Sonia Abejón
Sonia Abejón Esteban | |
|---|---|
| Born | August 1, 1985 Madrid, Spain |
| Occupation(s) | Rhythmic gymnast, coach |
| Years active | 1990–2010 (gymnast), 2009–present (coach) |
| Known for | Representing Spain at the 2004 Summer Olympics |
Sonia Abejón Esteban (born 1 August 1985) is a Spanish rhythmic gymnast who represented her country at the 2004 Summer Olympics. She is currently the coach of the Rhythmic Gymnastics Club in San Fernando de Henares.
Junior
Abejón started practicing rhythmic gymnastics at the age of five at the Torrejón School located in Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid). At thirteen, she became a member of C.G.R.D. San Fernando in San Fernando de Henares. During the 1997 Spanish Championship of Clubs and Autonomous Communities held in Barcelona, she won silver medals in rope and bronze medals in freehand and clubs. In the 1999 edition in Zaragoza, she earned a bronze medal in ribbon.
Senior
In January 2001, Abejón was selected to join Spain’s national rhythmic gymnastics group. She trained approximately eight hours daily at Madrid’s High Performance Center under coaches such as Nina Vitrichenko, Rosa Menor, Noelia Fernández, Anna Baranova, and Sara Bayón. The group achieved three silver medals at the Trophy S.M. Margarita competition in Bulgaria.
Her debut major event was the 2002 European Championships in Geneva, where the team placed seventh both All-Around and in the 10 clubs event, and eighth in the 3 ribbons and 2 balls category. The team that year included Abejón alongside Belén Aguado, Blanca Castroviejo, Bárbara González Oteiza, Marta Linares, and Aida Otero. At the World Championships later that year in New Orleans, they finished ninth All-Around and seventh in the 5 ribbons final.
During early 2003, the team captured three gold medals at the Madeira International Tournament and secured three bronze medals at Saint Petersburg’s Pearls Trophy. They also earned a silver medal All-Around at the Torrevieja Triangular Tournament. At the European Championships held in Riesa, they ranked sixth All-Around. Subsequently, at the World Championships in Budapest, they placed sixth All-Around, which qualified them for the 2004 Summer Olympics. The line-up then consisted of Abejón, Castroviejo (who retired in May), González Oteiza, Lara González, Isabel Pagán, and Nuria Velasco.
In February 2004, the team won three silver medals at the Madeira International Tournament. At the Athens Pre-Olympic Games in March, they achieved sixth place All-Around. Leading up to the Olympics, they participated in World Cup events with several top-five finishes. During the Athens Olympic Games, Abejón’s group qualified eighth and ultimately finished seventh in the finals, earning an Olympic diploma. The Olympic squad included Abejón, González Oteiza, Linares, Pagán, Carolina Rodríguez, and Nuria Velasco. Lara González and Ana María Pelaz served as substitutes but did not compete.
Retirement
Following her participation in the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Abejón stepped away from competitive gymnastics. However, between 2006 and 2010 she resumed competition representing District III Club of Alcalá de Henares. At the 2006 Spanish Group Championship held in Vecindario, she secured a bronze medal in the youth category which helped elevate her club to first category status. In subsequent championships—2007 (Granada) and 2008 (Zaragoza)—she placed eighth and earned another bronze respectively within the first category. She also competed at national championships in Valladolid (2009) and Logroño (2010).
After her tenure with the national team ended, Abejón worked across various roles including security guard, stewardess, administrative assistant, as well as a rhythmic gymnastics coach certified with a Level III National Coaches qualification. She briefly practiced Aesthetic Gymnastics alongside former national gymnasts such as Nuria Artigues and Lara González.
Since 2009, Abejón has been both coaching and acting as technical director for the Rhythmic Gymnastics Club of San Fernando de Henares—the same club where she trained before joining Spain’s national squad. Marta Linares, a former teammate, also coaches there. On March 23, 2015, the M4 Sports Center located in Torrejón de Ardoz was named in her honor.