The anniversary XXX Olympics in London has passed. Passions subsided, the fans were charged with positivity, and the athletes, fueled by their support, returned to their training and competition schedules. the site met with Evgenia Kanaeva as soon as she returned from London. The record holder in rhythmic gymnastics, two-time Olympic champion, Honored Master of Sports of Russia, winner of the Order of Merit for the Fatherland and the Order of Friendship turned out to be a charming and sociable girl.
Zhenya tells the readers of Passion.ru about how to achieve success in her chosen field, about daily beauty rituals, diet and sports career.
How is your day going at the training camp?
I wake up at 7-30, breakfast at 8-00, choreography starts at 9 - an hour and a half, then training follows, somewhere until 14-00. Then 2 hours of rest and a second workout, which lasts about 4 hours. And then we have about 2-3 hours left before bed. If we finish training earlier, there is time left for hardware recovery and treatment. All my free time is spent on my health. Sometimes we go to the bathhouse, swimming pool, and recover.
Do you have free time that you spend as you please?
There is one training session per day. For example, after treatment. And then I have the opportunity to meet with friends.
How did you spend your vacation after the Olympics?
I managed to relax for 5 days in Sardinia. The head coach gave us a wonderful holiday. You could say we were in a fairy tale.
And now I give a lot of interviews , I attend receptions.
How tall are you and what weight do you maintain?
My height is 171 cm, I do not maintain a stable weight, but I have not weighed myself since the Olympics. I only look in the mirror. Of course, I gained weight, because I didn’t train. But I get into shape very quickly, as soon as I don’t eat in the evenings for a week, the weight immediately drops. If a person says “I’m on a diet and I’m not losing weight,” this is an excuse: if you don’t eat, you’ll lose weight.
Secret from Zhenya Kanaeva: how to lose weight in a week?
Do not eat! (smiles). For example, when I was preparing for the Olympics, during exercise I ate everything except bread, sweet , fat. A week before the Olympics, I even limited myself in drinking. All the time I was preparing for it, my weight was going down.
In the morning I ate porridge, strawberries, and could also eat some fruit. For lunch, after training, I tried to eat meat or chicken and vegetables. And for dinner I tried not to eat, at most I could drink something. On the weekend I tried not to eat at all. I only drank half a glass in the morning green tea and didn't eat anything else. We only had three days off during the entire preparation period, and I lost weight on these days.
What style of clothing do you prefer: casual and for going out?
I really love dresses and heels. But since this is not always convenient, I wear jeans, shorts, T-shirts, tops and boots. I rarely wear sneakers now.
Of course, a girl should always remain a girl and look perfect. There are very beautiful clothes, but first of all I make sure that they fit me well, that they suit me in style and color.
What is included in your daily self-care routine?
Every morning and evening I wash my face with cleansing gel, then wipe my face with toner. For the body, I prefer shower gel and oil after it. For hair care I use Pantene Pro-V. I really like their hair mask.
Evgenia Kanaeva: “Everything in life comes from positivity”
Who do you consider your closest competitors in sports?
To be honest, I never think about opponents. When I perform, I think about what I'm doing and what's happening at the moment. I sometimes see how the girls I perform with work. I go out on the mat and try to do my exercise as a performance, without thinking that I will drop or lose the object. As soon as such thoughts appear, I immediately make mistakes.
Everyone who performed in the top ten was very strong, and even the top twenty were very close to the favorites - everyone was close to tenth. There is a lot of competition in rhythmic gymnastics.
But we have a great head coach, she creates a great atmosphere. Irina Aleksandrovna gathers gymnasts all over the country and invites them to work with their coaches. My coach is Vera Efremovna Shtelbaums, she previously coached Ira Chashchina, Daria Dmitrieva (silver medalist of the 2012 Olympics) has her own coach - Olga Vladimirovna Buyanova.
Evgenia Kanaeva: “Everything in life comes from positivity”
We have an excellent director Irina Borisovna Zenovka. Irina Aleksandrovna takes the advantages from each coach and shares her experience with them.
