"This hall is filled with different memories for me." Elizaveta Zorkina talks about the Crystal Rose international tournament in Minsk

At the Crystal Rose international tournament in Minsk, Academy coach Elizaveta Zorkina returned to her home gym for the first time, not as a gymnast, but as a coach. She shared her emotions about this return:

"Honestly, it brought up very joyful emotions for me. It felt unusual. I had never experienced anything like it before. But it's a very pleasant feeling because this gym is filled with so many memories for me. I kept remembering different moments. The girls gave me a very warm welcome, and I got to see the coaches here and I was just really happy to come back."

The expert summed up the results of the gymnasts from the Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy at the tournament:

"It went quite well. Of course, there are mistakes that we need to work on and fix, but every competition is an experience, and it is always important to compete. Ksyusha did quite well in the all-around. We had a small mistake in clubs, but we corrected everything. And she is the champion, good for her, she pulled herself together and executed everything. Yana's first day didn't go quite as planned, but she gathered herself on the second day and made it into two finals. Evelina really made me proud at this tournament; she performed everything well and also took first place. She did a great job and will keep working on maintaining that kind of stability. Diana had a bit of a rough time on the first day with some mistakes on her risks, but on the second day, she pulled herself together for the ribbon routine, executed it, and won the silver medal in ribbon. She did an amazing job too."

Elizaveta admitted that now, during each of their performances, she feels more anxious than she did when she herself stepped onto the carpet:

"I felt probably proud, first and foremost, of the girls, and naturally, I felt nervous. I don't know, for me, as a coach, this is probably my first big, high-stakes competition. And I felt a kind of nervousness that was even greater than back when I competed in this tournament myself. I also want to thank the Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy for giving me the opportunity to come here. Thank you very much to Alina Maratovna for her trust and Evgenia Mikhailovna. This is deeply valuable to me, and I will keep giving my best and working further."

The coach also recalled the happiest moments in this hall:

"When absolutely everything went perfectly during my training sessions, I was incredibly happy. And for some reason, the preparation for the European Championships really stands out in my memory. Those were happy days for me. I worked very hard, and that effort paid off. To this day, it remains such a happy memory."