Ivanova V.I.: SPORTS PROFILE OF ELITE ATHLETES IN RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS…           Vol. 14 Issue 1: 73 - 88 
 
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SPORTS PROFILE OF ELITE ATHLETES IN RHYTHMIC 
GYMNASTICS 
 
 
Ivanova Vesela Ivanova 
 
National Sports Academy Vassil Levski – Gymnastics, Sofia, Bulgaria 
 
 
Original article                                                                              DOI:10.52165/sgj.14.1.73-83 
Abstract 
Elite athletes are competitors who combine in themselves exceptional talent, many years of 
hard work and distinctive psychological qualities. Highly qualified rhythmic gymnasts do not 
differ from this definition, as their sports profile includes all these characteristics. The aim of 
this study is to develop a methodology to create the sports profile of elite competitors in 
rhythmic gymnastics on the basis of current competitors from the USA, Singapore and 
Taiwan and to compare the obtained results. This could help us assess the current habits of 
these gymnasts, the positive or negative impact of those habits on their performance, and the 
necessary changes that need to be made to optimize the training process. The results of the 
current study and the statistical data processing from the conducted experiment showed that 
the three studied teams of elite athletes (total of 63 gymnasts) demonstrated strong 
commitment and engagement in the training process. Generally, the Singaporean and 
Taiwanese athletes had difficulties in communication with their coach and lagged behind in 
the development of technical qualities and mental skills for effective adaptation compared to 
their colleagues from the United States. At the same time, however, they showed a higher 
degree of self-awareness for improvement. On the other hand, the athletes from the US 
demonstrated shortcomings in Consistency in training. The numerical values also showed 
that some of the US athletes demonstrated limitations in the development of physical qualities 
which could affect their professional sports development in the future. 
 
Keywords: Elite rhythmic gymnasts, Sports profile, Characteristics..
 
 
INTRODUCTION 
 
Modern rhythmic gymnastics 
challenges athletes due to the high 
standards and requirements for success it 
sets. Only those who pursue maximum 
difficulty and perfectionism of 
performance and manage to conquer the 
audience with virtuosity and artistry can 
qualify for a prestigious ranking in this 
sport. It should not be forgotten that even 
the smallest inaccuracy is punished 
severely today. This further brings a great 
risk and tension and requires specific, not  
 
 
 
