The London 2012 rhythmic gymnastics all-around gold medal has been won by Evgeniya Kanaeva. She has made history by becoming the first rhythmic gymnast to win two Olympic all-around titles.

Kanaeva has dominated the sport so successfully over recent years it had even led some to wonder whether she could successfully go to London to defend the gold medal she won in the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The pressure of the biggest sporting event in the world can sometimes see top stars crack; even ones almost guaranteed their gold medals as they are so dominant in the sport.  

Indeed a rare mistake had meant she was not in first place after the first day of qualifying. However, Kanaeva would not allow things to get away from her, and she performed beautifully to fulfill expectations she had on her shoulders coming into the Olympic Games.

Kanaeva has had an extraordinary few years since winning her Beijing Gold; she has won the last three world titles, and has now capped off her success with another Olympic gold medal at the London 2012 Games.

She dominated throughout the event, finishing with an amazing score of 116.90 points, earning the highest score in three of the four events.

Her Russian teammate Daria Dmitrieva managed to claim the silver, with Liubou Charkashnya of Belarus taking the bronze medal in third place. Dmitrieva in particular was delighted with her silver, and she was not even originally going to be at the Olympics in London. The 19 year old was only actually added to the Russian squad this month when Alexandra Merkulova withdrew with an injury.