Marta Aberturas
Marta Aberturas Rubio | |
|---|---|
| Born | July 5, 1974 Gijón, Spain |
| Occupation | Rhythmic gymnast (retired) |
| Years active | 1988–1991 |
| Known for | Member of the Spanish group that won the 1991 World Championship in rhythmic gymnastics |
Marta Aberturas Rubio (born 5 July 1974) is a retired Spanish rhythmic gymnast who became World champion in 1991 as part of the Spanish group, accumulating several medals with the national team. Her cohort is recognized as the First Golden Girls.
Personal life
Aberturas was born in Gijón in 1974 and relocated to Zaragoza in 1981, where she began practicing rhythmic gymnastics at the Club Escuela de Gimnasia Rítmica de Zaragoza. In August 1988, she received an invitation from Emilia Boneva to join Spain's national rhythmic gymnastics team, remaining a member until 1991.
Career
Throughout her tenure with the group, Aberturas trained approximately eight hours daily at the Moscardó Gymnasium in Madrid under the guidance of Boneva and Ana Roncero, who had been coaching the national group since 1982. She lived with fellow gymnasts in La Moraleja and typically served as a reserve gymnast, taking part in exhibitions and international competitions such as those held in Karlsruhe.
At the beginning of 1989, she secured three silver medals at the DTB-Pokal tournament in Karlsruhe and three bronze medals at the Sarajevo World Championships while acting as a substitute. Alongside gymnasts like Beatriz Barral, Lorea Elso, and Bito Fuster, the team earned podium finishes in all-around and apparatus events. Later that year, she attained an all-around bronze medal at the Wacoal Cup in Japan.
In April 1990, Aberturas was featured in a group performance celebrating the inauguration of the Príncipe Felipe Pavilion in Zaragoza. As a reserve gymnast, she competed at the European Championships in Gothenburg, where the team won all-around bronze, silver for 12 clubs, and bronze medals for routines involving 3 ropes and 3 ribbons. At the World Cup final held in Brussels, she earned three bronze medals. That November, the team also claimed all-around silver at Tokyo’s Wacoal Cup.
In 1991, their group routines included a 6 ribbons performance set to "Tango Jalousie" by Jacob Gade and a mixed apparatus routine (3 balls and 3 ropes) choreographed to "Campanas" by Víctor Bombi. The choreography for the 6 ribbons was created by Javier "Poty" Castillo alongside regular choreographer Georgi Neykov. Prior to competing at the World Cup, they captured gold at Karlsruhe—surpassing teams from the USSR and Bulgaria—and secured three bronze medals at Gymnastic Masters in Stuttgart.
Throughout that year, Aberturas continued as a reserve gymnast. On October 12, at the World Championship held in Athens, the Spanish group achieved gold in the all-around category, representing Spain’s inaugural world title in rhythmic gymnastics. Their total score of 38.850 narrowly outpaced the USSR team, with North Korea earning bronze. The group also took home silver medals in both apparatus finals. As a substitute gymnast, Aberturas contributed alongside teammates including Débora Alonso, Lorea Elso, and Bito Fuster. The victory was televised on La 2 de TVE by journalist Paloma del Río. Following this triumph, they embarked on a tour across Switzerland.
Aberturas concluded her gymnastics career following the 1991 World Championships. In recognition of her achievements, she was awarded the Medal of Sports Merit by Diputación General de Aragón in 1992 together with former teammate Gemma Royo.
Legacy and influence
The 1991 Spanish rhythmic gymnastics group achieved a historic milestone by winning the nation's inaugural world championship title in Athens. This victory represented the first time a Western team triumphed over the traditionally dominant Eastern European contenders. This landmark accomplishment is extensively discussed in prominent industry literature, including Aurora Fernández del Valle's Gimnasia rítmica deportiva: aspectos y evolución (1995), Paloma del Río's Enredando en la memoria (2015), and Montse and Manel Martín's Pinceladas de rítmica (2017).