Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva shows Masha Borisova how to catch a hoop with greater ease and have it look more interesting

Before the World Championships, Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva spoke with the Russian team from St. Petersburg about the importance of going into competition with the right mindset.

European Championship medalist Mariia Borisova from St. Petersburg and Russian Champion Arina Kovshova from the Novosibirsk Region, along with their coaches and specialists, headed to the World Championships in Frankfurt!

Listen to these important and touching words!

The World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Germany are just days away. Before the important competition, the Russian National team gymnasts received warm words of support from their athletes, the Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy and the Martial Arts Academy coaching staff.

President of the St. Petersburg Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation, Tatiana Kolesnikova, reminded Mariia Borisova of how, as a very young girl, Masha looked with admiration at the older gymnasts preparing for the World Championships. And now Masha herself has become a role model for the young athletes who cheer for her in the stands.

The spectators cheered Marina Malpica from Mexico, the Russian group team gymnasts, Mariia Borisova from St. Petersburg, and Arina Kovshova from the Novosibirsk Region during a control training session at the Zhemchuzhina Gymnastics Center. The athletes heard the support throughout each performance.

Jojo is preparing for the tournament at the Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy.

Coach Evgeni Ivanov explained the training session plan to the kids and gave them exercises helping to assess their abilities. After the tryout, Amir Mageramov and Veronika Kravtsova shared their impressions of the training session, while Yulia Belousova explained why she decided to enroll her daughter specifically in the Martial Arts Academy.

Following the control training session at the Zhemchuzhina Center of Rhythmic Gymnastics, Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva wished the gymnasts, coaches, and choreographers good luck ahead of the World Championships and reminded them how crucial it is to be a united team.

Following the control training session at the Zhemchuzhina Center of Rhythmic Gymnastics, Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva shared words of encouragement with Arina Kovshova from Novosibirsk region, Mariia Borisova and the group exercise gymnasts of the Russian national group team from St. Petersburg, and also presented them an icon before their departure for the World Championships.

Together with Olga Minigalina, a member of the All-Russian Board of Judges, the gymnast from Mexico refined her clubs routine. The specialist pointed out an important nuance and advised what needed to be changed in performance.

Together with coach and judge Laura Acosta from Mexico, the Russian national team's group exercise gymnasts from St. Petersburg worked on the accents in their five-ball routine.

Academy coaches and judges Ekaterina Lots and Olga Minigalina reviewed Masha's ball routine in detail. Watch our video to see the details in artistry and execution the experts helped to refine!

Every unnecessary movement wastes time and disrupts the rhythm of the routine. Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva showed the Russian national group team from St. Petersburg how to transition immediately into an exchange right after catching the ball. A few repetitions — and the combination becomes noticeably cleaner.

During a control training session at the Zhemchuzhina Central Gymnastics Center, Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva and Russia’s Honored Coach Natalia Lashchinskaya advised Mariia Borisova from St. Petersburg on how to more accurately time her ribbon routine to the music.