Which coach played the most significant role in your life?
First of all, this is my coach - Vera Efremovna, who was and is with me day after day, as well as the head coach, who gave me a chance to perform at the European Championships when Alina Kabaeva was injured, and then allowed me to perform for the first time at the Olympics games. I cannot single out anyone, because this is common work and common forces.
About sports... and more!
They say stress doesn't affect you. This is true? What instructions do you give yourself at critical moments?
When I’m on the court, many people say to me: “Zhen, you’re not afraid at all, not a single muscle twitches on your face.” In fact, all mistakes come from the head. You should “turn it off” and go towards your goal, your dream.
Evgenia Kanaeva: “Everything in life comes from positivity”
First of all, you need to convince yourself that everything will work out well, and if a person has done everything to reach his goal, he will achieve it. Therefore, there is no point in being nervous and worrying.
Do you keep in touch with fans around the world and how?
I have a lot of fans, and it’s very nice. I received a huge number of SMS and emails, as well as parcels.
Fans provide great support for the athlete, you want to perform even more and better, and your mood only rises. I'm performing for the audience.
Evgenia Kanaeva: “Everything in life comes from positivity”
Where can I write to Zhenya Kanaeva?
Letters are sent to me by email, and also sent through the Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation or to Novogorsk.
In one of your interviews, you said that if you left sports, you would start painting and playing the piano.
I would like. I really loved drawing as a child. My grandmother had a friend in Omsk, an artist. I was 6 years old then, I was on fire, I dreamed of becoming an artist, and in class we drew what we saw.
When I came to rhythmic gymnastics, the coaches, through my parents, offered me a choice: either draw or play sports. After all big sport you need to devote a lot of time.
How was the music selected for the London Olympics?
The beginning of the year is the most difficult period for sports. The athlete gets into shape, trains new exercises, new elements, which are difficult to practice.
Nowadays it is very difficult to find music that has not already been used. Irina Borisovna, the director, helped with this, the ideas of Vera Efremovna and the head coach, my comments were also taken into account.
Multiple world and European champion in certain all-around events.
Member of the executive committee of the Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation.
Evgenia Kanaeva was born on April 2, 1990 in the city of Omsk. The girl’s mother was a Master of Sports in rhythmic gymnastics. However, at the age of six, her granddaughter was brought into the sport by her grandmother, who loved rhythmic gymnastics and figure skating. Despite her young age, Zhenya showed potential. Her first coach, Elena Arais, was amazed by her desire to learn new complex elements.
At the sports school, everyone noticed that Zhenya Kanaeva often stayed to train when everyone had already left. The grandmother waited for her granddaughter in the hallway for hours. Soon, twelve-year-old Kanaeva was invited to Moscow for a training camp for young Omsk gymnasts. Her performance was seen by Amina Zaripova, who was responsible for the preparation of juniors.
Later, the girl was invited to train at the Olympic reserve school. Zhenya began to improve her results. In 2003, Kanaeva competed for Gazprom in Japan at the club championship in the junior category and won the tournament. During this period, she was noticed by Irina Viner, the head coach of the Russian rhythmic gymnastics team. The girl was invited to the base of the Russian national team members, to the Novogorsk training center. This was the turning point in the athlete’s life.
Evgenia Kanaeva’s sports career was not easy to build. Due to the fact that there are a lot of talented gymnasts in Russia. After Alina Kabaeva and Irina Chashchina won medals at the 2004 Olympics, Olga Kapranova and Vera Sesina began to rise to the top. They became the leaders of rhythmic gymnastics in the country. Kabaeva continued to perform, so there was no place for Kanaeva in the Russian team.
But despite this, the girl continued to work and luck was on her side in 2007. Then, in the summer, the composition of the team for the European Championship was already known: Sesin, Kapranov and Kabaev. But Alina was seriously injured and was unable to go. A replacement was found in Kanaeva, and the gymnast was entrusted with performing the ribbon. Evgenia appeared on the carpet for a few minutes, but did not let her fans and coaches down. The girl won gold in the final, performing with a ribbon. Well, a few months later the gymnast brought gold at the World Championships, in the team competition.
