Category Archives: Gymnast of the week

Gymnast of the week, News

Photos: Anna Rizatdinova and Viktoriya Mazur Portraits

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Ukrainian graces, Anna Rizatdinova ( 2013 Word All-around silver medalist, the 2014 All-around bronze medalist and the 2014 European All-around bronze medallist) and European medallist, Viktoriya Mazur attended this month to Euskalgym Gala Show in Spain. These pictures where taken during autograph session and press conference.

Anna Rizatdinova was interviewed by one of the most popular sports press magazine in Spain. She revealed how happy she was for qualifying for Olympic Games in Rio. She already started her preparation looking forward Summer Olympic Games in 2016.

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Gymnast of the week, News

Photos: Dina and Arina Averina Portraits

Dina and Arina Averina are two rhythmic gymnasts from Zavolzhye, Russia. They are the most popular twins in rhythmic gymnastics nowadays and have followers all  around the world. Since 2011 these twins compete under Russian flag. Last year, in 2014 both competed in Senior Level including tournaments in Russia, Lisbon and Budapest.

Arina and Dina live now in Moscow, both training in Novogorsk as members of the National Team of Russia.

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Gymnast of the week

Interview to Carolina Rodríguez after World Championships 2015

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After Olympic Games in London in 2012 Carolina Rodríguez was about to stop doing gymnastics.  He was suffering from a foot injury and the only solution was surgery. She wanted to compete in European Championships and then retire.  But her love to the sport made a dream come true: she continued training and last week, she qualified for Rio Olympics 2016.

“Carolina is different. She has charisma. What I feel towards her is more than work. We share feelings”

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Olympic Games London 2012

“Sometimes I have a lot of negative feelings around me. But thanks to my coaches and family I could see the positive side of the sport”

“When Spain won the gold medal at Atlanta ’96 I was 10 years old. I thought to myself “I also want to go to Olympic Games”. In 2004, when I was 18 I had the opportunity to compete at Olympic Games in Athens, with the group. Nowadays, I am looking forward to compete again as an individual gymnast in an Olympic Games. For me London Olympics was like a prize. I could never imagine that 4 years later, I would be still training.”

“I am feeling sad (about her retirement after OG) because I know that Carolina is unique” – said her coach.

Carolina will be the most veteran rhythmic gymnast in Olympic Games: 30 years old.

Gymnast of the week

Rebecca Sereda from U.S.A. announces her retirement

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Six time national U.S.A. champion, announces her retirement from rhythmic gymnastics. Rebecca was dealing for over two years with a serious spine injury. Sereda has been practicing gymnastics for about 13 years being PanAmerican Champion, Junior and Senior national champion and participant in several World Cups.

Unfortunatly I must leave this sport without achieving my ultimate goal of competing at the Olympics and this breaks my heart to pieces. However, when I look back at my career I know I have accomplished so much more than I ever thought imaginable

Becca is very upset with her decision but she tried to do all what she could: visiting doctors all around the country, doing countless procedures to find a solution, but she still was in pain. She wants to be related to the sport, not as an athlete, but as coach or judge.

 

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Letting go of this sport and no longer being able to call myself an athlete makes me very updet but I know if I were to continue my health would decline”

Sereda is very thankful to USA Gymnastics Federation and her RG Club, Isadora. Nowadays US Senior Individual team is: Laura Zeng, Aliya Protto, Cindy Lu and Jasmine Kerber.

 

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Gymnast of the week

Interview to Anna Rizatdinova: Izmir 2014

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Ukrainian champion, Anna Rizatdinova, bronze at European Championships this year is getting ready for Izmir Championships 2014, that will be held in Turkey the next week.

– How is your preparation going? There is only a week left for World Championships

– It is very difficult to prepare: both mentally and physically. I think that this time I will be very fit for this competition. We could not almost train in January and February due to political situation in Kiev.

– Have you been in Turkey before?

– I have been when I was a kid and I can’t almost remember anything. This time, during competition it will be very difficult to visit the city since we only visit the hotel. I do not know if it will work this time to get out. The schedule is pretty intense: five days of competition.

– Where is your gold medal (World Championships Kiev 2013)?

– It is at my parents’ in Simferopol

– How is the attitude towards Ukrainian gymnasts

– I can say it is very good. Last spring we competed in France where many people support us up. We did not expect this. Everybody was asking us if we were sad.
With Russian team we were talking as ever- but not about politics.

