{{Short description|French rhythmic gymnast (born 1978)}} {{Use dmy dates|date=June 2020}} {{Infobox gymnast | name = Eva Serrano | image = Eva Serrano (FRA).jpg | imagesize = | caption = Serrano in 1998 | fullname = | altname = | nickname = | country = {{FRA}} | formercountry = | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1978|4|22|df=y}} | birth_place = Nîmes, France | hometown = | residence = | death_date = | death_place = | height = | discipline = RG | level = | natlteam = | club = | gym = | collegeteam = | headcoach = | assistcoach = | formercoach = | choreographer = | music = | eponymousskills = | retired = | show-medals = yes | medaltemplates = <!-- see Template:MedalRelatedTemplates --> {{MedalCountry | {{FRA}} }} {{MedalCompetition | World Championships }} {{MedalBronze | 1997 Berlin | Hoop }} {{MedalBronze | 1997 Berlin | Ribbon }} {{MedalCompetition | European Championships }} {{MedalGold | 2000 Zaragoza | Hoop }} {{MedalSilver | 1997 Patras | Rope }} {{MedalSilver | 1997 Patras | Ribbon }} {{MedalSilver | 1998 Porto | Clubs }} {{MedalSilver | 2000 Zaragoza | Ribbon }} {{MedalBronze | 1998 Porto | Hoop }} {{MedalBronze | 1999 Budapest | All-around }} {{MedalBronze | 1999 Budapest | Ball }} {{MedalCompetition | Summer Universiade }} {{MedalGold | 1997 Sicily | Hoop }} {{MedalBronze | 1997 Sicily | Rope }} }}'''Eva Serrano''' (born 22 April 1978 in Nîmes) is a French former individual rhythmic gymnast. She competed at two Olympic Games (1996, 2000), was the 1999 European all-around bronze medalist and is France's most decorated and successful rhythmic gymnast. She is also a six-time consecutive French National all-around champion (1993-1998).<ref>{{Cite web |title=Gymnastique Rythmique |url=https://www.ffgym.fr/La_FFGYM/Les_disciplines/Gymnastique_Rythmique#les-championnes |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=French Gymnastics Federation}}</ref>
== Career == Serrano's international career spanned eight years, and she competed in two Olympic cycles. She started rhythmic gymnastics at age eight. Serrano competed at her first World Championships in 1992, where she placed 26th; the following year, she placed 19th, which was the last year she placed outside of the top 10 at the World Championships.<ref name=":0">{{Cite magazine |last=Crumlish |first=John |date=May 1999 |title=Serrano settles in at the top |url=https://www.proquest.com/magazines/serrano-settles-at-top/docview/213969949/se-2 |access-date=2025-04-03 |magazine=International Gymnast |page=19 |volume=41 |issue=5}}</ref>
She placed 7th at the 1994 World Championships, which was the first time a French gymnast had placed within the top 16 at the World Championships,<ref>{{Cite news |date=1994-10-11 |title=Championnats du monde Méthodes bulgares |trans-title=World Championships Bulgarian Methods |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/1994/10/11/gymnastique-rythmique-et-sportive-championnats-du-monde-methodes-bulgares_3847914_1819218.html |access-date=2025-04-03 |work=Le Monde |language=fr}}</ref> and 9th in the 1995 World Championships.<ref name=":0" /> At the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, she placed 7th in qualifications, 8th in the semi-final round and placed 6th in the finals.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite web |title=Games of the 26th Olympiad Rhythmic Gymnastics |url=http://www.gymnasticsresults.com/olympics/og1996rg.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180514064643/http://www.gymnasticsresults.com/olympics/og1996rg.html |archive-date=14 May 2018 |website=gymnasticsresults.com}}</ref>
She made her career breakthrough in 1997, winning France's first European Championship medals (silver with rope and ribbon).<ref>{{Cite news |date=1997-10-23 |title=Avec Eva Serrano, la GRS française prend une dimension mondiale |trans-title=With Eva Serrano, French rhythmic gymnastics takes on a global dimension |url=https://www.lemonde.fr/archives/article/1997/10/23/avec-eva-serrano-la-grs-francaise-prend-une-dimension-mondiale_3776782_1819218.html |access-date=2025-04-03 |work=Le Monde |language=fr}}</ref> She repeated her success by winning two bronze medals (hoop, ribbon) at the 1997 World Championships, where she placed 7th after a poor all-around hoop exercise.<ref name=":0" /><ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Miranov |first=Zina |date=January 1998 |title=Poetry in motion |url=https://www.proquest.com/magazines/poetry-motion/docview/214002229/se-2 |access-date=2025-04-03 |magazine=International Gymnast |volume=40 |issue=1}}</ref> She won two more, a silver (clubs) and bronze (hoop), at the 1998 European Championships, where she placed 4th overall.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Crumlish |first=John |date=September 1998 |title=All around the world |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/214005541/A01990B054B44A51PQ/5 |access-date=2025-04-03 |magazine=International Gymnast |volume=40 |issue=8/9}}</ref> In an interview, Serrano noted the difficulty of receiving recognition as a French gymnast in a discipline traditionally dominated by Eastern European countries such as Russia and Bulgaria.<ref name=":0" />
