In Novogorsk, 1996 Olympic silver medalist Yana Batyrshina shared her expectations for the new season:<blockquote>"It's the most exciting time right now. All the programs have been written, and we're currently refining them. Many of the girls who were juniors have become seniors this year. I think the season will be very interesting. Especially since most of our girls have already received neutral status and are finally entering the international arena. So I'm really, really looking forward to seeing how they perform there. The start of the season isn't just a battle of nerves. It's also about who has prepared the best new programs. Considering, of course, how last season went, we're expecting Masha Borisova to be in just as great shape. We're expecting Lala Kramarenko, really looking forward to it, because we've all really missed her; she's got all these new programs. Sofia Ilteriakova, too. Karina Kireeva, who is also returning now."</blockquote>Yana also told who her favorites are and which programs from last season she has the most favorite:<blockquote>"I really like Masha's ribbon. Basically, all of Masha's programs. Eva Kononova, who also finished last season on a huge high. And I'm curious to see how she'll start this season. Arina Kovshova, Varya Toporova. I'm also counting on them and have faith in them. Sofia Ilteriakova, I'm thrilled with her ribbon. And, of course, Ulyana Yanus. A gymnast who went straight from junior to senior last year. I believe she'll excel this season, too."</blockquote>

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Opinion

The 1996 Olympic silver medalist shared her expectations for the new season and who her favorite is.

Yana Batyrshina shares her expectations for the upcoming season and her favorite gymnasts' programs

A new training day was held at the Academy with the Olympic champion.Alina Kabaeva took part in the preparation of gymnasts for the upcoming competitions.<figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/3be/bf6/3bebf6b3533caa9ac883f8ba094a6a29.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/abb/908/abb908735cca98aa9d6cda7005d1e02d.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/c53/455/c53455fa9c814de6c9cb0e27ac8ef08e.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/e71/f76/e71f76d473a19ee250a632654561d4f3.jpg"></figure>

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Academy Life

The Olympic champion took part in the preparation of gymnasts for the upcoming competitions.

A new training day was held at the Academy with Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva

A training session with the Olympic champion took place at the Academy.Alina Kabaeva worked with the gymnasts on their routines ahead of the start of the season.<figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/76b/5a1/76b5a1d5a84af2d431263c827283a1a1.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/153/2db/1532dbb39d965449b5564af593f4d067.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/dac/d41/dacd4152c0919434a4f45951bc7635d9.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/645/63a/64563a460688a6eb4c50d1d32ade6c22.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/bf5/de9/bf5de964256280627eca1b7473cbfca5.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/b9a/a2b/b9aa2bb200dd1306fc98c6774282818a.jpg"></figure>

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The Olympic champion took part in the training of the athletes.

Alina Kabaeva worked with the gymnasts on their routines ahead of the start of the season

The Academy teachers Natalia Lobko and Alina Gafiyatullina and Tatyana Ryupina, senior methodologist at the Talent and Success educational foundation, presented a gift for Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva.Preschoolers in free early development groups learn from fairy tales. The main character is Alina the Doll. The teachers presented the Olympic champion with an exclusive book featuring one of the stories.<figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/558/70f/55870fe7c7d92d32fc82b9e73f96175c.jpg"></figure>

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They presented an exclusive book with a story about the doll Alina.

The Academy teachers gave a gift to Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva

Turpal Khabibulaev won the men's 60 kg category. In the 66 kg category, Saigid Kerimov won gold. Danil Lavrentyev took second in the 73 kg category.&nbsp;In the 90 kg category, Russian judokas swept the podium: Ikhvan Edilsultanov won the title, Adam Tsechoev won silver, and Eldar Allahverdiyev and Egor Malkin won bronze. In the 100 kg category, Adam Sangariyev took first place, and Asan Augaliev took third. In the over 100 kg category, Andrzej Pavlyukov won the title, Artem Zolotukhin took silver, and Dmitry Evseev took bronze.In the women's 48 kg category, Kristina Dudina won gold. Elvida Guryeva won the 57 kg category. Kamila Badurova took first place in the 70 kg category, with Eva Ognivova taking third. Darya Rechkalova took bronze in the 78 kg category. Anastasia Kholodilina took second in the over 78 kg category.Full results are available on the Russian Judo Federation <a href="https://t.me/skygraceacademy/14052" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">official website</a>.&nbsp;The national team prepared for the competition at the Martial Arts Academy in Sirius.

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MA Academy

The national team prepared for the competition at the Martial Arts Academy in Sirius.


