Isabel Gómez Pérez

Isabel Gómez Pérez (born 28 February 1976) is a former Spanish rhythmic gymnast.

She is a European and World medalist.

She began rhythmic gymnastics at the age of 8 at the Tenerife Municipal School.

With her club she participated in several Spanish Championships and Spanish Cups, both individually and in groups.

In the Spanish Group Championship, she was fourth in the pre junior's category in 1987, she won silver in the second category in 1988, and gold in the first category in both 1989 and 1990.

In 1990 as an individual she was fourth overall and won bronze with hoop in first category.

At the end of 1990 she was called by Emilia Boneva to enter the Spanish national rhythmic gymnastics team as a member of the group, of whom she was part until 1992.

In 1991, the two exercises of the group were 6 ribbon and the 3 balls and 3 ropes.

The first had "Tango Jalousie" as music, composed by Jacob Gade, while the multi apparatus one used the song "Campanas", by Víctor Bombi.

To choreograph the dance steps of the 6 ribbons exercise they had the help of Javier Castillo "Poty", then a dancer with the National Ballet, although the team's usual choreographer was the Bulgarian Georgi Neykov.

Before the World Championships, they won gold in the Karlsruhe tournament (ahead of the USSR and Bulgaria) and 3 bronzes in the Gymnastic Masters in Stuttgart.

On the 12 October 1991 the Isabel, Débora Alonso, Lorea Elso, Bito Fuster, Montse Martín and Gemma Royo, with Marta Aberturas and Cristina Chapuli as substitutes, won gold in the All-Around at the World Championships in Athens.

This medal was described by the media as historic since it was the first time that Spain was proclaimed world champion in rhythmic gymnastics.

The next day, they would also win silver in the two apparatus finals.

After this achievement, at the end of 1991 they would tour Switzerland.

In 1992 they would win silver in the Karlsruhe tournament, and later they were invited to perform at the Corbeil-Essonnes one.

In June, with new exercises, they participated in the European Championships in Stuttgart, where they shared the gold medal in the All-Around, in addition to getting another gold in the 3 balls and 3 ropes final and bronze in 6 ribbons.

She would not compete in the 1992 Olympic Games because rhythmic gymnastics was an individual only sport at the olympics at that time, although she would participate with the rest of her teammates in the opening ceremony, leading the parade of participating nations.

Shortly after, they won gold in both the Asvo Cup in Austria and the Alfred Vogel Cup in the Netherland), where they also won silver in 6 ribbons and gold in 3 balls and 3 ropes. An injury led to Gómez being a substitute in the World Championships in Brussels, which took place in November 1992. Her injury and that of Bito Fuster caused them both to remain as substitutes and being replaced by Alicia Martín, Cristina Martínez and Bárbara Plaza into the starting team. In this competition the team won silver in the All-Around, being just one tenth away from being able to retain the world title they had achieved the previous year. In addition, on November 22 they got bronze with 6 ribbons and were 8th with 3 balls and 3 ropes. After this Isabel would retire from the competition, as would the rest of the starting sextet that had been world champion in Athens the previous year.

After Emilia Boneva's death on 20 September 2019, Isabel and other former national gymnasts gathered to pay tribute to her during the Euskalgym held on 16 November 2019, the event took place before 8,500 attendees at the Bilbao Exhibition Center de Baracaldo and was followed by a dinner in her honor.