- How do you like the platform here, which is atypical for rhythmic gymnastics?
- Thanks to Irina Aleksandrovna Viner, we began to prepare for the platform in advance. We had it in Novogorsk for two months, and now at the final training camp there was also a platform, so we got quite used to it. Thank you very much for this, because without it it would be difficult to perform.
- Before the last exercise, did you manage to throw out negative emotions?
“I managed to cry a little after the clubs, say that I won’t go anywhere else, and show my character. But after talking with the coach, I pulled myself together, went out and was able to perform calmly. The coach told me to calm down, explained that we were no longer fighting for the gold medal, but we had to hold on and let go of all emotions. I performed calmly and relaxed.
- Compared to the qualifications, did you make the program more complicated?
- No. We cannot change the program during the competition.
- Did you have the attitude that it doesn’t matter who wins, who comes second, the main thing is that Russia has gold?
- I say from the bottom of my heart that I am incredibly happy about this medal, this silver is golden for me. After all, I might not have gotten here at all. I am incredibly happy for Margarita Mamun. It’s a shame that it didn’t work out the way I expected, but I’m still glad.
- Are you already thinking about the next Olympics?
- I’m not going to make any plans yet, I’ll rest. God willing, I’ll make it to the next Games and perform at them. I'm 19 years old, so I have time to think.
- Why did you have problems with the hoop in qualifying?
- It’s hard for me to do it usually. Firstly, it’s always difficult to start with a hoop, but in the finals I handled it well.
- They say you have a mascot dog who stayed at home. Maybe you didn't have enough of his support?
- He never went to competitions with us, so he is always waiting for us at home. At first he lived in Novogorsk, where we train, and now he lives with my mother.
- Irina Viner’s absence from the Olympics does not create problems for you?
- No, because Irina Aleksandrovna was always in touch, after each type of program. We trained, we were recorded on video, then she analyzed all the mistakes and made adjustments. You could say she was in complete control of the entire process.
We trained and performed side by side. Between them they have won almost three dozen world championship awards and Olympic Games ah, we were preparing to win gold and silver medals. The goal was achieved, but the result of the competition was still somewhat unexpected for fans of artistic gymnasts.
For four years, Kudryavtseva performed better in the individual all-around. Margarita has never won a serious international competitions in this discipline, and Yana had four victories in a row. But after the qualifications in Rio de Janeiro, it became clear: Mamun was not going to give up without a fight - at the Olympics she was going to compete with her friend for the gold medal of the competition.
According to the results of the first day of the competition, Margarita became the first, and everyone froze in anticipation of the intense struggle of the Russians.
When the final began, there was no free space in the stands: thousands of fans came to enjoy the beauty and grace of the artistic gymnasts. And Russian spectators came to celebrate the victory. The first two items - a hoop and a ball - showed that Margarita and Yana will have no equal in this final: four scores for 19 points out of four made them unattainable for their competitors. All that remained was the battle of the friends for the gold. Yana, a three-time world all-around champion, relaxed for a moment and dropped the mace. Many finalists can only dream of a score of 17.883, but Kudryavtseva almost cried because she realized that she had missed the chance for gold.
Margarita, who competed as number one, had to not flinch in the ribbon exercise to win. She understood that victory at the Olympic Games was close, she was worried, she worked long and hard to prepare, and in the end she did everything brilliantly. The judges rated Margarita's performance 19.233 points, and the Russian woman became an Olympic champion without waiting for the performances of her rivals. Even theoretically, no one could catch up with Mamun. She won the all-around for the first time, and did it at the Olympics!
Yulia Barsukova, Alina Kabaeva, Evgenia Kanaeva, and now - here are a number of our glorious Olympic champions who do not give up to anyone Olympic victory for 16 years in a row... And five minutes later I gathered my strength, performed brilliantly with the ribbon, securing silver, and then gave vent to my emotions. Both of our girls were worthy of gold, but today one of them had to lose.
Bengal Tigress on the hunt
Not all fans who were worried about Margarita today know where she got her colorful appearance, with an oriental slant. And the casket opens simply. The gymnast's father is from Bangladesh. Having come to study in Russia, he met his love here, and the future champion was born. As a child, Margarita visited her relatives in the Asian republic more than once, learned the Bengali language, and once even competed for the Bangladesh national team at a tournament, going down in history as the only artistic gymnast in the country.
Olympic Games. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rhythmic gymnastics. Personal all-around
1. (Russia) – 76,483.