A little later, at the European Championships, Kanaeva left the reserve and was included in the Russian national team. Zhenya beat Kapranova and Bessonova and won the title of European Champion. Even then, the gymnast was considered the main contender for participation in the Olympic Games. And so it happened, at the Beijing Olympics the girl represented the country together with Kapranova. It is worth noting that Zhenya Kanaeva became the youngest among the finalists in the rhythmic gymnastics competition at the Games. Having made the fewest mistakes, she deservedly won Olympic gold at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Four years later, at the London Olympics, Evgenia Kanaeva became a two-time champion.
In 2009, when new rules were introduced, the gymnast's style changed. At the beginning of the season, the girl was tormented by fatigue and injuries. But despite this, the athlete continued her streak of victories in the overall championship. In several finals with individual programs she lost to Anna Bessonova or Vera Sesina. At the European Championships, which took place in Baku, Zhenya took gold in all types of the program. Then she won nine gold medals at the 2009 Universiade and the World Games.
For her excellent result at the Universiade, the girl was awarded the title “Heroine of the Games.” In the fall of the same year, Kanaeva had the opportunity to win the world champion title. Zhenya qualified with the first results in the programs and won four gold medals. She also received a medal as part of a team together with Daria Dmitrieva, Daria Kondakova and Olga Kapranova. By the start of the competition, she already had five gold medals from one world championship. After the performances, the gymnast won her sixth medal, thereby breaking the record at a single championship.
Evgenia’s success not only brought her the love of fans, but also continued the tradition of the Omsk school to prepare excellent athletes. The athlete lives by the principle “it’s hit or miss,” which sets her apart from other gymnasts.
Evgenia completed her sports career in 2012. In the same year she graduated from the Siberian State University of Physical Culture and Sports. Since October 14, 2015, he has been the coach of the Russian youth rhythmic gymnastics team. He is also a member of the executive committee of the All-Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation.
Awards for Evgenia Kanaeva
Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree (August 13, 2012) - for great contribution to the development of physical culture and sports, high sporting achievements at the Games of the XXX Olympiad 2012 in London (Great Britain)
Order of Friendship (August 2, 2009) - for great contribution to the development of physical culture and sports, high sporting achievements at the Games of the XXIX Olympiad 2008 in Beijing
Records of Evgenia Kanaeva
XXX Summer Olympic Games. London, Great Britain.
The only two-time Olympic champion in individual all-around in history.
Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships, Ise, Japan 2009
At the 29th World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Ise, Japan, Evgenia Kanaeva set a record by winning 6 gold medals out of 6 possible. Thus, she became the first gymnast in the history of rhythmic gymnastics to achieve such a result at one single world championship in rhythmic gymnastics.
Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships, Montpellier, France, 2011
She repeated the record of Maria Petrova and Maria Gigova, who won three championship titles in a row in 1993/1994/1995 and 1969/1971/1973, respectively.
She became the first champion in the history of rhythmic gymnastics to single-handedly occupy the highest step of the podium for three years in a row. Petrova and Gigova shared first place with other gymnasts.
For the second time, she won six out of six possible gold medals, thereby repeating her own record.
For the first time in history, she became a gymnast who won gold in all events (rope, hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon).
She repeated the achievement of Maria Petrova in hoop: both won three gold medals at the World Championships.
She repeated the success of Ekaterina Serebryanskaya and Liliya Ignatova in ball: all won three gold medals at the world championships.
She became the only winner of 17 world championship gold medals in the history of rhythmic gymnastics.
Grand Prix in rhythmic gymnastics, Brno, Czech Republic, 2011
On October 16, 2011, Evgenia Kanaeva scored 30 points in the ribbon exercise at the Rhythmic Gymnastics Grand Prix final in Brno, Czech Republic. She became the first gymnast in the history of rhythmic gymnastics who managed to get the highest score under a 30-point judging system.