 
only physical but also mental, 
characteristics that elite athletes should 
possess. The abundance of so many 
training and performance aspects makes 
rhythmic gymnastics an exciting and 
appealing discipline for both researchers 
and athletes. 
Who are elite athletes in rhythmic 
gymnastics? 
Elite athletes are those who pursue top 
results in competitions at the professional 
or Olympic level. With the number of 
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medals and awards won, they represent 
themselves and their country in the world. 
The responsibilities of elite competitors in 
this sport are exceptional. The relatively 
young female gymnasts are expected to 
perform their competitive routines 
perfectly in many aspects: technically, 
artistically, musically, and expressively 
(Gantcheva, Borysova & Kovalenko, 
2021). Highly qualified gymnasts are 
distinguished by their talent, attitude to the 
sport, hard work, and by their way of 
responsing to their surroundings. 
Many studies focus on athlete's 
morphological and physiological 
characteristics for successful performance 
(Claessens et al., 1999), but the relevant 
aspects of elite gymnasts’ profile include 
much more than that. They include 
genetics, mental state, technical and 
physical skills, all developed and 
demonstrated in perfect symmetry and 
synchrony. The problem of optimal 
development that covers physical, 
technical, and mental qualities, 
simultaneously with the development of 
recreational opportunities, is multifactorial. 
This motivates many researchers to 
analyze it by looking at various indicators 
and using different methodological tools 
(Ivanova, 2017; Dimitrova, 2020; 
Ignatova, 2020; Ignatova & Iliev, 2020). 
However, all these tools should be adapted 
to the specifics of this elite sport and the 
associated long and heavy workloads that 
include many training hours per week, 
repetitions of elements, parts and routines 
of competition exercises, measuring of the 
total time for each task (Burt et al., 2010), 
etc.. Successful performance in rhythmic 
gymnastics requires many years of practice 
and consistency in training, which usually 
starts from a very early age (4-5 years) and 
continues until adolescence (21-25 years). 
Athletes who wish to reach top competitive 
levels should develop their cardiovascular 
and musculoskeletal systems (Douda et al., 
2002), but also build their character, show 
personality, set concrete objectives and 
know how to achieve them. 
Elite gymnasts should be able to plan 
and organize their time perfectly, which 
adds another quality to the list. Despite the 
duration of rhythmic gymnastics trainings 
and that everything in the gymnasts' 
professional life is focused on delivering 
the best possible sports performance at the 
international level (Verkooijen, Van Hove 
& Dik, 2012; Cosh & Tully, 2014), 
academic achievements, adaptation of their 
social life, and the optimization of the 
well-being of these girls are an integral 
part of their life which also needs to be 
taken into account. This requires strict 
discipline, perseverance, and an incredible 
spirit for dealing with challenges.  
A gymnast whose sports profile does 
not include the characteristic features that 
allow her to withstand heavy loads (both in 
physical and mental terms) can hardly 
succeed at the elite, professional, or the 
Olympic level. Along this line of thinking 
and according to the studied literature, 
rhythmic gymnastics scientists have not 
yet decided what specific percentage of 
talent, physical and technical qualities are 
needed to succeed in this sport. However, 
there seems to be no athlete, coach, or 
sports researcher who would argue that 
they are  not important. The shortcomings 
in certain personality traits can help to 
explain why some gifted individuals don't 
thrive at the elite level (Dr. Brown from 
2017 at ScienceDaily at 
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/201
7/08/170815095019.htm, 2021). Unlike 
athletes who only compete at the 
international level and represent their 
countries, the top-ranked gymnasts possess 
stable mental skills with very high level of 
self-confidence in their own abilities 
(Jones & Hardy, 1990). According to 
DeVenzio (1997), the confidence level is a 
mirror of the skills level, and this reflects 
in their performance where the connection 
between talent, previous achievements, and 
high level of self-confidence are clearly 
expressed. Another important 
characteristics\ of an elite athlete 
(gymnast) is the ability to manage anxiety. 
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A number of research studies have shown 
that handling this kind of pressure is an 
integral part of sports (Hardy et al., 2018). 
Of course, there are other distinguishing 
mental features of successful and highly 
efficient athletes in gymnastics: a huge 
inner drive to succeed; continuous setting 
of realistic achievable goals that have a 
constructive significance; optimism; sense 
of belonging to the team; leadership skills 
and decision-making skills under stress; 
self-criticism and ability to take criticism; 
focusing; faith in the process and in the 
team; resilience and ability to cope with 
failure; search for perfectionism; 
determination; and ability to evaluate 
objectively and be grateful to others. 
In summary, we will emphasize that 
an elite gymnast’s profile is a rare 
combination of talent and its development, 
many years of hard work, and the right 
psychological profile. The difference 
between high potential (international) and 
elite gymnasts (top-ranked) is very delicate 
and primarily determined by the personal 
mental qualities, because there are many 
girls who have the talent to succeed in 
rhythmic gymnastics, but very few are 
motivated to do what it takes to succeed.  
A good understanding of rhythmic 
gymnastics as a sport and the principles of 
sports training would allow coaches to 
concentrate more on specific components 
that affect performance and to select the 
appropriate criteria for better talent 
identification (Douda, Toubekis, Avloniti 
& Tokmakidis, 2008). Trainers should not 
stop working on creating the ideal profile 
of elite athletes in rhythmic gymnastics 
according to their understanding. This can 
only be done through a recognition of 
gymnasts’ individual personality traits and 
the peculiarities of the sport. Through 
personality traits, sports results can be 
predicted (Allen, Greenlees & Jones, 
2013), and through the development of 
sports profile the current personal habits 
that positively or negatively affect 
performance can be assessed. The 
development of sports profile also helps 
identify changes that need to be made. 
Therefore, the development and research 
of the personal profile of elite rhythmic 
gymnasts has many advantages in terms of 
optimizing the individual training 
methodology and improving sports results 
(Figure 1). 
The current physical, mental, and 
technical state of an athlete, her strengths 
and weaknesses compared with the general 
sports profile determine her specific sports 
profile. The sports profile helps highlight 
the features of sports training in relation to 
the personal qualities, which then draw the 
overall picture of the competitor's profile. 
There is a logical bidirectional connection 
between sports profile and athletes’ 
personal characteristics in the light of the 
character of training. The study of sports 
profile points out the individual 
characteristics (strengths and weaknesses) 
of the sportsman and of the training. On 
the other hand, the totality of individual 
characteristics (of the athlete and of the 
training) determines the profile of this 
athlete and explains her results. 
 