The Russian national judo team won 18 medals at the Open African Cup in Morocco

Ksenia Savinova from Gatchina, Mariia Borisova from St. Petersburg, Eva Kononova from the Tyumen region, Yana Zaikina from Volgograd, and Alexandra Borisova from Moscow continue preparing for the new season.Gymnasts practice their routines before the first competition.<figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/b98/c86/b98c8641e75efb64af0d5bd7ff823783.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/4cc/61f/4cc61f9fd6a110fd7f9f9a430d09a016.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/10b/161/10b161f887d8072ce7f764343f0d75ab.jpg"></figure><figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/351/cd0/351cd0ad73b6314909aea261ad2f59d7.jpg"></figure>

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Workouts

The athletes practice their programs before the first competition.

Gymnasts of the Academy continue training in Novogorsk

Rhythmic gymnastics has been officially included in the Olympic Games since 1984. Gymnasts first presented their routines in Los Angeles. And it was there that Canadian Lori Fung became the first-ever Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics.We learned more about her story at the Sky Grace Cup International Tournament and Beijing Top Open 2025.<div data-component="video" data-props="{&quot;materialId&quot;:7788,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Интервью_Лори_Фанг_Английский&quot;,&quot;externalCdnLink&quot;:null,&quot;video&quot;:{&quot;subDir&quot;:&quot;aad/7bf&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;aad7bfc7ad5c0778fdf381.mp4&quot;}}"></div>In this interview:<ul><li>How did Lori Fung become a professional athlete?</li><li>Memories of her first major international competition</li><li>"I wanted to spend all my time in the gym, every day"</li><li>What emotions did the Olympic Games give Lori Fung?</li><li>Friendships among gymnasts</li><li>"I had to put my hopes and dreams of a university on hold and wait until my time in gymnastics was over"</li><li>On her decision to become a coach</li><li>"If you have a dream, don't let anyone tell you you can't do it"</li><li>What does the Sky Grace Cup mean to Lori Fung?</li><li>The secret of an Olympic champion</li></ul>

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Way to success

We learned more about her story at the Sky Grace Cup International Tournament and Beijing Top Open 2025.

Exclusive interview with Lori Fung, the first-ever Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics

Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy is recruiting for its group exercises teams!We invite gymnasts born in 2012 to join the junior team, and gymnasts born in 2010 and older to join the senior team.We accept video applications via email at gymnast@skygrace.ru.

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We invite gymnasts born in 2012 to join the junior team, and gymnasts born in 2010 and older to join the senior team.



Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy is recruiting for its group exercises teams

Having won gold medals in the individual all-around at the Olympic Games in Beijing and London, Evgenia Kanaeva became a legend of Russian sports and an example for generations of young gymnasts around the world.&nbsp;We asked the only two-time Olympic champion in the individual program of all time to talk about the most important stages of her sports career and the people who helped her to achieve success at the Sky Grace Cup International Tournament and Beijing Top Open 2025.&nbsp;<div data-component="video" data-props="{&quot;materialId&quot;:7790,&quot;title&quot;:&quot;Интервью с Евгенией Канаевой_Английский&quot;,&quot;externalCdnLink&quot;:null,&quot;video&quot;:{&quot;subDir&quot;:&quot;3b8/327&quot;,&quot;name&quot;:&quot;3b832733a6566d4e192c00.mp4&quot;}}"></div>In the interview:<ul><li>What does Evgenia Kanaeva love about rhythmic gymnastics?</li><li>How did her journey in sports begin?</li><li>The 2008 Olympics in Beijing&nbsp;</li><li>"I didn't expect so many people to celebrate with me"</li><li>&nbsp;How was the second Olympics different from the first?&nbsp;</li><li>"I could not be a self-made person"</li><li>What is the secret of the Olympic champion?</li></ul>

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Having won gold medals in the individual all-around at the Olympic Games in Beijing and London, Evgenia Kanaeva became a legend of Russian sports and an example for generations of young gymnasts around the world. 


