Russia’s most graceful young gymnasts gather in Kazan 08.02.2012
The national rhythmic gymnastics competition kicked off in one of the 2013 Games venues, the Tulpar Sports Complex, on February 8
The competition will bring together up to 200 young gymnasts from federal regions of Russia, as well as a few athletes of the national rhythmic gymnastics team. The world’s top gymnasts will demonstrate their talents on floor of the venue, including Olympic champion Evgenia Kanaeva, world and European champions Daria Kondakova and Daria Dmitrieva, 1st Youth Olympic Games winner Alexandra Merkulova and other gymnasts of Team Russia.
The competition’s opening ceremony was attended by President of the All-Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation and national team’s head coach Irina Viner, 1st Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee for Physical Culture and Sports and Secretary General of the Russian Olympic Committee Marat Bariev. Tatarstan’s Youth, Sports and Tourism Minister Rafis Burganov also delivered a welcome speech at the solemn opening.
The competition represents a qualifying round of the European Championship which is scheduled for May 2012. Tatarstan is set to delegate four gymnasts to the national tournament: Liana Semenova, Marina Kozlova, Sabina Fedorova and Lilia Borisova; all of them are alumni of the Privolzhanka and Gratsiya Gymnastics Schools. There will be one team (hoop) and four individual events (club, ribbon, hoop and ball) at the championship.
Kazan have already hosted a number of large-scale rhythmic gymnastics competitions, the ones worth mentioning are the 2006 Russian Championship, qualifiers to the 1st Russian Summer Universiade (2003), Yoldyz International Rhythmic Gymnastics Tournament. Tatarstan have breeded such outstanding athletes as Beijing 2008 Olympic champion Daria Shkurikhina, European champions in team events Yulia Fedorova, Maria Frentsel and Ralina Rakipova.
Dzhaudat Abdullin
Special to kazan2013.com