Sports Achievements of Evgenia Kanaeva
2012 Rhythmic gymnastics at the 2012 Summer Olympics, London, UK: individual all-around - 1st place. Olympic champion.
2011 Absolute world champion in all-around, world champion in the team and in individual all-around events (Montpellier, France): 6 gold medals out of 6 possible.
2011 Shenzhen (China). Universiade. Gymnastics. All-around. First place.
2011 European Championships in Minsk (Belarus). Evgenia Kanaeva won three golds - in the team event, in exercises with ribbon and hoop.
2010 World Championships in Moscow (Russia). Evgenia Kanaeva won four golds - in the all-around, in the team competition, in exercises with a ball and a hoop.
2010 European Championships in Bremen (Germany). 1st place in all-around.
2009 Grand Prix Series Final in Berlin. 1st place in the all-around, and in all individual types of the program: 5 gold medals out of 5 possible.
2009 Five-time champion of the Universiade in Belgrade.
2009 Four-time champion of the World Games in Taiwan.
2009 Absolute world champion in all-around, world champion in the team and in individual all-around events (Japan): 6 gold medals out of 6 possible.
2009 European champion in certain all-around events (Azerbaijan).
2008 Olympic Games, Beijing (China): individual all-around - 1st place.
2008 European Championship, Turin (Italy): individual all-around - 1st place.
2007 World Championship, Patras (Greece): team championship - 1st place.
2007 European Championship, Baku (Azerbaijan): ribbon - 1st place, team championship - 1st place.
Evgenia was born on April 2, 1990 in Omsk. Her mother was a former athlete herself. For this reason, she did not want to send the girl to sports. But Evgenia’s grandmother insisted on this and independently took the child to the rhythmic gymnastics section at the age of six.
From birth, Kanaeva had unprecedented flexibility, plasticity and stretching. She immediately fell in love with the sport and began training hard. But it was impossible to achieve success in his hometown. Therefore, at the age of 12, Kanaeva goes to Moscow, where she participates in the training camp of the national team. She is noticed by the talented coach Amina Zaripova and invites her to study at the Olympic Reserve School.
Evgenia's first success came in 2003 at the Junior World Championships. She became a champion and attracted the attention of the coaches of the main Russian national team. So a few days later the girl was already training at the team’s base in Novogorsk. But Kanaeva did not manage to immediately break into the main team. At that time, Alina Kabaeva and Irina Chashchina were shining in the Russian national team.
The girl continued to work hard and was rewarded for her hard work. In 2007, Kabaeva was injured and Kanaeva went to the European Championships instead. She won several gold medals. Then the gymnast repeated her success at the World Championships. Even then it was clear that another rhythmic gymnastics star had appeared in Russia.
Kanaeva's first Olympic Games took place in 2008 in Beijing. She was very young then. But this did not stop the girl from becoming an all-around champion. Many gymnasts end their sports careers on a high after successful competitions. But Evgenia continued to train and repeated her success at the 2012 games in London. She again won gold and went down in the history of Russian and world sports as one of the most successful gymnasts.
After such stunning success, Evgenia decided to end her sports career. Moreover, she began to be constantly tormented by injuries. In total, during her performances at the highest level, the girl became world champion 17 times and won gold at the European Championships 13 times.
After finishing her career, Kanaeva did not move far away from rhythmic gymnastics. She switched to coaching and is passing on her wealth of experience to little girls. Of course, for them Evgenia is a real idol.
In parallel with her performances at tournaments, Kanaeva managed to obtain a higher education. She graduated from the Siberian University of Physical Education and Sports.
Personal life of a gymnast
Evgenia met her future husband in the emergency room shortly before the 2012 Olympic Games. This is how she met hockey player Igor Muskatov. Before meeting Zhenya, the guy led a rather hectic lifestyle. But having fallen in love with Kanaeva, he changed a lot. The athletes got married in 2013, and then they had a child, a boy, Vladimir.
News about the divorce of spouses regularly appears in the media, but they do not find any confirmation. The couple still lives a happy marriage and has no plans to separate.
