With the World Championships just around the corner, the Crystal Rose tournament became an important reality check for the leaders of the Belarusian national team.
Daria Verenich shared how the competitions in Minsk went for her:
"This tournament is a very large-scale one, it always takes place once a year in my hometown, in my home country. It’s so lovely to perform here; the stands are always packed, and everyone gives us such a warm welcome. We communicate with all the girls, we’re friends with everyone, chat, text each other, and hang out at competitions. I really like Sonya Ilteryakova's ribbon routine and Milena Shchenyatskaya's ball routine. It's so upbeat and interesting. Nastya Vlasenko, I like her hoop. And Ulyana Yanus' ball."
The gymnast shared what she still needs to work on before the main competition of the year:
"After the World Cup stage in Milan, we slightly changed the hoop and the ribbon routines. We left the ball and the clubs as they were; basically, I nailed them. Everything is fine. Well, there will be two whole weeks left to work through what didn't go well for me today and the day before yesterday with the ribbon. I think everything is fine, everything is under control. This is my first World Championships. It feels responsible and nerve-wracking. But we are also doing everything we can to get rid of these nerves and fully concentrate on the apparatus. We will have control trainings and training camps to get mentally prepared."
Daria finished third in the all-around, while also securing a silver medal in the ball finals and a gold medal with clubs.