her family to Australia when she was seven years old.[3] She is coached by her mother, Iuliia Iakovleva, at Aspire Gymnastics Academy in Brisbane.[4]

Career

Iakovleva (bottom row, second from the right) and the bronze medal-winning mixed team at the 2018 Summer Youth Olympics

Junior

Iakovleva competed at the 2016 Pacific Rim Championships and won the bronze medal in clubs behind Lili Mizuno and Zhao Yating.[5] She won the all-around at the Junior Australian Championships in 2016, 2017, and 2018.[4] At the 2018 Youth Olympic Games, she finished 23rd in the all-around qualification round and won the bronze medal in the mixed multi-discipline team event.[1][6]

Senior

2019

Iakovleva became eligible for senior competition in 2019. She finished 59th in the all-around at the Pesaro World Cup.[7] Then at the World Challenge Cup in Kazan, she finished 47th in the all-around.[8] She was selected to compete at the World Championships in Baku. The Australian team finished 13th, and she finished 65th in the all-around during the qualification round.[9]

2021

Iakovleva competed at the 2021 Oceania Championships in Gold Coast, Queensland, which doubled as the Australian Championships and was an Olympic qualifier. She won the gold medal in the all-around and received the continental berth for the 2020 Olympic Games.[10][11] After this qualification event, hosting organisations and officials were sanctioned for competition manipulations that lead to Iakovleva going to Tokyo; however, upon review by the International Gymnastics Federation the decision was found to be legitimate.[12]

At the postponed 2020 Olympic Games, she finished 23rd in the qualification round for the individual all-around.[13] Her total score of 78.775 was a personal best.[14]

2022

In 2022, Iakovleva was awarded a Tier 3 scholarship for the Sport Australia Hall of Fame Scholarship and Mentoring Program.[15] At the Athens World Cup, she placed 13th in the all-around, and she qualified for the ribbon final where she finished seventh.[16] She then placed 24th in the all-around at the Pesaro World Cup.[17] She finished second in the all-around to Alexandra Kiroi-Bogatyreva at the Australian Championships.[18]

Iakovleva was selected to represent Australia at the 2022 Commonwealth Games in Birmingham alongside Kiroi-Bogatyreva and Ashari Gill.[19] The team won the silver medal behind Canada.[20] Individually, she qualified for the all-around final and finished in seventh place. She also placed sixth in the hoop final.[14]

2023

Iakovleva began competing with the Aspire Gymnastics Academy rhythmic gymnastics group in 2023.[21] The group placed fifth in the all-around at the Tashkent World Cup.[22] Additionally, they finished seventh in the 5 hoops final and sixth in the 3 ribbons + 2 balls final.[23] The Aspire group was not selected for the 2023 World Championships, and their appeal to the National Sports Tribunal was dismissed.[24]

2024

Iakovleva and the Aspire group won a silver medal and two bronze medals at the 2024 Aphrodite Cup.[25] In May, she competed at 2024 European Championships in Budapest, Hungary, which also doubled as the 2024 Oceania Championships.[26] The Aspire group won the all-around title and thus claimed the Oceania continental berth for the 2024 Summer Olympics.[27]

Iakovleva was selected to represent Australia at the 2024 Summer Olympics in group rhythmic gymnastics alongside teammates Saskia Broedelet, Emmanouela Frroku, Phoebe Learmont, and Jessica Weintraub.[28] She will become the first Australian to compete in both individual and group rhythmic gymnastics at the Olympic Games.[29]

References

  1. ^ a b c "Lidiia Iakovleva". Olympedia. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  2. ^ "Spotlight on Lidiia Iakovleva". Gymnastics Queensland. 9 July 2021. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  3. ^ "Iakovleva Lidiia". International Gymnastics Federation. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  4. ^ a b "Lidiia Iakovleva". Gymnastics Australia. Archived from the original on 24 June 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  5. ^ "2016 Pacific Rim Event Finals Event Results" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. 10 April 2016. p. 3. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  6. ^ "Lidiia Iakovleva prepares to face the world". Gymnastics Queensland. 8 August 2019. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  7. ^ "Results For FIG World Cup 2019 Pesaro (ITA)". International Gymnastics Federation. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  8. ^ "Results For FIG World Challenge Cup 2019 Kazan (2019)". International Gymnastics Federation. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  9. ^ "37th FIG Rhymic Gymnastics World Championships Baku (AZE), 16-22 September 2019 Team Ranking" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. International Gymnastics Federation. 17 September 2019. Retrieved 7 April 2021.
  10. ^ "2021 Australian Gymnastics Championships - Rhythmic Gymnastics Results - All Around" (PDF). Gymnastics Australia. 14 May 2021. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  11. ^ "List of the Rhythmic Gymnastics 2020 Olympic Qualifiers". International Gymnastics Federation. Archived from the original on 28 June 2021. Retrieved 27 June 2021.
  12. ^ "Decisions | GEF" (PDF). Gymnastics Ethics Foundation.
  13. ^ "Rhythmic Gymnastics — Individual All-Around — Qualification — Results" (PDF). 2020 Summer Olympics. International Olympic Committee. Archived from the original (PDF) on 8 August 2021. Retrieved 6 August 2021.
  14. ^ a b "Lidiia Iakovleva". Commonwealth Games Australia. 18 June 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  15. ^ "Lidiia Iakovleva". Sport Australia Hall of Fame. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  16. ^ "Results for FIG World Cup 2022 Palaio Faliro, Athens (GRE)". International Gymnastics Federation. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  17. ^ "Results for FIG World Cup 2022 Pesaro (ITA)". International Gymnastics Federation. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  18. ^ "Australian Gymnastics Championships 2022 - Rhythmic Gymnastics" (PDF). Australian Gymnastics Championships. 22 May 2022. Archived from the original (PDF) on 17 October 2022.
  19. ^ "Reinvigorated Gymnastics Team Leaps and Bounds Its Way to Birmingham". Commonwealth Games Australia. 20 June 2022. Retrieved 4 August 2022.
  20. ^ "Commonwealth Games: England take rhythmic gymnastics bronze". BBC Sport. 5 August 2022. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  21. ^ "Announcing the upcoming International Rhythmic Gymnastics teams". Gymnastics Australia. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  22. ^ "FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup Tashkent (UZB) Results Group All-Around" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  23. ^ "FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup Tashkent (UZB) Results Group Event Finals" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  24. ^ "Aspire Senior Rhythmic Gymnastics Group v Gymnastics Australia" (PDF). National Sports Tribunal. 7 June 2023. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  25. ^ "Podiums in Athens for Rhythmic gymnasts". Gymnastics New South Wales. 22 March 2024. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  26. ^ "Selection Announcement - 2024 Rhythmic Continental Championships and Portimao World Challenge Cup". Gymnastics Western Australia. Retrieved 24 June 2024.
  27. ^ Asgar Nalwala, Ali (27 May 2024). "Australia obtain three Olympic gymnastics quotas from Oceania Continental Championships". International Olympic Committee. Retrieved 7 June 2024.
  28. ^ "Largest ever Australian Olympic Gymnastics Team named for Paris Olympics". Australian Olympic Committee. 18 June 2024. Retrieved 18 June 2024.
  29. ^ Smale, Simon (17 June 2024). "Largest ever Australian gymnastics team named for Paris Olympic Games". ABC News. Retrieved 24 June 2024.