The Russian rhythmic gymnastics juggernaut collapsed at the Tokyo Olympics, with dramatic back-to-back losses that sparked furious allegations of injustice in a sport famous for twinkling costumes, techno remixes and hoops looping through the air.

Russia had won every gold medal in rhythmic gymnastics since 2000. But it's fall in Tokyo began Saturday, when Linoy Ashram of Israel won gold in the individual competition, edging out of a pair of Russian identical twins who were the favourites. Dina Averina placed second and her sister, Arina, fell to fourth.

In Sunday's group competition, Russia - competing in Tokyo as the Russian Olympic Committee team - tumbled again into second place, losing the gold to Bulgaria's team of Simona Dyankova, Stefani Kiryakova, Madlen Radukanova, Laura Traets and Erika Zafirova. Italy

"It's so unreal, we cannot believe it. I don't know what to say," Kiryakova said. "This is the happiest moment ever."

As the final scores appeared on the arena's screen, the Russian gymnasts wept, one dropped her head into hands as the Bulgarians jumped in shocked triumph.

"We have very mixed emotions, of course there is joy but there is also sadness," Russian gymnast Anastasiia Maksimova said, tears still in her eyes. "We competed at our maximum and we were fighting for our country, we were fighting for our individual gymnasts, we were fighting for our team, and we were fighting for our coaches. We did what we could."

The reaction back home in Russia has been brutal.

Social media discussions have been full of allegations of a conspiracy to hurt Russia's medal count and some lawmakers have weighed in with their own theories.

Head coach Irina Viner-Usmanova told the RIA Novosti state news agency on Sunday that "everyone understood perfectly well that this was meant to happen, that Russia's hegemony had to be stopped."

The night an Israeli won the individual competition, ROC president Stanislav Pozdnyakov called on the International Gymnastics Federation to do an inquiry into the judging.

"Our staff and lawyers have already drawn up a request and sent it to the leadership of the International Gymnastics Federation," Pozdnyakov wrote on Instagram on Saturday.

Dina Averina, the 22-year-old gymnast who won the silver medal, also said shortly after the competition that she believed the judges had not been fair to her.

She gave an emotional interview with sports broadcaster Match TV: "It hurts and it's painful that there was unfair judging today," she said, and noted that Ashram dropped her ribbon near the end of the competition. "I got through all of the disciplines more or less cleanly, properly, and came second. I'm hurt by the injustice, I support honest sport."

The winners who took home gold instead of the Russians said they felt like they were in a dream.

"It means everything," Kiryakova said. "We put so much into these five years, so much work. We always believed we would be here, but it's still so unreal."