2. (Russia) – 75,608.
3. Anna Rizatdinova (Ukraine) – 73,583.
In 2010, Margarita was offered to compete at the Youth Olympics in Singapore, but she chose a more difficult path and remained in the Russian team. And, as it turned out today, she was one hundred percent right.
Spectators often note Margarita’s special expression during performances. This largely explains the nickname the Bengal Tigress gave to her ward Irina Viner. However, few people know that off the mat the gymnast is very calm and modest. Moreover, the bright emotions that became the athlete’s calling card were difficult to cultivate in Margarita by the coaches. Work Amine Zaripova and Irina Viner had a hard time, because the girl started doing rhythmic gymnastics at the age of seven, while usually people start this sport at three or four years old. However, talent is just that: talent is to break through obstacles.
Margarita publicly announced herself in the current Olympic cycle, when Evgenia Kanaeva announced her retirement. But Mamun, frankly speaking, has never been “number one”. Yes, she won the world championships in individual apparatus exercises four times, and in 2014 and 2015 she took gold medals as a team, but her friend was stronger and more consistent in the all-around. When Margarita was asked a year before the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro whether she would agree to a guaranteed silver award if Yana took gold, she answered modestly and evasively: “Just getting to the Olympics is worth something. Any medal from there is a success.” But the athlete was probably wishing for gold.
When the first number becomes the second
Outside of competitions, Margarita and Yana are not rivals. On the contrary, they are great friends, communicate closely, live in the same room at competitions, and even got one dog at the base in Novogorsk. “We’ve been together for four years, shoulder to shoulder. If we also competed in life, it would be very difficult,” says Yana. However, there was no equal fight on the mat between the friends. Since 2013, Kudryavtseva, albeit behind the scenes, has occupied the place of number one in the eyes of fans and experts national team and was considered as a contender for victory in any start.
This attitude is easy to explain: since 2013, Kudryavtseva has been churning out victory after victory. First she became a three-time European champion, then won five medals at the World Championships in Kyiv, three of which were gold, two were silver. However, recently even silver awards became a rarity - almost all starts in which Kudryavtseva took part ended in her victories. And Yana approached the Olympic Games in London as the main favorite, having behind her 13 victories at the World Championships, nine at the adult European Championships, as well as four gold medals at the European Games in Baku. The lion's share of these victories were won in the all-around.
And few people know that one of the most titled gymnasts on the planet in sports school At first I was among the laggards. “I came to the gym at the age of five. At first I didn’t succeed much; for a long time I was among the completely lagging behind. And then - once - she won the Russian Children's Championship. It was 2009, I was 11 years old,” Yana said about sports biography. At the age of 15, Kudryavtseva became the youngest absolute world champion in rhythmic gymnastics in history. Then, of course, she already dreamed of an Olympic medal, but she preferred not to talk about it publicly, limiting herself to the fact that she needed to qualify for the Games and get there without injuries.
Yana has always been distinguished by her nerves of steel and the absence of mistakes. However, today she still trembled. And the mistake deprived her of chances for first place. This doesn't happen in sports. I would really like to present Kudryavtseva with a second gold award, but, alas, this is impossible. Someone must be first, and someone must be second.
Margarita Mamun and Yana Kudryavtseva brought Russia Olympic gold and silver in the individual all-around, continuing the long-standing victorious traditions of domestic rhythmic gymnastics.
Yulia Barsukova, Alina Kabaeva, Irina Chashchina, Evgenia Kanaeva and Daria Dmitrieva - the names of these outstanding gymnast artists are known throughout the world. It was they, beautiful and graceful, who, under the leadership of Irina Viner, won gold medals for the country for sixteen years and created the history of the Olympic Games.
Today a new page was written by Margarita Mamun and Yana Kudryavtseva - best friends, rivals, queens.
Margarita and Yana came to the Olympics as the main favorites. 18-year-old Yana has the status of the youngest absolute world champion in the history of rhythmic gymnastics, 20-year-old Margarita has the status of a recognized prima and seven-time champion of the planet. And it was between them, as expected, that the main fight unfolded in the individual all-around. Well! Irina Viner knows how to create champions...
Wiener means victory!
The name of Irina Viner has long become a brand in world rhythmic gymnastics. She, like Tatyana Pokrovskaya in synchronized swimming, does not make mistakes. It seems that she has a nose for talented athletes and an almost animal instinct for what will be fashionable in gymnastics tomorrow. How else can one explain the fact that her players have not lost a single Olympics since 2000? And even if one of the primos suddenly gives up, there is always a second one, ready to become the champion instead of the favorite.