Evgenia Kanaeva’s sports career began at the age of six, when, at the insistence of her grandmother, the girl was shown to rhythmic gymnastics coach Elena Arais. Despite her small age, the girl won the hearts of Omsk coaches with her amazing hard work and unusually high potential. Years later, memories of Zhenya’s irrepressible energy, who continued grueling training beyond the time allotted in the sports section, remained in the memory of the people who participated in the development of the young athlete.
The desire to achieve her goals, strong character and support from loved ones led the eighteen-year-old girl to the top step of the sports Olympus.
The formation of the career of Evgenia Kanaeva
For Evgenia, the first significant result of her work in rhythmic gymnastics was an invitation at the age of twelve to a team training camp in Moscow, which radically changed the life of the Omsk gymnast. The young athlete impressed Amina Zaripova, the coach of the youth team, with her talent, who invited Evgenia to continue her studies at the Olympic reserve school.
In 2003, the athlete brought her first gold medal to Russia, which marked her victory at the junior club championship in Japan. From this moment, at the personal invitation of Irina Winner, the athlete begins training at the training base of the Russian team.
Rising Star
Since 2007, Evgenia Kanaeva’s star has been shining brightly on the horizon of the world’s professional rhythmic gymnast, and Evgenia Kanaeva’s performances at international competitions become an event every time. Despite the toughest competition in this sport, the young gymnast brings gold medals from European and world championships, while the tournament in Europe brings Evgenia two first places at once, in the team and individual competitions.
The victorious performance in 2007 was facilitated by a tragic accident - literally on the eve of the European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships, held in Baku, she left the national team due to a serious injury, and Kanaeva was taken as her replacement.
Participation of Evgenia Kanaeva in the Olympic Games
In 2008, the main event in Evgenia’s sports career was participation in the Olympic Games. There, the gymnast presents her individual program, consisting of four stages (rope, hoops, mace, ribbon), characterized by high complexity of performance and unique musical accompaniment, which provides Kanaeva with well-deserved gold and deafening applause from the audience. The jury unanimously agreed that Evgenia, the youngest competing gymnast at the Olympics, made the fewest mistakes, significantly ahead of her more seasoned and professional rivals.
In 2012, at the Olympic Games in London, Evgenia Kanaeva was greeted by the stands with loud rejoicing, thereby emphasizing her chances of winning. The athlete does not disappoint the expectations of the fans and again occupies the top step of the Olympic podium.
Sports records and achievements of Evgenia Kanaeva
In addition to numerous awards, Kanaeva managed to set a number of unique records during her sports career. So, Evgenia became the first in the world:
Two-time Olympic Champion;
Winner of 17 gold medals at the World Championships;
Winner of 6 gold medals out of 6 possible at one World Championship;
Holder of the highest score in a 30-point judging system;
Winner in all types of artistic all-around.
The athlete also became the third in the history of rhythmic gymnastics to win the World Championships for three years in a row. The girl decided to end her professional career at the end of 2012, announcing this when it was decided to appoint Kanaeva as vice-president of the All-Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation.
Six months later, Evgenia happily married sportsman Igor Musatov, who plays for the Avangard hockey club. And 9 months later, in March 2014, she gave her husband her first child, son Vladimir.
Evgenia Kanaeva-Musatova is an outstanding Russian athlete, the most titled “artist” on the planet. Born on April 2, 1990 in Omsk.
My wife is only 27 years old, and she is a true legend of world sports with a huge number of records.
She won two consecutive Olympics (Beijing 2008 and London 2012) in the individual all-around, which has never been achieved in this sport, and is unlikely to happen in the future. In Beijing, Zhenya was the youngest finalist, and in London she became the oldest Olympic champion in the history of this sport.
She became the absolute world champion three times in a row, and in total she has 17 gold medals at the world championships. During her career, Evgenia won 59 different tournaments without losing a single (!!!) start. She came second several times, but that was in individual apparatus events; she never lost in the all-around.