– Last year at World Championships in Kiev you won a gold medal. Accidentaly, Russian national anthem was played instead of Ukrainian. You began to sing but suddenly you said “Not this…”. How you would react at such mistake right now?

– My parents were born in Russia so they know both anthems. That happened last year, now the situation would be totally different.

– Recently, Alina Maksymenko uploaded a video performing a “basketball trick”. Was this your idea?

– No, I was not with Alina when she recorded this video. Now that she finished her career, we don’t see each other very often. Alina was invited in many countries (masterclasses) and she has scheduled about three others in Spain.

– Irina Blohina is pregnant, what do you think about it?

– We are all happy for her. Ireesha is coming to help us many times. It is a pity she can’t come with us to World Championships in Turkey, but fortunatly, we have phones.

How is your personal life?

– We don’t have so many free time. We just have a day off: Sunday. After trainings, we are very tired and we don’t even have time for going for a walk.

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Anna loves American singer, Lana del Rey and “Summertime Sadness” gala is very special for her

 

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Anna has a really close relationship with Ireesha: “Without her many things couldn’t be possible”

Gymnast of the week

Gymnast of the week: Valeriya Khanina

 

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Valeriya Khanina is a gymnast who was born in Donetsk, Ukraine. Last year, “Lera” (short Ukrainian nickname) moved to Kiev for training with national team as a junior gymnast . Since that, Valeriya is one of the top junior individual gymnast of the world, Champion of Ukraine and silver medallist with ribbon European Championships Baku 2014. Her team mates are Yana Yarosh, Mariya Mulik and Valeriya Yuzvyak.

“Donetsk has never had a very popular gymnast, we have football, but maybe if I work hard, I could become a good gymnast. This is my dream”

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Former Ukrainian champion, Alina Maksymenko, helped Irina Deriugina with Valeriya’s choreographies and traveled with her to several competitions, like Moscow Grand Prix. Junior GP competition was the event to qualify for Youth Olympic Games, where Valeriya competed against Margarita Vasilieva. Alina is really admired by Valeriya Khanina.

“My favorite apparatus are ribbon and clubs”

Irina Deriugina chose her to represent Ukraine in Youth Olympic Games 2014 as an individual gymnast, being one of the favorites for a medal.

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” Our team is very strong. We are fed properly with a good morning breakfast: eggs, cereals and tea. For dinner we eat boiled fish, buckwheat, vegetables and salad. I have never felt hungry and even sometimes we can eat chocolate and ice creams”

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Valeriya is one of the favorites for Youth Olympic Games in Rhythmic Gymnastics

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Gymnast of the week

Happy Birthday Anastasiya Serdyukova!

 

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Anastasiya Serdyukova, Miss Valentine 2014
Photo Copyright Bernd Thierolf

Anastasiya Serdyukova is a gymnast from Uzbekistan, living in Tashkent. She is a succesful gymnast both as a junior and senior. Team Uzbekistan is compounded by Djamila Rakhmatova, Anastasiya Serdyukova and Elizaveta Nazarenkova, who recently got Uzbek citizenship.

Anastasiya won “Marina Cup” Tournament this year

Her best competitions this season were Miss Valentine International tournament and Marina Cup, where she got gold medal in All-Around. Anastasiya is competing in senior category since 2013, when Uliyana Trofimova, R.G. Star decided to stop doing gymnastics due to an injury.

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Anastasiya and her coach, Sevar
Photo Copyright Bernd Thierolf

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Anastasiya at World Championships Kiev 2013
Photo Copyright Olivier Aubrais

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Anastasiya has this picture as a screensaver in her mobile phone
Photo Copyright Bernd Thierolf

Gymnast of the week

Gymnast of the week: Lidia Redondo/ Loreto Achaerandio

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Spanish group gymnasts, Loreto Achaerandio and Lidia Redondo stopped doing Rhythmic Gymnastics. Lidia and Loreto joined National team 10 years ago, since they were juniors.

Loreto suffered from an injury since 2012 and after Olympic games in London, where she placed 4th with the team, had a foot surgery. In 2013 she was in the team but she didn’t competed. Right now, Loreto is studying Medicine in Madrid.

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Loreto Achaerandio

Lidia, who turned 22 years old this month, also place 4th at 2012 London Olympic Games. In 2013 she won gold medal at World Cup Lisbon. But Lidia started getting medals since she was 11 years old in Spanish Tournaments.
In 2013, just before summer, Lidia suffered from an injury and could’t compete at Kiev World Championships where Spain ranked first with 10 clubs.
Nowadays, Lidia is studying Phisical Education (INEF) in Madrid.

