Brianna Labadan from the Philippines noted the progress she’s made at the Academy and shared her plans.
"After Qatar, I came here to prepare for the new season. Now I am preparing for the World Cup stages. I think I will take part in two next year. A lot has changed. We changed all my programs. We also improved my exercises. At first it was difficult to communicate because I did not speak Russian very well, I understood only a few words, not that much, but now I am learning," Brianna said.
She also spoke about interesting traditions of celebrating the New Year in her country - the gymnast will spend the holidays at home.
"In the Philippines, we have some traditions, like we fill a whole bowl with rice and then we put eggs and money in it for prosperity in the new year, for good luck. My family stands in a circle and each of us has to say what we are grateful for this year and what we hope for next year. And then we pray for it," she said.
Brianna Labadan arrived at the Academy in October. In late November, she represented the Philippines at the Sky Grace Cup International Tournament in Doha, after which she continued training at Sirius.