Exclusive Photos : Alina Kabaeva Training in Novogorsk
Russian former gymnast, Alina Kabaeva, became a star in 1998 since she won Gold medal at Goodwill Games in New York. Her career was unstoppable: 15 gold medals at European Championships, 9 World Championships gold medals and Olympic Champion in Athens 2004.
She is one of the most successful gymnast in the history of Rhythmic Gymnastics. Nowadays, Alina is member of the Public Chamber of Russia.
These pictures were taken in 2001/2002 season, which was not easy for Alina. Kabaeva tested positive to a banned diuretic, Furosemide. She was disqualified for World Championships Madrid and Goodwill Games in 2001. In 2002 Alina could compete again. She became European Champion.
Alexandra Merkulova announces her retirement
Alexandra Merkulova and Alina Kabaeva
Youth Olympic Games champion and silver medallist in all-around European Championships, Alexandra Merkulova from Russia announces her retirament. After her Gala show in Moscow Grand Prix 2015 she decided to stop doing gymnastics.
“Alina is my greatest idol since childhood. But I have never tried to imitate her. People say that my smile is similar to hers. I think that for both of us, to smile during the performance is quite natural, because we have a great pleasure during the performance.”
Her international debut was in 2008, but her top year was 2010, where she got gold at Youth Olympic Games. She was also one of the favorites for fighting for a medal in London Olympic Games, but she was replaced by Daria Dmitrieva due to Sasha’s foot injury.
In 2013 season, Merkulova returned to competition where she ranked 4th at Moscow GP. She won gold medal at International Trophy Ciutat de Barcelona and silver medal at Summer Universiade. This was not the best season for Aleksandra: she sprained her ankle during World Cup Lisbon and she couldn’t stop crying during the tranings. After Grand Prix Brno,she got injured again.
Irina Viner-Usmanova decided that Merkulova was not going to be part of the Russian team. Alexandra finished 8th at Russian Championships All-Around
Irina Viner-Usmanova, head coach of Russian Team
Alexandra said goodbye to her sports career as a gymnast at Grand Prix Moscow 2015, where she performed a gala. Besides, she wants to help Irina Alexandrovna Viner as a coach.
Information about International Trophy City of Barcelona 2015
Every two years, the enchanting city of Barcelona (Spain) hosts an international trophy where top stars of rhythmic gymnastics compete. This year, local gymnast Natalia García Timofeeva was the first who confirmed her participation. Yana Kudryavtseva, Son Yeon Jae, Kseniya Mustafaeva, Melitina Staniouta and Anna Rizatdinova are pending their confirmation.
The gymnasts that are already confirmed are:
- Natalia García Timofeeva ESP
- Polina Berezina ESP
- Elena Bolotina BLR
- Neta Rivkin ISR
- Marina Durunda AZE
- Jana Berezko-Marggrander GER
- Emile H. Swensen NOR
- Arina Charopa BLR
- Margarita Mamun RUS
- Mariya Mateva BUL
- Laura Jung GER
- Anna Rizatdinova UKR
Where it will be?
This competition will be held in Barcelona, Spain at Vall D’Hebron arena.
When it will be?
Saturday, 14th of March
Schedule
The Competition (All- Around) starts at 15:30 (Spanish time)
Tickets
Click to access ENTRADES_GR_general.pdf
Official Website
Grand Prix Moscow 2015 Results
HOOP FINAL
- Mamun Margarita Russia 18.900
- Staniouta Melitina Belarus 18.233
- Rivkin Neta Israel 17.750
- Pazhava Salome Georgia 17.516
- Hayakawa Sakura Japan 17.216
- Nazarenkova Elizaveta Uzbekistan 17.133
- Ruprecht Nicol Austria 16.900
- Kudryavtseva Yana Russia 16.583
BALL FINAL
- Soldatova Aleksandra Russia 18.200
- Staniouta Melitina Belarus 17.900
- Mamun Margarita Russia 17.833
- Rivkin Neta Israel 17.733
- Moustafaeva Kseniya France 17.433
- Hayakawa Sakura Japan 16.983
- Shafizada Gulsum Azerbaijan 16.483
- Bezzubenko Patricia Canada 16.483
CLUBS FINAL
- Staniouta Melitina Belarus 18.166
- Kudryavtseva Yana Russia 17.866
- Pazhava Salome Georgia 17.500
- Nazarenkova Elizaveta Uzbekistan 17.300
- Rivkin Neta Israel 17.066
- Moustafaeva Kseniya France 16.616
- Soldatova Aleksandra Russia 16.166
- Ruprecht Nicol Austria 15.816
RIBBON FINAL
- Mamun Margarita Russia 18.966
- Kudryavtseva Yana Russia 18.383
- Moustafaeva Kseniya France 16.800
- Staniouta Melitina Belarus 18.050
- Filiou Varvara Greece 17.433
- Hayakawa Sakura Japan 17.200
- Ruprecht Nicol Austria 16.933
- Shafizada Gulsum Azerbaijan 16.200
Miss Valentine 2015 Results
All-Around Results
FIG SENIOR INDIVIDUAL
FIG SENIOR GROUPS
- UKR
- AZE
- LAT
FIG JUNIOR GROUPS
Miss Valentine 2015
Startlist for Saturday
Click to access Start-Saturday-February-21th.pdf
Provisional Live Results
| 8436 | Ganna Rizadtinova | 17.850 |  |
1 |  |
| 8430 | Sofia Frankovskaya | 16.450 | |
2 | |
| 8403 | Marina Durnda | 15.700 | |
3 | |
| 8410 | Carmel Kallemaa | 15.500 | |
4 | |
| 8437 | Jasmine Kerber | 15.400 | |
5 | |
| 8435 | Viktoriia Mazur | 15.350 | |
6 | |
| 8411 | Janika Vartlaan | 15.050 | |
7 | |
| 8438 | Camilla Feely | 15.000 | |
8 | |
| Ganna Rizadtinova | 17.750 |  |
1 | |
|
| 8403 | Marina Durnda | 17.150 | |
2 | |
| 8404 | Elena Bolotina | 16.700 | |
3 | |
| 8437 | Jasmine Kerber | 16.550 | |
4 | |
| 8430 | Sofia Frankovskaya | 16.300 | |
5 | |
| 8419 | Viktoriya Gorbunova | 15.800 | |
6 | |
| 8435 | Viktoriia Mazur | 15.300 | |
7 | |
| 8438 | Camilla Feely | 14.950 | |
8 | |
Timetable
Information about Grand Prix Moscow 2015
Moscow hosts the first Grand Prix Series of the year, which causes big expectation since Russian gymnasts will show here their brand new routines. As Irina Alexandrovna Viner-Usmanova said in a recent interview, Russian team changed all their routines. Individual gymnasts have four new exercises (Margarita Mamun, current World Champion Yana Kudryavtseva and Alexandra Soldatova). Besides, senior and junior group have new performances and included new members.