Wiener didn’t even think about such coaching success when, at the age of 11, she joined the rhythmic gymnastics section in her native Tashkent and began mastering the hoop, clubs, ball and ribbon. Having first appeared in the gym as an angular teenager, Wiener grew into a brilliant athlete and became the champion of Uzbekistan three times. However, this dark-haired Jewish girl was distinguished not only by her beauty and grace, but also by her extraordinary intelligence and sense of style.
Now Irina Aleksandrovna is an outstanding coach, professor, doctor of pedagogical sciences and a fantastic motivator.
“She knows how to choose words that make you go out and move forward like a locomotive,” the girls admitted more than once.
However, before becoming a legendary coach, Wiener worked as a coach for the Tashkent national team for 20 years. And for the fact that Irina Aleksandrovna moved from Uzbekistan to Russia in 1992 and took up Russian gymnasts, it’s worth saying thanks to her husband, Alisher Usmanov: the couple moved to Moscow immediately after the wedding.
Wiener became the head of the Russian national team in 2001, but she began sculpting champions and medalists of the Games much earlier. Wiener's ward Yana Batyrshina won silver in Atlanta in 1996, and Barsukova won gold in Sydney. Then Kabaeva and Kanaeva won at the Games... Moreover, the latter rose to the highest step of the podium twice. baton Today they brilliantly received new primas - Mamun and Kudryavtseva.
Fathers and sons
Yana Kudryavtseva is her father’s real daughter, Olympic champion 1992 in swimming Alexey Kudryavtsev. Strong, strong-willed, beautiful and psychologically stable. Having been nervous in qualifying, the athlete came out to the final of the individual all-around competition and took the lead after two rounds. And even after making a mistake in the exercises with clubs, she was able to pull herself together and perform superbly with the ribbon.
Few people know, but Yana could become a swimmer! The athlete’s parents first brought the five-year-old girl to the pool, but soon realized that she would not follow in the footsteps of her famous father. Yana was sent to rhythmic gymnastics only so that she would develop well and have beautiful posture. The parents had no ambitions to make their daughter an Olympic medalist. Everything happened by itself.
The path to the Rio Olympics turned out a little differently for Margarita Mamun. The athlete’s mother Anna, a former gymnast herself, purposefully brought her gutta-percha seven-year-old daughter into the gym. She saw in her baby the potential and remarkable character inherited from her Bengali father Abdullah Al Mamun. Precisely with eastern roots personal trainer athlete Amina Zaripova explains the expressiveness, lyricism and plasticity of Mamun.
By the way, for some time Margarita represented the Bangladesh team at competitions, but soon decided to compete for Russia. What we are all incredibly happy about! We not only have one more outstanding gymnast, but also the strongest tandem in the world. It is known that Margarita and Yana are best friends.
I am you
As the girls once admitted, they have everything in common except the places on the pedestal and the man they love.
“We are rivals only on the gymnastics mat,” Yana Kudryavtseva said in an interview. - As soon as the competition is over, Yana and I are together again. We have no secrets from each other.
At the base in Novogorsk, the girls live in one room, they even have one dog between them. The athletes never tire of thanking the director sports base because he allowed them to keep Lebrosha - the girls named the dog after the American basketball player LeBron James.
The athletes also wear the same clothes - the sizes are almost the same, so the girls often change outfits. They are only in love with different men, but the whole country loves the girls themselves.
Which one is bigger? Yes they are both good. Worthy students of the great Wiener!
Yana Kudryavtseva and Margarita Mamun are winners of gold and silver in rhythmic gymnastics, rivals on the mat and friends. The girls told Match TV about whether their friendship deteriorated after the final and how the atmosphere in Rio differed from other competitions.
Open videoToday in the Brazilian studio “All for the Match” there are wonderful gymnasts - Rio Olympic champion Margarita Mamun and silver medalist Yana Kudryavtseva. Now the emotions have subsided a little, yesterday you were both very happy, even Yana said that this was not a defeat for you, do you still think so now?
Yana Kudryavtseva: Well, of course, I don’t go back on my words, this is really like a gold medal for me. It was a very difficult year, and I am happy about the silver medal.
-Rita, what does it mean to be an Olympic champion?
Margarita Mamun: I still don’t believe that this happened to me, I still can’t get over it in my head.