METHODS 
 
The aim of this study is to develop a 
methodology to create sports profile of 
elite competitors in rhythmic gymnastics 
on the basis of gymnasts from the USA, 
Singapore and Taiwan and to compare the 
obtained results. 63 elite rhythmic 
gymnasts (14-17 years old) participated in 
this study. They all competed at the FIG 
international level. 12 of the gymnasts had 
9 years of experience in rhythmic 
gymnastics, 15 gymnasts 8 years of 
experience; 25 gymnasts 7 years of 
experience; and 11 gymnasts had 6 years 
of experience. The average experience in 
rhythmic gymnastics for the group was 7.4 
years. The number of scheduled training 
hours per week for each gymnast was 30 
hours or 6 days with 5 training hours per 
day. 
The study of the sports profile of 
representatives from these three countries 
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is not accidental. The choice was 
motivated by the personal work with these 
teams and the possibility to control the 
research as well as to work with the 
athletes’ coaches. We are also interested in 
the components of the sports profile of 
other (leading) teams, but we do not have 
timely scientificly proven information, 
experimental data or credible statement 
from specialists.   
Creation of sports profile and 
assessment of its individual components 
The structure of the sports profile of 
elite RG athletes was created on the basis 
of 6 components. They were determined 
after a preliminary survey which included 
views of leading coaches (15 altogether: 
some of them are coaches of national 
teams, others of leading clubs; all of them 
have higher education) on the 25 most  
important traits of successful athletes in 
this sport. 18 traits, mentioned by all 
coaches, were used in our structure. The 
most common traits were called indicators 
and subsequently combined into 6 main 
components. An assessment of individual 
components (Figure 2) was made by 
evaluating all indicators that characterized 
them. Each coach used a score of 1 to 5 for 
every indicator. The component score is 
the average result from coaches’ evaluation 
of all indicators.  
The research methods used in this 
study were observation, discussion, survey, 
testing, expert evaluation, variation 
analysis, and comparative analysis. The 
collected data was statistically analyzed.  
 
 
RESULTS  
 
Participation and commitment  
(Component 1 – C1) 
Participation and commitment in the 
training process are measured by two 
leading indicators. The first indicator (I1) 
is related to training attendance of elite 
athletes. Minimum score 1 requires a 
minimum of 90% attendance, and this 
percentage does not exclude absenteeism 
due to illness or injury. This means that the 
gymnasts had to demonstrate at least 90% 
training attendance for the study period (3 
months), regardless of the nature of their 
absence. Only the planned rest days in 
these 3 months of testing were not taken 
into account. The second indicator (I2) 
determining C1 is accuracy. From the 
results obtained for this indicator (score 5 
for the gymnasts from all three countries) 
it can be concluded that the girls are 
disciplined in terms of their involvement in 
the training process. According to the 
expert evaluation and observation of their 
coaches, the American gymnasts arrived in 
good time and often stayed after the 
training; Singaporean gymnasts were 
rarely late and always stayed after the 
training; Taiwanese were rarely late and 
always stayed after the training as well. 
The average scores for C1 (Table 1), taken 
from the arithmetic averages of the two 
indicators, show that the highest result in 
Participation and commitment was 
obtained by the Singaporean team (4.92). 
This score comes from high evaluation 
Singaporeans received for attendance 
(4.85). 
 
Table 1  
Average final scores for C1 (Participation 
and commitment). 
1. 
Singapore:  
I1-4.85 
I2-5 
C1-4.92 
2.  
Taiwan:  
I1-4.8  
I2-5 
C1-4.90 
3.  
USA:  
I1-4.75  
I2-5  
C1-4.87 
 
Attitude to the training process 
(Component 2 – C2) 
The second component was measured 
by evaluating 4 indicators on a scale of 1 
to 5. The first indicator refers to 
receptiveness to the coach’s feedback (I1). 
The best average result for this indicator 
was received by the USA team (3.75 out of 
maximum of 5) as these girls showed the 
highest ability for quick self-assessment 
and reaction after the coach’s correction 
compared to the other two teams. The 
second indicator is related to the 
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motivation for hard work and improvement 
of  skills (regardless of the coach’s current 
attention focus) – I2. The lowest result in 
this indicator was shown by the 
Singaporean team (3.42). According to the 
coaches’ opinions and experts’ 
assessments, these gymnasts do not have 
such a well-developed sense of quality 
self-improvement without support. The 
third indicator refers to the support for 
teammates and the creation of a favorable 
environment for training (I3). The best 
score (5) for this indicator was shown by 
the Taiwan team (4.8). The Taiwanese are 
well aware that they must contribute to the 
growth of the team by supporting each 
other, both in trainings and in competition. 
The last – 4th indicator, for C2 is related to 
the abilities of gymnasts to maintain a 
certain quality of communication (verbal 
and nonverbal) with the coach (I4). The 
lowest numerical value for this indicator 
(1.42) was posted by the Singapore team; 
as shown in Table 2, this result is assessed 
as very weak. Table 2 clearly displays that 
the Taiwanese also achieve a weak average 
score for I4. This gives reason to believe 
that the traditions in the culture of 
communication among girls in the two 
Asian countries create difficulties, 
expressed in the lack of utterance of 
opinion and creative initiative. The average 
scores of all indicators (I1-I4) show that 
the highest score for C2 was achieved by 
the US team (4), followed by Taiwan 
(3.65), and Singapore ranking the last 
(3.28). 
 
