Coach Anna Ustsova reveals the secrets of preparing group gymnasts for the World Cup stage in Baku

Coach Anna Ustsova reveals the secrets of preparing group gymnasts for the World Cup stage in Baku:

"What emotions does a coach experience?  Happiness, a little fatigue. And you need to work on your mistakes to move on. At this point, happiness is happiness, but you're already thinking, "Next, how do I prepare for the next tournament?" We changed the music, we added musical effects. Irina Borisovna Zenovka and the composer helped us. And we did it, and the exercises look completely different now. They've gained a new tempo. We're trying to make changes now to be competitive, because our children are very strong, beautiful, and emotional. So, there are some areas where things are missing, some shortcomings, which we'll address."

She thanked the Academy team and Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva for their contribution to the result:

"I really want to thank our great team at Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy, led by Alina Maratovna. She's a unique person who can do anything. You can't imagine, she works online, it seems like all day, with us all. I don't know how she does it, but I'm so grateful to her for being there for us at that moment, supporting me, supporting the team, supporting the girls. She saw when they needed her advice, her support, and her guidance. Thank her so much."

The specialist also noted the support of the crowd throughout the World Cup stage in Baku:

"I want to say a big thank you to the fans who were in the stands. The local kids, they were all rooting for me too, and it was incredibly rewarding. I thank my family,  my husband, my parents. They're my fans. They sat there and wrote down all the scores, even though I know them, and they told me everything. Thank them so much."

The active Russian group team champions won silver in the final with three hoops and two pairs of clubs and placed third in the all-around. The group gymnasts also received the AGF Trophy for the highest execution score.

The athletes competed under neutral status at the tournament.