At the same time another tournament is celebrated “Alina Kabaeva Tournament” .
Schedule
Participants
L.A. Lights Tournament 2015 Results
Podium 2015
L.A. Lights International meeting is one of the competitions with more expectation around it, since RG Stars perform their new routines. Anna Rizatdinova from Ukraine won the All-Around competition. Anna changed 3 of her 4 routines and showed up new amazing tricks. Melitina Staniouta who was leader on the first day of competition, got the second place. The third position was for Belarusian raising hope, Katsiaryna Halkina.
Photo Copyright© http://www.latourist.com
Official Website:
Katsiaryna Halkina (BLR)
Melitina Staniouta BLR
Anna Rizatdinova (UKR)
Viktoriya Mazur (UKR)
Level 10 Senior Results
Information about Miss Valentine 2015
“Miss Valentine” is the second international Tournament held in Tartu (Estonia). This competition consists of: Rhythmic Competitions for Junior individual gymnasts, senior individual gymnasts and s and “AGG” Junior and Senior competition. At the same week, unfortunatly there will be Moscow Grand Prix, the first GP of the year.
More than 1200 gymnasts from all over the world (31 different countries) are already registered. The AGG World Cup event and FIG tournament will begin in exactly four weeks time and last three days from 20-22 Ferbuary. This will be the 21st Miss Valentine tournament in a row.
Team “Madonna”
“At the moment we have about 1200 gymnasts registered for the three-day competition. With coaches and other delegation members the number of participants has already crossed 1400,” says Ms. Janika Mölder, the founder and chief organizer of the tournament. “This number is most likely not final, since we’ve always had some last minute additions.”
“At the moment we have about 1200 gymnast registered fir our three-day competition”
Some RG Stars will participate in this tournament such as Anna Rizatdinova and Viktoriya Maur from Ukraine, Jasmine Kerber from the USA or Marina Durunda from Azerbaijan. The reigning world AGG Campion, “Madonna” from Russia will be there aswell.
Countries registered for Miss Valentine 2015:
ARM, AUS, AZE, CAN, CRO, CZE, DEN, EST, ESP, FIN, FRA, FRO, GER, GRE, HUN, KAZ, LAT, LTU, LUX, NED, NOR, RUS, SWE, SUI, TUR, UKR, USA, MEX, BLR, ITA, JPN
Rhythmic Gymnastics Tricks
Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport which mixes dance, artistry, flexibility and originality. Original elementa can be executed with an apparatus, showing off handling tricks or just using the body. Some of them were included in the code of points with the name of the gymnast such as Utyasheva’s flexibility element. One of the gymnasts that included a lot of originalities in early 2000’s was Russian Alina Kabaeva, 1st place at Athens Olympic Games in 2004.
Backscale Pivot
This technic element was performed by Alina Kabaeva for the first time but most of the Russian Team included it in their programmes: Olga Kapranova, Yana Lukonina, Vera Sessina, Zarina Gizikova…
Nowadays this element is not as popular as it was but it is still performed by Natalia García (ESP) and Anastasiya Serdyukova (UZB)
Anastasiya Serdyukova (UZB)
Photo Copyright Bernd Thierolf
Utyasheva’s element
This extremely difficult element was only performed by Russian gymnast Lyasan Utyasheva who retired almost at the beggining of her international career due to a serious foot injury
Cosak’s Jump
Inna Zhukova from Belarus and Silver medallist in Beijing 2008, always included this element in her routines.
Bessonova’s Swan
This is one of the most elegant originalities with an apparatus: moving the hoop with the foot while doing a technical element.
Margarita Mamun’s originality
She is executing this element for so many years.
Spinning ball on a finger
Maria Titova, Christalleni Trikomiti and Yana Kudryavtseva can spin a ball on a finger for more than 5 seconds. Kudryavtseva’s element was one of the most amazing in the last year.
Ring element – unstable apparatus
This element was performed by Alina Kabaeva since 2001 and had a lot of controversy about it because of her execution.
Catch out of field of view
Videos
Images
Galleries
This gallery contains 5 photos.
Quotes
“Championships are won at practice”
Rhythmic Gymnastics Info 