Table 2 
Average final scores for C2 (Attitude to the 
training process). 
USA:  
I1-3.75; I2-3.75; I3-4;I4-4.5 
C2-4 
Taiwan:  
I1-3.6; I2-3.8; I3-4.8; I4-2.4 
C2-3.65 
Singapore:  
I1-3.71; I2-3.42; I3-4.57;I4-1.42; 
C2-3.28 
 
Consistency in training (Component 3 – 
C3) 
The arithmetic mean of the scores of 
two indicators was used for the assessment 
of C3: I1 – Level of concentration in each 
training; I2 – Possibility to fix skills or 
techniques and their constant 
performance. In I1, the highest result was 
shown by the Taiwan team (3.6), and the 
lowest by the USA (3). It should be noted 
that the American gymnasts perform more 
difficult routines than their colleagues 
from the other two countries. Their 
competition program is saturated with 
elements with an apparatus and body 
(almost twice as many as those of the 
Taiwanese), their execution speed and 
reaction speed is significantly higher 
compared to the other two researched 
groups. For this reason, it is more difficult 
for the American athletes to maintain a 
stable level of concentration during each 
training for the period of 3 months. On the 
second indicator, determining C3, the 
Taiwanese team is the highest evaluated 
and the Singaporeans scored the lowest 
(2.85). The Singaporean athletes 
experienced difficulties in focusing on the 
techniques and skills shown by their 
coaches. During the study period, they 
failed to perform the tasks set both in 
trainings and in competitions, without 
demonstrating anxiety or concern. There 
was uncertainty in Singaporean gymnasts’ 
implementation of the exercises, which 
was reflected in the training diaries and in 
the expert evaluation, accordingly. Table 4 
shows that for Component 3 – Consistency 
in training the Taiwan team achieved the 
highest score (3.50) from maximum 5, 
whereas the US team scored the lowest. 
The difference in scores between the US 
and the Singaporean team is only 0.01. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Table 3  
Average final scores for C3 (Consistensy 
in training). 
Taiwan:  
I1-3.6; I2-3.4 
C3-3.5 
Singapore:  
I1-3.42; I2-2.85 
C2-3.65 
USA:  
I1-3; I2-3.25 
C3-3.12 
 
Health status (Component 4 – C4) 
The Health Status component (C4) is 
measured by two indicators: The first one 
(I1) is Minimal propensity to injury that 
could disrupt the training process, and the 
second one (I2) is Ability to work with high 
intensity. In C4 (Table 4), all studied 
gymnasts showed minimal propensities to 
injury and good ability to work with high 
intensity, i.e., they have enough strength 
and endurance to train productively 
throughout the whole training session. 
 
Table 4  
Average final scores for C4 (Healthy 
status). 
USA:  
I1-4.25; I2-5; 
C4-4.62 
Taiwan:  
I1-4; I2-5 
C4-4.5 
Singapore:  
I1-3.57; I2-4.28 
C4-3.92 
 