Exclusive interview with Evgenia Kanaeva, the two-time Olympic champion

Founder of rhythmic gymnastics in the Chelyabinsk region. Teacher, coach.&nbsp; USSR’s Excellent Education Worker.Antonina Alferova (Nezhivykh) was born on August 22, 1933 in Slavgorod in the Altai Region.Her mother passed away when she was seven, and a year later, the Great Patriotic War began. Her father went to the front lines, and little Tonya was left an orphan. She ended up in an orphanage.&nbsp;From a young age, Antonina dreamed of dancing and ballet. And even when when she was 12, the doctors suspected she had a heart defect and wouldn't allow her physical education and other active pursuits, Antonina secretly continued dancing.<figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/a7d/f84/a7df84f1ce0111deb481e8a87ab1a290.jpg"></figure>She was a favorite at the orphanage, participating in social and athletic activities and helping the teachers with the younger children.After graduating, Antonina enrolled in the Alma-Ata College of Physical Education. Graduating with honors, she went on to study at the A. Herzen Leningrad State Pedagogical Institute named at the Physical Education Department. She chose to specialize in rhythmic gymnastics, as she had dreamed of dancing since she was a child and called the great ballerina Galina Ulanova her idol.<figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/e51/038/e510387a8494d9ff84953a487ee29960.jpg"></figure>In 1956,&nbsp; after graduation, Antonina was assigned to Vladivostok. A year later, her classmate, Vladimir Alferov, also moved there. A relationship blossomed between the young people, and in 1960, their first son, Sergei, was born, followed five years later by a second son, Alexander. He looks back:<blockquote>"I remember my mother for her warmth, hospitality, her willingness to always help, and her appreciation of friendship. She always took a responsible approach to her favorite work and devoted herself to it wholeheartedly. And my mother was also a great dancer!"</blockquote>In 1961, the Alferov family moved to Chelyabinsk, Vladimir’s birthplace.<figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/ffe/bd8/ffebd8f9174b8d554c6a6e7998a49883.jpg"></figure>In 1963, Antonina organized a rhythmic gymnastics club at the N. Krupskaya Palace of Pioneers and Schoolchildren and worked there for a long time on a voluntary basis. Alferova also taught at the Chelyabinsk State Education Institute in the Physical Education Department and served as an All-Union judge.<figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/dd5/d92/dd5d921e73da2b638966dfc7dd998bab.jpg"></figure>Antonina trained an entire division of rhythmic gymnastics coaches and teachers, including Tatyana Bessarabova (Dubynina), Elena Bogatova (Kanel), Tatyana Skoblikova (Volkova), and Lyubov Nikolaeva (Shumkova).<figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/437/5be/4375bef9be632bd82db1ccbfe4382a4e.jpg"></figure>Elena Bogatova, Head coach of the Chelyabinsk Region national team, remembers her mentor:<blockquote>"Antonina was a person with the right moral values. She loved life and people. She understood children well and could easily explain how to distinguish good from bad. We looked to her as a role model for how to act in various situations. Antonina always remained calm, composed, and dignified, while also having a radiant smile and a wonderful sense of humor."</blockquote>In 1981, Alferova was awarded the "USSR Excellent Worker of Education" merit badge.<figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/4df/aa6/4dfaa63d0065c62b315bde77dab68e5d.jpg"></figure>Antonina Alferova passed away on July 16, 1987.&nbsp;The Open Regional Rhythmic Gymnastics Tournament took place in Chelyabinsk for the 38th time in 2025, and was held in her honor. The tournament's inspiration and organizer was Elena Bogatova.<figure class="image"><img src="https://skygrace.ru/static/files/images/editor/97a/606/97a606a6037f958e8cb79d00b23d0c7a.jpg"></figure>We would like to thank Elena Bogatova and Antonina Alferova’s family for their assistance in creating this material.

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Rhythmic Gymnastics Veterans

Founder of rhythmic gymnastics in the Chelyabinsk region. Teacher, coach. USSR’s Excellent Education Worker.

Rhythmic Gymnastics Veterans. Antonina Alferova, founder of the Chelyabinsk school

A modern approach to the physical training of female athletes is being introduced at the Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy.Ivan Goncharenko, the Academy's specialist in evidence-based conditioning, spoke about the new work format:<blockquote>"I train our athletes, improve the stability of the elements and bring them to the peak of their physical fitness."</blockquote>Ivan also stressed that such trainings are a necessary aspect for professional growth:<blockquote>"Physical fitness is the foundation, without which it is impossible to build serious technique."</blockquote>The specialist noted what the main work is aimed at:<blockquote>"The athlete's strength, flexibility, and endurance determine stability on the mat and most importantly – reducing the risk of injuries."</blockquote>Thanks to this approach, gymnasts get the opportunity to feel their bodies better and manage them in the most difficult moments of the program:<blockquote>"There is a direct connection: the stronger and more stable the body is, the more precise the movements are. With an appropriate strength base, the gymnast controls every stage of the element. From the ending in the stand to the landing."</blockquote>Evidence-based conditioning is a complex training program aimed at developing key physical qualities such as strength, endurance, speed, flexibility, coordination, and balance. It takes into account each athlete’s individual traits.

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The new Academy coach spoke about the importance of working on specific muscle groups and the need for such training.