Early in 1999, Serrano competed in the International 3-on-3 event at the American Cup; the event featured teams of a rhythmic gymnast, men's artistic gymnast, and women's artistic gymnast from each country participating in the event. Serrano received a good score of 9.787 for her ball routine, but mistakes from her teammates Ludivine Furnon and Yann Cucherat meant that the French team finished 8th.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Crumlish |first=John |date=April 1999 |title=Mixed blessing: Ukraine, U.S. unite for 3-on-3 win |url=https://www.proquest.com/docview/213968964/A01990B054B44A51PQ/4 |access-date=2025-04-03 |magazine=International Gymnast |volume=41 |issue=4}}</ref>
At the 1999 European Championships, she won the all-around bronze medal in addition to a bronze in the ball final.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 May 1999 |title=15th European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships Budapest/Hungary May 28-30 1999 |url=https://backend.europeangymnastics.com/sites/default/files/paragraph/age-group-competition-info/competition-results/num%C3%A9risation0239.pdf |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=European Gymnastics}}</ref> She also competed at the 1999 World Championships and finished in 4th place.<ref>{{Cite web |title=World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships 1999 - Results Women |url=https://www.the-sports.org/gymnastics-world-rhythmic-gymnastics-championships-results-1999-women-epf30090.html |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=www.the-sports.org}}</ref>
She was 4th in the all-around at the 2000 European Championships and qualified for every apparatus final; she won gold with hoop and silver with ribbon.<ref>{{Cite web |date=4 June 2000 |title=XVI Championnats D’europe De Gymnastique Rythmique Saragosse 1–4 Juin 2000 |trans-title=XVI European Championships in Rhythmic Gymnastics Saragosse 1-4 June 2000 |url=https://backend.europeangymnastics.com/sites/default/files/paragraph/age-group-competition-info/competition-results/Classeur1_3.pdf |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=European Gymnastics}}</ref> She went on to compete in her second Olympics in 2000 Sydney, where she placed 4th in qualifications and finished 5th in the finals.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Games of the 27th Olympiad Rhythmic Gymnastics Sydney (AUS) September 18-25, 2000 |url=https://gymnasticsresults.com/results/2000/olympics/rhythmic.html |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=gymnasticsresults.com}}</ref> Serrano's final competition was the Zenith Tournament in Paris in December 2000, where she won every gold medals. She shared the ball title with her friend Olena Vitrychenko. The Zenith event also served as a tribute, as Serrano announced her retirement.<ref>{{Cite magazine |last=Crumlish |first=John |date=February 2001 |title=All around the world |url=https://www.proquest.com/magazines/all-around-world/docview/213974764/se-2 |access-date=2025-04-03 |magazine=International Gymnast |volume=43 |issue=2}}</ref>
She was elected to sit as the first president of the International Gymnastics Federation Athletes' Commission, a position she held until 2009.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Athletes Commission: A Vital Artery Between Gymnasts and Authorities |url=https://www.gymnastics.sport/publicdir/wog/72-77/72_eng/tablet/athletes-commission.html |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=International Gymnastics Federation}}</ref> Serrano became a judge in 2003 and has judged at international events such as the European Championships.<ref>{{Cite web |date=October 28, 2020 |title=Championnats d'Europe GR - Eva Serrano : un retour aux sources de la GR |trans-title=European RG Championships - Eva Serrano: a return to the roots of RG |url=https://www.ffgym.fr/Actualite/2017_-_mai_-_g_r_-_championnats_deurope_-_i_t_w_eva_serrano |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=French Gymnastics Federation}}</ref> She has a son named Oihan, born in 2008.<ref name="evas" />
== References == {{Reflist|refs=
<ref name=evas>{{cite web | url = http://www.figbeijing2008.sportcentric.com/vsite/vcontent/content/transnews/0,10869,5195-191061-19728-45463-288848--5241-layout167-208284-news-item,00.html | archive-url = https://archive.today/20130105125557/http://www.figbeijing2008.sportcentric.com/vsite/vcontent/content/transnews/0,10869,5195-191061-19728-45463-288848--5241-layout167-208284-news-item,00.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2013-01-05 | title = Eva Serrano | website = figbeijing2008.sportcentric.com }}</ref> }}
==External links== * {{Official website|http://www.eva-serrano.com/}} * {{FIG|bio=18907|lic=440|name=Eva Serrano}} * {{webarchive |url=https://archive.today/20130105125557/http://www.figbeijing2008.sportcentric.com/vsite/vcontent/content/transnews/0,10869,5195-191061-19728-45463-288848--5241-layout167-208284-news-item,00.html |date=dmy |title=Eva Serrano FIG Interview}} * {{Olympics.com profile|eva-serrano|org_archive=20160925035959}} * {{Olympedia}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Serrano, Eva}} Category:1978 births Category:Living people Category:French rhythmic gymnasts Category:Olympic gymnasts for France Category:Gymnasts at the 2000 Summer Olympics Category:Medalists at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships Category:Sportspeople from Nîmes Category:Summer World University Games medalists in gymnastics Category:FISU World University Games gold medalists for France Category:FISU World University Games bronze medalists for France Category:Medalists at the 1997 Summer Universiade Category:20th-century French sportswomen Category:Medalists at the Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships