| Vera Tugolukova | |
| Nickname: | Verochka |
| Birth Date: | 2008 9, df=yes |
| Birth Place: | Moscow, Russia |
| Hometown: | Lyubertsy, Russia |
| Residence: | Kato Polemidhia, Cyprus[1] |
| Training: | Novogorsk, Russia[2] |
| Discipline: | Rhythmic gymnastics |
| Level: | Senior International Elite |
| Natlteam: | 2023–present (Cyprus) |
| Club: | Andreas Trikomitis Club |
| Headcoach: | Natalia Sokolova, Chrystalleni Trikomiti |
| Show-Medals: | yes |
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. 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.[16] 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.[17] [18] The Polish Gymnastics Federation protested the results and filed appeals to the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the Gymnastics Ethics Foundation.[19] [20] Tugolukova's Olympic qualification was confirmed by the FIG on 4 June.[21] She finished 16th in the all-around final,[22] fourth in the clubs final,[23] and seventh in the ball final.[24]
| Year | Event | Team | AA | HP | BA | CL | RB | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 | ||||||||
| align=left | Junior World Championships | 7 | 5 | 6 | ||||
| Senior | ||||||||
| 2024 | Palaio Faliro World Cup | 6 | ||||||
| Sofia World Cup | 14 | |||||||
| European Cup | ||||||||
| European Championships | 16 | 7 | 4 | |||||
| align=left | Olympic Games | 16 | ||||||
| scope=col | Year | scope=col | Apparatus | scope=col | Music title |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 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 |