Technical qualities and skills 
(Component 5 – C5) 
The evaluation of C5 included an 
examination of 6 indicators. The final 
result was obtained by calculating the 
arithmetic mean of the sum of the results 
for all 6 indicators for each individual 
gymnast, and for each team. In the first 
indicator – Ability to quickly learn new 
skills with body (I1), the American team 
received the highest score (3.5 – Table 5). 
However, in order to achieve the 
maximum score of 5, experts pointed out 
that more expeditious work is needed for 
learning complicated body difficulties. 
This is especially valid for rotations, since 
there is a growing trend to change the body 
figure during rotation, as the heel remains 
raised all the time and there are no 
movements that could interrupt the 
rotational movement. In the second 
indicator (I2) for this component – Ability 
to quickly learn new skills with apparatus 
(rope, ball, hoop, clubs, ribbon), the 
weakest result was posted to by the 
Taiwanese group (2.8). It should be noted 
that most girls managed to do new 
exercises well in the first few attempts but 
failed to maintain stability of performance 
as the training went on. The Taiwanese 
gymnasts failed to fully understand 
specific techniques to perform exercises 
with the apparatus correctly, through well-
formed logical connections, and not at 
random . The third indicator refers to 
Ability to perform body difficulties and 
handlings with the apparatus in one 
routine as per or close to the "ideal model" 
as accepted by judges (I3). Once again, the 
US team was rated the highest (3.5 – Table 
5). In the control trainings, these gymnasts 
received higher final scores for their 
routines than the Singaporean and 
Taiwanese teams. Ultimately, the goal at 
competitions is this – to perform as many 
elements as possible correctly in a single 
routine. Indicator number 4 (I4) is Ability 
to perform routines with a high level of 
musicality and expressiveness. In I4 the 
gymnasts from the two Asian countries 
showed very poor results (Taiwan – 1.4; 
Singapore – 1.42). Most of the tested 
athletes experienced extreme difficulties 
when trying to express emotion through 
face or body. They did not manage to 
reproduce the character of the music, and 
this led to lack of expressiveness of 
movements. One reason for this could be 
the fact that gymnasts from Singapore and 
Taiwan do not work constantly under 
supervision of a ballet teacher, which 
could help them develop rhythm and 
musicality. Indicator 5 – Potential for 
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future development based on physical 
qualities (I5) was evaluated by experts 
after preliminary testing (which included a 
total of 10 tests, 2 for each motor quality – 
Ivanova, I., 2016); they also provided their 
overall impression of the gymnasts. Тhe 
highest score was given to the United 
States (3 – Table 5). According to Table 1, 
the US team result is average, which 
comes to show that a large number of 
physical qualities  of the tested gymnasts 
are not optimally developed which could 
limit also their potential for excellence in 
this sport. The last indicator for C5 was 
ability to perform a wide range of valid 
exercises with body and apparatus (I6). 
The lowest result in this indicator was 
achieved by the Taiwan team (2.4). This 
underlines the current inability of the 
Taiwanese to perform a wide variety of 
mistake-free exercises. Eventually, this 
will lead to lack of variability of exercises, 
attractiveness, and a variety of differently 
structured motor activities in their 
competition programs that will certainly be 
taken into account by judges during 
competitions. Despite these deficiencies, 
the Taiwanese girls tried to be competitive 
with the set scores for difficulty (D) in 
their routines. It should be noted that 
according to the requirements of the Code 
of Points, non-performance of exercises 
leads to penalties and to lower scores for 
execution (E).  
 
Table 5  
Average final scores for C5 (Technical 
qualities and skills). 
USA:  
I1-3.5; I2-4; I3-3.5 
I4-4; I5-3; I6-3.5; 
C5-3.58 
Taiwan:  
I1-2.85; I2-3.42; I3-2.71 
I4-1.42; I5-2.85; I6-2.85; 
C5-2.68 
Singapore:  
I1-2.8; I2-2.8; I3-2.2 
I4-1.4; I5-2.4; I6-2.4; 
C5-2.33 
 
Mental skills for effective adaptation 
(Component 6 – C6) 
Two indicators were used to assess the 
mental skills for effective sports adaptation 
in the studied gymnasts: Ability to cope 
with stress and pressure (I1) and Ability to 
demonstrate resilience in difficult 
situations (I2). The competitors from the 
US team were rated the highest in each 
indicator (I1-4; I2-3.5) and as a result, the 
average score of their sum was the best 
score for C6 (Table 6). The gymnasts from 
Singapore received the lowest marks in 
both indicators (I1-2.85; I2-2.57). Most of 
them failed to stay calm and focused in the 
face of difficulties, both in training and in 
competition. Moreover, this group did not 
show a distinct fighting spirit in the crucial 
or most challenging moments. 
 