At what point did you realize that you were about to win - you really didn’t know before the last exercise that you had first place?
MM: I didn’t know, I saw it after Yana’s performance with the ribbon, when they showed her score and place. Only later did I find out that Yana had lost her mace.
Do you try to concentrate so much on yourself during a performance that you don't even pay attention to each other?
YK: I always know all the ratings. I try, of course, not to pay attention to it, but... For Rita, for example, it’s better not to be told, she’s doing her job, but on the contrary, I need to calculate how much I need to get, everything is different.
And this moment, what does it feel like? Did you practically cry immediately when you realized that this had happened, or did you still have to wait until the next seven participants performed?
MM: Yes, my coach Amina Vasilovna Zaripova saw it and asked me right away: “Rita, are we the first?” I asked her: “Amina Vasilovna, are we the first?” And tears of happiness, of course.
- Zaripova has such an interesting image at this Olympics - a happy Panamanian woman?
MM: Yes, everyone told her about this Panama hat, but Amina Vasilovna promised not to take it off all these days. She kept her word.
If we talk about your performances, Rita, for example, do you remember what went wrong? Or do you think you completed the distance perfectly?
MM: In fact, everything is so fleeting and passes quickly that you try to concentrate only on the subject.
Is it difficult to comment on your performance?
MM: When you look from the outside, the sensations are completely different.
- How audible was the hall? There were a lot of Russian fans...
MM: There was silence during the performance: the fans think that there is no need to shout too much, they are afraid of distracting.
- Many people criticize the hall because, in particular, it is very difficult to perform with a ribbon. Is this really true?
YAK: No, it was convenient. If there is air conditioning, somewhere hot, the tape immediately becomes wet. The arena was ideal for performing with objects: adequate temperature and did not blow the tape away.
If we go back to that very unpleasant moment - the last seconds of the performance with clubs, what happened? Why couldn't you catch it?
JAK: Probably she threw the mace poorly. If I had realized a little earlier that she was flying poorly, I would have taken action. Maybe I threw out one spin, and the score would have been much higher if I had figured it out. But then I couldn’t do it.
-At that moment your heart sank?
YAK: Yes, I already wanted to stay there. I don't think I'm going anywhere from here.
- I prepared very well for the last subject.
YAK: It was very difficult. But again we talked with the coach, with Irina Alexandrovna and Elena Lvovna and got ready.
- Irina Aleksandrovna Wiener was not in Rio, how much did this help or hinder?
MM: She was constantly in touch with us, by phone. I saw all our warm-ups, all our runs. She had a parallel screen with performances. Yana and I trained at different venues. Yana had one broadcast, I had another, and Irina Aleksandrovna was sitting on four screens in parallel, simply hosting a press conference.
- After it happened silver medal What did she say, praised, scolded?
YAK: I didn’t call her right away. Irina Alexandrovna was very pleased.
Before the Olympics, you said that you would most likely end your career. Now have you decided to stay until Tokyo, or is this not a final decision yet?
YK: This definitely wasn’t the case, because my opinion on this matter changes very quickly. But now I want to rest, preferably longer, but we’ll see. If my health allows, then, of course, I will continue.
- What are your plans? Olympic champion Margarita Mamun?
MM: For now, too, rest. I won't guess. In Tokyo, the Olympics will definitely be, I think, at the highest level. This is one of our favorite cities. There is a very warm atmosphere there. Of course, everything difficult and bad is quickly forgotten. Only good memories remain.
Accordingly, Margarita Mamun wants to repeat Kanaeva’s achievements, Yana Kudryavtseva wants to finally win gold, and, apparently, we will again have very strong competition in Tokyo. There is also Sasha Soldatova, who also probably really wants to get to the Olympic Games.
MM: Now we also have junior girls.
Today you were in the hall when our girls performed on the team. How worried were you? Because after the first exercise we were third.
MM: We worry very much about the girls.
JK: When we watch, they always perform poorly. So they asked us not to look. We sat in the stands with our eyes closed.
MM: We performed at the World Cup before them and saw the final. And for some reason we have the impression that everything is happening because of us. That's why they were sick mentally in Rio.
Almost no one escaped loss at this Olympics - is it all the excitement? Is the atmosphere really that much different from the same world championships where you were first before?
YAK: I can’t say that it was because of excitement. Personally, my mistake is a flaw. No, the atmosphere is no different from either the World Championships or the European Championships, even when they had larger halls. I went out to Rio calmly and confidently.
