Longines - Prize for Elegance
This prize awarded to the Ukrainian gymnast decorates the athlete having demonstrated the most remarkable elegance during the all-around final of an international competition at world level. In gymnastics, the challenge of movement not only demands flawless execution, but also intangible grace, beauty and harmony known as "elegance". At the 32nd Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships, all participants in the individual all-around finals held on Friday August 30th in Kiev were nominated for the Longines Prize for Elegance. The athletes under consideration for the prize are evaluated according to a number of complementary criteria. In addition to technical considerations, each athlete's performance is judged with respect to emotional appeal, beauty, charm as well as grace and harmony of movement. Clearly, each juror interprets these criteria individually.
In Kiev, the jury of the Longines Prize for Elegance brought together Prof. Bruno Grandi, President of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG), former Ukrainian gymnast, and double winner of the Prize for Elegance (2007, 2009), Anna Bessonova, Vladimir Dekanenko, General Director of JV Deka and Walter von Känel, President of Longines. The jury's individual assessments were combined to form a collective judgment reflecting a perceptive and balanced evaluation of the athletes' performances. Ganna Rizatdinova impressed the whole jury showing prodigious elegance and perfect coordination throughout the all-around final; she also won the silver medal.
Set up in 1997, the Longines Prize for Elegance is presented in the form of a trophy created especially for Longines by the Swiss artist Jean-Pierre Gerber. In addition, the proud winner Ganna Rizatdinova received a cheque for US$ 5,000 and the official watch of the 32nd Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships, a Longines DolceVita model in steel with diamonds, a timepiece that perfectly represents the contemporary elegance of Longines.