One of the guests of the international Cup of the Strongest Athletes of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus tournament is two-time Youth Olympic champion Darya Trubnikova.Ahead of the competition in Moscow, she shared her expectations for the tournament and highlighted the distinctive features of the Belarusian school of gymnastics:<blockquote>"I think that it will be a big grand event, since the Belarusian gymnasts have not visited us for a long time, namely the team leaders: Alina Harnasko, Anastasia Salos. hey will meet together on the same platform with our leader Mariia Borisova and other strongest gymnasts of our country. Belarusian gymnastics has always been distinguished by its elegance and uniqueness, I repeat myself, by the work with the apparatus, grace. And the girls have always had very interesting and unusual programs that differed from all other countries. And now this is only increasing and bearing fruit even more. Because there is a very big emphasis now on artistry and Belarusian gymnastics is the one that shows and demonstrates this very well."</blockquote>Daria also spoke about the favorite programs of the Russian and Belarusian team leaders:<blockquote>"Anastasia Salos — hoop, Alina Harnasko — ball, Mariia Borisova — ball and Ulyana Janus — clubs. These are the very programs that can be watched, in my opinion, endlessly."</blockquote>

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Opinion

International competitions are held in Moscow from August 20 to 22.

"I think it will be a big, grand event." Two-time Youth Olympic champion Darya Trubnikova talks about the international Cup of the Strongest Athletes of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus tournament

Due to the emerging cases of mailings sent on behalf of the Alina Kabaeva Charitable Foundation representatives, we’d like to state that the foundation does not send letters and does not practice any fundraising.&nbsp;These letters are sent by scammers and have nothing to do with the foundation, the Olympic champion, the Academy, or the International Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics&nbsp;Association.&nbsp;Please exercise caution.

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Academy Life

Due to the emerging cases of mailings sent on behalf of the Alina Kabaeva Charitable Foundation representatives, we’d like to state that the foundation does not send letters and does not practice any fundraising.

Important information!

Gymnasts from India have come to the Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy for a training camp. They are accompanied by their coach Pooja Surve.The specialist from India shared her impressions after the first classes.<blockquote>"At the Sky Grace, the atmosphere is really very, very nice and we feel homely as well as it is so interesting to see all the players and the coaches coming here and training the gymnasts. It is really the spirit of competition and sportsmanship is highly seen here. Their work with the apparatus is very complicated. So whenever we see them, we are fascinated by their exercises. And I really like working with all the coaches here. After the first training sessions, we lacked technique. But the coaches here try to help us so that we can improve, and the girls try to learn from them. So I am very happy with all the training sessions that take place here," the coach said.</blockquote>Accommodations for Avani and Aryaa Nitesh Kadam, Kimaya Karle and Pooja Surve have been provided by the Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy.

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Gymnasts Avani, Aryaa Nitesh Kadam and Kimaya Karle are actively preparing for international competitions with their coach Puja Surve.

"We feel at home!" Pooja Surve on her experience of Academy training

Judge Anna Kurbanova told how control trainings are held in Novogorsk:<blockquote>"Girls are preparing for the Cup of the Strongest between Russia and Belarus. We already had two assessment training sessions for the juniors. And the difference between the first and the second assessment training sessions is enormous. All the girls have improved greatly in their skills and corrected the mistakes we pointed out to them during the first assessment training session. And I think we're going to have the best start."</blockquote>The coaches and judges paid athletes' attention to the character during the performance of the program. The specialist explained what is meant by this concept:<blockquote>"The character of the exercise means that every movement in the gymnast's routine must be aligned by the character with the music. In other words, there should not be a single merely empty movement, a usual step or any hand movement that does not correspond to the music."</blockquote>The international Cup of the Strongest Athletes of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus will be held in Moscow from August 18 to 23.

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The Academy gymnasts are preparing for their next starts on the basis of the national team.

Judge Anna Kurbanova talks about about the progress at the control training session in Novogorsk

At the Star Ripple Cup International Grand Prix in Dalian, Kristina Diupina from Krasnodar Region, the gymnast of the Sky Grace International Association, became the winner in the all-around among juniors. The athlete also won silver in the exercise without an apparatus and bronze with clubs in the individual finals.Kristina shared with us her impressions of the trip and asessed the competition at the tournament:<blockquote>"We had a good trip, I really liked China, I really liked&nbsp; Dalian. There was a good hall, high ceilings. At first it was very difficult, unusual. But then, on the second day, I got used to it, and everything was fine. There were strong girls from the Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy,&nbsp;from the Russian team. It was interesting to compete with athletes from China, so the competition was serious. And Karolina Tarasova, and Yana Zaikina, and Ksyusha Savinova, and Nikole Rimarachin Diaz, they were all strong, and it was interesting to compete with everyone. It definitely gave me a lot of competitive experience. I will try to fix all the mistakes and not make them at the next competitions."</blockquote>The gymnast also thanked the Sky Grace International Association for the opportunity to perform in Dalian:<blockquote>"I want to thank for the opportunity to compete in China at such a good tournament. I also want to thank my coach for her work, for her effort and attention. I want to thank all my fans, parents and everyone who worried about me."</blockquote>The Star Ripple Cup International Grand Prix was held in Dalian from August 7 to August 10. The Sky Grace International Association covered all the flight costs for the gymnast.

