"I'm so proud of our team!" Coach Anna Ustsova talks about the victory of the Academy group gymnasts in the all-around at the Russian Championships

Academy coach Anna Ustsova shared her emotions after the victory of the group matches in the all-around at the Russian Championships:

"I'm proud of our kids who made this short journey, but it was very difficult, physically difficult, emotionally difficult, because the team is young. This is a simply phenomenal result; we didn't expect it. We came to show off our new routines, show off our new lineup, show off everything we've learned over such a short period of time. And it turned out that we became Russian champions. I'm very proud of our team. Two of the girls on the team came from the individual program, and I was a little worried about whether they'd be able to integrate quickly and emotionally handle this atmosphere, as this is a very important start. But they probably saw how our entire Academy worked with them. There were days when we worked very hard, and they're great at making it through this short journey, just a month. But I think they're very happy and satisfied with everything that worked out for them."

The specialist thanked the Academy team and Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva for their support and participation in the preparation:

"The support is very important, thank you to our fans. The kids are all happy. They also thank all the girls who cheer for them. Special thanks to our large Academy team, our extensive coaching staff. Alina Maratovna's faith, her support, and the many hours she worked with us are priceless. And a huge thank you to her for that."

At the Moscow tournament, the gymnasts took first place in the all-around and won silver in the three-hoops-two-pairs-clubs routine. The team choreographer is Elena Egorova.