Everyone wonders how you can be rivals and friends at the same time? Are you really friends? Now, after yesterday, nothing has changed in your relationship?
YAK: No now, we’re not friends! (Laughs) No, of course, we are friends and communicate. We almost always live together, so...
MM: We say the same thing every time. As Yana said, it was her mistake. We go out on the mat and compete with ourselves, with our shortcomings and excitement. If you made a mistake, then it is entirely your fault.
The last days of the Olympic Games are traditionally rich in gold medals for our team. The fact is that beautiful girls – synchronized swimmers and gymnasts – are joining the fight. Today the girls in the pool completed the competitive program, winning the fifth Olympics in a row, and now it’s time for the artistic gymnasts to start. They, like synchronized swimmers, have not given gold awards to anyone since 2000. Naturally, they were not going to miss out on first place at the Olympics in Brazil.
On the first day, qualifying competitions were held in rhythmic gymnastics before the individual all-around. Russia was represented by and. Yana is a three-time world champion in individual all-around, winner of a huge number of gold medals in individual apparatus performances, and four-time winner of the European Games in Baku.
Olympic Games. Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Rhythmic gymnastics. Individual all-around. Qualification
1. (Russia) – 74,383.
2. (Russia) – 73,998.
3. Anna Rizatdinova (Ukraine) – 73.935.
Margarita is not yet such a brilliant and titled athlete. She was second twice at the world all-around championships and, as a rule, was inferior to her teammate. But together our girls are a formidable force, capable of crushing any rivals.
And the Russians had more than serious competitors. Here is the most experienced Ukrainian Anna Rizatdinova, dreaming of adding to a solid collection of awards Olympic medal. AND Melitina Stanyuta, who stood on the podium at the World Championships a dozen times. And Korean Son Young Jae, And Neta Rivkin from Israel - they all prepared brilliantly for the Olympics in Brazil and hoped that the Russian girls would give them a chance to compete for awards.
Mamun pleasantly surprises
For Russian girls The Olympics in Brazil began with hoops. Margarita with her favorite subject was inimitable. Not a single blot, not a single misfire and high level difficulties provided the athlete with the highest score among all participants in the competition - 18.833. Kudryavtseva, although a little behind, was also great - 18.166. Only the experienced Stanyuta and Rizatdinova, who scored 18,400 points, managed to wedge themselves between the Russians. But, be that as it may, an important start was made. The excitement, if it arose, should have passed: our girls did everything well.
In the second change of subjects, Margarita continued to surprise those who believed the unconditional first number Russian team Yana Kudryavtsev. Margarita showed true Olympic calm in exercises with the ball, did not make a single mistake and received the highest score from the referees - 19,000. This time, Kudryavtseva did not allow anyone to move her from second place - 18.616. However, Ukrainian Rizatdinova stayed very close - 18.566. It is curious that the Korean gymnast Song also occupied a high place after two changes of apparatus. Exercises with the ball were a success for her: she received 18 points and was in the top five along with four contenders for the award from Russia, Ukraine and Belarus.
The name of the champion is impossible to predict
The athletes returned to the arena after an hour and a half break. They all still had to show their mastery of the ribbon and clubs. All the leaders, including the Russians, first took maces in their hands. And here it was Yana Kudryavtseva’s turn to make up for minor shortcomings at the start of qualifying. The world champion's impeccable performance in the all-around gave her 19,000 points and immediately moved her to first place, since her competitors were imperfect. Margarita received only 17.5 points for clubs and ended up in third place. In the second, Rizatdinova still held on with a minimal advantage over Mamun. Stanyuta and Son were in the top five, but the gap was almost a point.
It seemed that Yana would remain first at the end of the qualification, but the exercise with the ribbon nevertheless changed the final balance of power. Yana with the fourth subject earned a score of 18.216 and secured second place. Everything depended on Margarita’s results, and she showed a truly magical performance. The judges were impressed with what Mamun showed and rated her program at 19.050 points - the highest score at the end of the competition day.
Thus, according to the results of qualification, she took first place, breaking away from Yana Kudryavtseva, who finished in second position, by 0.3 points. However, it is not the gap that is important, but the fact of the confrontation itself. There is no prima in the team at this Olympics, and based on the results of today, hardly anyone will dare to name the champion: Mamun and Kudryavtseva were equally magnificent! However, few people doubt the fact that gold in the individual all-around will again go to Russia.