Table 6 
Average final scores for C6 (Mental skills 
for effective adaptation). 
USA:  
I1-4; I2-3.5;  
C6-3.75 
Taiwan:  
I1-3.4; I2-3.2;  
C6-3.3 
Singapore:  
I1-2.85; I2-2.57;  
C6-2.71 
 
 
DISCUSSION  
 
The studied gymnasts from the US 
showed the highest results in all 19 
indicators and 3.79 average result score for 
a single criterion from a maximum score of 
5 (Figure 3 & Figure 4). 
As evidenced by the results above, the 
gymnasts from the three groups need to 
work on improving each of the mentioned 
indicators of individual components in 
order to optimize their performance. 
Achieving best results for certain 
indicators (I) as parts of the components 
(C) of sports profile cannot guarantee that 
these results will last over time. According 
to O’Donoghue (2005), individual athletes’ 
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indicators are not stable. They vary, 
depending on the current physical and 
mental readiness, motivation for the set 
goals, and the right approach for their 
realization. 
. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 1.  Advantages of creating sports profile. 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Figure 2. Components of sports profile.  
 
Provides a complete 
picture of current 
strengths and 
weaknesses 
Gives an assessment of the 
methodology used by the 
coach 
Sports profile 
Provides information on how 
far gymnast can reach in the 
Elite Sport 
Helps to evaluate every aspect 
of athletic achievement 
Helps to optimize the training 
Helps to predict sports 
results 
Sports 
profile 
Mental skills for 
effective adaptation 
Participation and 
commitment 
 
Technical qualities 
and skills 
Health status Consistency in 
training 
Attitude to the 
training process 
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Figure 3. Sum of the C1-C6 indicators.            Figure 4. Average score value per an indicator. 
 
 
Figure 5.  Percentage proportion of the components of the sports profile. 
 
 
Figure 5 clearly shows the differences 
in percentages for individual components 
in the profiles of the study groups. For the 
United States group, the lowest percentage 
is achieved in Consistency in training 
(C3). Consistency in training is an 
extremely important component for 
building and optimizing sports results in 
any sport. Training programs are designed 
to improve performance by developing 
appropriate physical and technical qualities 
(muscle groups, neuromuscular skills, 
energy sources etc.), as well as mental 
skills for successful handling of stressful 
situations during training and competition. 
The Singaporean gymnasts obtained the 
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lowest percentage in Mental skills for 
effective adaptation (C6) and Technical 
skills (C5), while the Taiwanese gymnasts 
got the lowest percentage in Technical 
skills (C5). Technical skills can only be 
improved by optimizing technical training. 
According to C. E. Moraru et al. (2015), 
the optimization of technical training is an 
essential requirement; it is represented by a 
precise approach to the structure of the 
training process in rhythmic gymnastics. It 
is founded on the sports training principles, 
on the set of means and methods to be 
used, and on the athletes’ actual abilities.  
We believe that by developing and 
implementing a tailor-made methodology 
for optimization of the underdeveloped 
components in the sports profiles of 
gymnasts (emphasizing the individual 
approach), their sports results can improve. 
 
CONCLUSION 
 
Our analysis of the results shows that 
the studied elite gymnasts demonstrated 
strong commitment and engagement in the 
training process. The final values of C2 
(I4), C5, and C6 indicate that the gymnasts 
from the two Asian countries have 
communication problems in their 
relationship with their coach and progress 
slower in the development of technical 
qualities and mental skills for effective 
adaptation compared to their colleagues 
from the USA. Nevertheless, the 
Singaporean and Taiwanese athletes 
showed high level of self-awareness for 
improvement. The studied US gymnasts 
have certain gaps and received scores that 
are far from the maximum (5) for 
Consistency in the training process (C3). 
Most of them demonstrated limitations in 
the development of natural qualities (C5 – 
I5) which could limit their potential in the 
future. On the other hand, the American 
athletes succeeded to maintain quality 
communication (verbal and nonverbal) 
with their coach. 
The author's methodology for 
development of a sports profile helps 
identify the negative traits in gymnasts’ 
approach to the sport. By mitigating these 
shortcomings, the training process of elite 
athletes in rhythmic gymnastics could be 
optimized while the positive traits that 
need further development could bring out 
each gymnast’s sports potential to the 
greatest possible extent. The benefits of the 
current methodology are that it can be 
applied to every sport and can also be 
adapted to different spheres of other 
professional activities. 
 
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Corresponding author: 
Ivanova Vesela Ivanova  
National Sports Academy Vassil Levski 
1700, Sofia,  
Studentski grad  
Bulgaria 
Tel.: +359 897593988 
Email: veselaivanovaivanova@yahoo.com  
 
Article received: 21.4..2021 
Article accepted: 1.10.2021 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Ivanova V.I.: SPORTS PROFILE OF ELITE ATHLETES IN RHYTHMIC GYMNASTICS…           Vol. 14 Issue 1: 73 - 88 
 
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