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Lidia at World Cup Corbeil 2012

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Team Spain at Grand Prix Thiais 2013

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London Preolympic Games – Gold Medal for Spain

Good luck for both!

Gymnast of the week

Gymnast of the Week: Patricia Bezzoubenko

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Patricia Bezzoubenko (CAN) at World Cup Corbeil 2013
Photo Copyright Fa Buleux

This week (21st of February) is Canadian gymnast, Patricia Bezzoubenko’s birthday. Patricia splits her time between Russia and Canada. Her coach is Svetlana Joukova who is also international judge.

Patricia holds dual citizenship with Canada and Russia and spends long periods of time training with Russian National team in Moscow. Since she joined Canadian National team as a junior, she won a lot of medals: junior champion of Canada,  first at 2011 Koop Cup and podium poditions at international competitions such as Montreal World Cup.

In 2012 Patricia won several medals at PanAmerican junior championships. A year after, she became senior gymnasts.

Patricia training at Grand Prix Thiais 2013:

“I think I became a little bit better than when I was junior that I was like a kid. I just want to work. Of course I would like to go to Olympic Games, but I don’t want to think about it”

Last week, Patricia won Canada Rhythmic Championships as a senior for the second time.

Gymnast of the week

Gymnast of the week : Almudena Cid

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Almudena Cid y Liudmila Dimitrova, Mundial Budapest 2003

Foto por Bernd Thierolf

Almudena Cid es la única gimnasta que ha conseguido participar en cuatro finales olímpicas, todo un hito en el mundo de la gimnasia rítmica, dominado por países del Este de Europa. Comenzó su trayectoria en el club Beti Aurrera en Vitoria, su ciudad natal.

Almudena Cid es la única gimnasta que ha conseguido participar en cuatro finales Olímpicas

A partir del año 1994, Almudena comenzó a destacar internacionalmente, siendo convocada por la seleccionadora nacional de la época, Emilia Boneva, la cual llevó a la rítmica española a lo más alto, consiguiendo el conjunto oro en las olimpiadas de Atlanta 1996. Éstas fueron los primeros Juegos Olímpicos para Almudena en donde obtuvo la novena posición, pero no serían los últimos, sino que se sucederían posteriormente Sydney 2000, Atenas 2004 y Pekin 2008.

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Selección española de gimnasia rítmica en el gimnasio Moscardó poco antes de partir hacia las olimpiadas de Atlanta 1996

En el año 2000, la Federación Española de Gimnasia atraviesa una mala situación, la cual llevó a varias gimnastas a volver a sus clubes. Almudena volvió a entrenar junto a su técnico años atras, Iratxe Aurrekoetxea, trasladándose posteriormente al Centro del Alto Rendimiento situado en Sant Cugat, Barcelona.

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Juegos Olímpicos Sydney 2000

En el año 2001, la gimnasia española estaba de celebración, ya que el Campeonato del Mundo se llevo a cabo en Madrid. Un pabellón repleto de gente animaba incondicionalmente a todas las gimnastas, especialmente a las españolas : Almudena Cid, Jennifer Colino y Carolina Rodríguez. Al año siguiente, Granada fue la sede del Campeonato de Europa, donde Almudena obtuvo la séptima posición en el concurso general.

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Selección individuales, Campeonato del Mundo Madrid 2001

Tras un duro sistema de clasificación interno propuesto por la Federación, logra clasificarse para disputar los Juegos Olímpicos de Atenas y conseguir diploma Olímpico.

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Juegos Olímpicos Atenas 2004

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Oro en los Juegos Mediterráneos Almería 2005

 

En el 2005 consigue la primera posición en los Juegos Mediterráneos disputados en Almería. Posteriormente, Almudena decide tomarse una época retirada provisionalmente de la gimnasia, volviendo en el 2007 con más éxitos y clasificándose para las Olimpiadas de Pekín 2008, su última competición. Allí decidió despedirse de una manera emotiva besando el tapiz.

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Juegos Olímpicos Pekin 2008

Actualmente se encuentra centrada en su vida personal y profesional como diseñadora “Unadealmudena”, además de haber realizado numerosos proyectos en televisión y cine.

Almudena es una de las gimnastas más queridas en el mundo gimnástico, habiendo sido protagonista de numerosos homenajes.