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At the competition in China, the athlete represented the Sky Grace International Association.

"I really liked China!" Kristina Dupina talks about the Star Ripple Cup International Grand Prix in Dalian

Winner of the RSFSR Championship (northern zone). Russian Federation Honored coach. Excellence in physical education. Excellence in public education. Awarded the Order of the Patriotic War, the medals "For the Defense of Leningrad" and "For Valiant Labor in the Great Patriotic War". Founder of the Ivanovo Rhythmic Gymnastics school.Zinaida Matveeva was born on October 9, 1925 in Leningrad. She was an athletic child and constantly participated in various competitions at school.During the Great Patriotic War, Matveeva experienced all of the horrors of the seige. Later she recalled (the quote is given in the material of the <a href="https://rk37.ru/articles/2018/03/02/_pervaya_ledi_hudozhestvennoy_gimnastiki" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rabochy Kray</a> (Working Region) publication:<blockquote>"We were walking in the well-like courtyard when an airplane appeared above us, and behind it, like a flock of little birds, were incendiary bombs. I immediately called everyone to me, and we rushed to the attic. Sand and tools were already prepared there, with which we began to extinguish the bombs..."</blockquote>Irina Chernyshkova, her student, and now Russia’s Honored coach and senior coach and teacher of the Youth Sports School No. 9 in Ivanovo, says:<blockquote>"I often retell Zinaida Mikhailovna’s story to my gymnasts. When Zinaida was sixteen, the Great Patriotic War began. She was taking a course for young fighters, and the instructor was a woman who came every day with lip liner. And looking at this makeup, they understood that beauty not only exists, but it will definitely conquer everything."</blockquote>Later, Matveeva became a rifle platoon commander and trained recruits herself.<figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/311/4b3/3114b38e162886262860828cb50a0c4c.jpg"></figure>Photo credit: archive of the No. 9 Youth Athletic School&nbsp;(Ivanovo)After the war, she entered the P. Lesgaft State Institute of Physical Culture, where she began to practice rhythmic gymnastics. This sport had just came about at that time. The newly developed program was taught by Roza Varshavskaya, Zinaida Verbova, Anna Larionova, Yulia Shishkareva, and Tatyana Markova. Irina Chernyshkova said:<blockquote>"Zinaida said that when their class graduated, they were told the following parting words: "You will flow like streams throughout our large country and bring the most beautiful sport to the world." She often recalled these words. And we also remember this, passing on our knowledge."</blockquote>At the institute, Matveeva met her future husband Boris. After completing his studies, he was assigned to his homeland, and Zinaida followed him to Ivanovo.&nbsp;There they both began teaching at the Educaton institute. At that time, Ivanovo knew nothing about rhythmic gymnastics, there were no clubs, no coaches, no judges.Matveeva assembled a team of girls and began training them. She continued to train herself, in 1950, she achieved her main success, winning the RSFSR championship (the northern zone). The tournament was held according to the second category program.&nbsp;<figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/cda/bc3/cdabc3cd04016ab2cd85d1f94edfbe6f.jpg"></figure>Photo credit: archive of the No. 9 Youth Athletic School&nbsp;(Ivanovo)Matveeva actively popularized the young sport in the region. At her instigation, new clubs were opened, rhythmic gymnastics was included in the program of the Spartakiad of universities, which meant that interest in the sport increased. In addition, Zinaida founded and headed the regional Federation of Rhythmic Gymnastics (later, in 1999, it was named after Matveeva). Zinaida was also the senior coach of the Ivanovo region team for many years.Among Zinaida’s students, in addition to Irina Chernyshkova, are the USSR Master of Sports and the RSFSR Champion Faina Alferova, the USSR Master of Sports Elena Sokolova and many others. It is thanks to Matveeva that Ivanovo rhythmic gymnastics received its own, recognizable style, which is distinguished by its aesthetics.Zinaida passed away on March 23, 2021, at the age of 95.There is a poster with a photograph of Zinaida Matveeva in the hall of the Youth Sports School No. 9.&nbsp; They say that no matter where you are on the floor, it seems that she is looking at you.Sources: <a href="https://rk37.ru/articles/2018/03/02/_pervaya_ledi_hudozhestvennoy_gimnastiki" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">Rabochiy Kray,&nbsp;official publication of the Ivanovo city administration;</a> <a href="https://sportshkola9.ru/lv/doc.jsp?id=11997" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">website of the No. 9 Youth Athletic School</a>.

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Rhythmic Gymnastics Veterans

Founder of the Ivanovo school, from a rifle platoon commander to the Head of the regional Federation of Rhythmic Gymnastics. The road of Zinaida Matveeva.

