"Alina Maratovna said important words before my performance." Ksenia Savinova talks about her performance in the Cup of the Strongest final
Academy student Ksenia Savinova from Gatchina wins gold medals in the all-around and clubs events, and placed second in the ribbon and hoop events at the Cup of the Strongest finals.
After the competition, the gymnast shared her impressions and talked about the competition.
"The first day wasn't as emotional as the second and last, because we obviously hadn't adjusted yet after the competition, and it was a bit tough. But when a lot of kids showed up and cheered at me, I immediately wanted to do well, I gained strength, and the following days were much easier. All the girls are very kind, all very strong. I communicate with all of them. Sonya is very sweet, very kind, I really enjoy talking to her. And she's such a strong gymnast, so I think I look up to her too," Ksenia said.
The athlete noted the support of Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva and the Academy staff.
"Alina Kabaeva prepared me for the performance via video call, Evgeniya Eliseeva, and Ekaterina Dyukova helped and supported me. Alina Maratovna also supported me, telling me some important words before the performance—something that really helped me. She constantly tells me, ‘Perform each movement one after the other and you'll relax on the couch’. Thank you so much to the choreographers, all the coaches, Evgeniya Eliseeva, Director Ekaterina Dyukova, and Alina Kabaeva, for preparing me for this competition, helping me perform, supporting me, and keeping your fingers crossed," she said.
Ksenia also spoke about her confidence after competing internationally, since she recently competed at an international tournament in Japan.
"I think I've become more confident in everything I do. Because we prepared so hard for this competition, I had everything down to a tee, and it was much easier for me to perform at this competition," the gymnast shared.
The Cup of the Strongest final took place from October 19 to 21 in Moscow.