Rhythmic Gymnastics Veterans. Founder of the Ivanovo school Zinaida Matveeva

Academy coach Olga Frolova was present as a judge at the control training session in Novogorsk.After that, the specialist summed up the results:<blockquote>"The assessment training session went well. It was quite extensive.We debriefed every gymnast, every element, and every step across all teams. The panel of judges sat there and watched very carefully, scrutinizing every mistake, every element. Because when we will be at competitions, the judges will not be looking what to award us points for, they will be looking for what will not be counted for us. So our task was to find as many faults as possible, nitpick, take a very serious look, so that the gymnasts have time now to prepare, fix all these controversial issues, and perform better at the competition. Every gymnast has her own nuances: for some, it's more about the cleanliness of the execution of the elements, for others, for example, it's the work on the elements or the difficulty of the apparatus."</blockquote>She shared her impressions of working with athletes:<blockquote>"It was very pleasant and exciting at the same time, because it was the first time in my career. The vast experience, the best Russian gymnasts, and we tried to help each gymnast so that she could improve her results in the future."</blockquote>

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Olga Frolova was present as a judge at the control training session in Novogorsk.

"We tried to help each gymnast so that she could inmprove her results." Academy coach Olga Frolova talks about the control training session in Novogorsk

From August 18 to 23, Moscow will host the international Cup of the Strongest Athletes of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus.The Russian team includes Academy gymnasts Mariia Borisova, Karolina Tarasova, Yana Zaikina, Ksenia Savinova, group gymnasts Polina Zakharova, Nikole Andronchik, Anna Gryaznova, Kira Pryn, Nelly Reutskaya and Alina Proshchalykina.The tournament will award medals in individual and group championships in the all-around and individual events for juniors and seniors, and will also determine the strongest team. Among the competitors from Belarus are Alina Harnasko, Anastasia Salos, Kira Babkevich and others. The full team rosters have been published on the Russian Gymnastics Federation <a href="https://sportgymrus.ru/uploads/media_manager/2025/08/spisok-uchastnikov.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">website</a>.

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Competitions

The Russian team includes Academy gymnasts Mariia Borisova, Karolina Tarasova, Yana Zaikina, Ksenia Savinova, group gymnasts Polina Zakharova, Nikole Andronchik, Anna Gryaznova, Kira Pryn, Nelly Reutskaya and Alina Proshchalykina.

Academy gymnasts to take part in the international Cup of the Strongest Athletes of the Russian Federation and the Republic of Belarus in Moscow

The training camp of the sambo national team have started at the Martial Arts Academy.Alexander-Shine Kvachantiradze, the winner of the Russian sambo junior championship, shared his impressions of the training conditions:<blockquote>"I like everything here very much. The nutrition, the schedule, in general the coach gave a very good plan, such a developmental one. Now the preparation is done in microcycles. We have two working days, one day off. We train on the mats for two days. We have a morning warm-up at 7:30, we run, stretch our legs. Then morning and evening training, more or less the same according to the plan. We warm up, wrestle on the ground, practice some of our elements on the ground. The coach can give us some other task, then we practice our stances a little and wrestle in the standing position."</blockquote>The silver medalist of the competition, Artyom Kharisov, told what upcoming starts he is preparing for:<blockquote>"I'm preparing for the international competitions in Moscow. Good chances, for sure. I think there will be a final, and then we'll see. There are many rivals in this weight class. Many have moved to this weight class, and everyone has stayed. So the competition there will be very strong."</blockquote>Another silver medalist, Irakliy Dzhomidava, also shared how the training process is going and what are his future plans.:<blockquote>"In winter there was the Russian championship, I took second place and got into the Russian team. We fight every time at the training camp. In Sochi now we fight every day. We already know each other's wrestling and somehow we beat each other. There, maybe I will beat him somewhere, maybe he will beat him somewhere. International competitions will be held in Moscow. Winning these competitions, taking a medal, bringing it home — these are just the plans for this next month. And in Sochi we are preparing for these competitions, training hard."</blockquote>

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MA Academy

Alexander-Shine Kvachantiradze, the winner of the Russian sambo junior championship, and Artyom Kharisov and Irakli Jomidava, silver medalists, told about this.

Participants of the training camp of the sambo national team share their impressions of the training and goals for the upcoming starts

Athletes from India came to Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy.Avani and Aryaa Nitesh Kadam will be preparing for the Asian Youth Games, and Kimaya Karle will be preparing for the World Cup.The gymnasts were accompanied by coach and judge Pooja Surve.

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The gymnasts were accompanied by coach and judge Pooja Surve.

Athletes from India came to the Academy

The Russian judo team successfully performed at the third stage of the Russian Judo Tour.The international competition In Memory of V. Gulidov among men and women was held in Krasnoyarsk. Following the tournament, Russian athletes won 13 gold, nine silver and 20 bronze medals.The full results are available on the Russian Judo Federation <a href="https://www.judo.ru/news/21105">website</a>.&nbsp;

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Following the tournament, Russian athletes also won nine silver and 20 bronze medals.