The official website of the Olympic Games writes about her simply: the greatest athlete in the history of rhythmic gymnastics. Dot.
At one time, no less outstanding gymnasts competed with her: Anna Bessonova (Ukraine), Inna Zhukova (Belarus), Daria Kondakova (Russia), Olga Kapranova (Russia), Daria Dmitrieva (Russia), Aliya Garayeva (Azerbaijan) and many others. But it was she who, for the 8 years that her adult career lasted, was the absolute prima of rhythmic gymnastics.
Zhenya amazed with her refined technique and was unusually musical and expressive. In one and a half minutes she created an entire mini-performance. She was not afraid to take music that was difficult to interpret on the carpet: Stravinsky, Rachmaninov, Chopin, Glinka, Shchedrin. And most importantly, she did the most difficult things with incredible ease.
The former president of the International Gymnastics Federation, Italian Bruno Grandi, once called her exercises “cosmic” and compared them with the creations of Michelangelo.
Incendiary Carmen with clubs, a crystal ballerina with a ribbon to “Moscow Evenings,” a frantic pagan from Stravinsky’s “Dances of the Goldfinch,” a Russian beauty in “Merry Quadrille.” Evgenia could master any image, she could do anything!
The secret of her success was her incredible work ethic, amazing modesty, constant desire to improve and great love and dedication to the sport. Perhaps genes also played a role: her father was a famous Omsk wrestler, Master of Sports of the USSR in classical wrestling, and her mother was a Master of Sports in rhythmic gymnastics.
My wife is also very lucky. She avoided serious injuries, excellent specialists worked with her - personal trainer Vera Efremovna Shtelbaums, and then Irina Viner herself, the outstanding choreographer Irina Zenovka, then you can list half of Novogorsk (the sports base where the Russian rhythmic gymnastics team trains), because almost everyone who works there is in one way or another involved in Zhenya’s great victories.
As a person who has been following rhythmic gymnastics for a long time, I think that simply performing at the Olympics is already a great achievement for a gymnast. The competition in Russia in this event is enormous; out of hundreds of thousands of aspiring gymnasts, only dozens will make it to the national team. Injuries can end your career at any time. It is also important to be noticed by the Russian national team coaches. And Zhenya was very lucky that everything worked out in her favor. But it seems to me that one must be prepared for such gifts of fate. And she was ready, thanks to her phenomenal hard work and dedication to the sport.
“There are no ideal gymnasts. Some are blessed with beauty, some with a gorgeous body, others with excellent technique. It’s rare to have everything at once.”
"...in general, I'm a shy person. I feel uncomfortable when I'm being filmed and even photographed. I'm very self-critical and strange. For example, I always loved to train. Even when it was hard. Maybe I'm a masochist (laughs)."
“Kanaeva is a symbol of overcoming. A girl with average abilities came into sports and made history.” Irina Viner
“I was a rather chubby child and had a club foot. I was actually sent to the gymnastics section at the age of six just so that I would lose weight and my legs would become straight and slender. No one would have thought that everything would turn out like this.”
"I dreamed of going to the Olympics [Beijing 2008], but I didn't expect it to happen. It seemed to me that everyone was much better than me. It was a shock for me."
“What is the most important thing for gymnastics? To be easy. First, this is the advantage of youth, then it is working on yourself and is synonymous with professionalism.”
“We have a cruel sport. You can’t lose a single start: if you don’t exist, there will be someone else.”
“When I started, they said so many things about me, they called me an ugly duckling. But maybe thanks to this criticism I became stronger. I didn’t finish the element, you say? Okay, I’ll make sure there’s nothing to complain about.”
“She is a very modest and reserved girl and never talks about her life, especially since she had no personal life. She had no life outside of rhythmic gymnastics. Only before the Olympics in London did she meet her love, as it has now become known. She met She loved her in the clinic where she was being treated, and he was also being treated there." Irina Viner
“If we continue the theme of appearance, then my ideal is the actress Audrey Hepburn. Plus, when I was a child, I collected stickers with Princess Diana. I was sure that she was an angel!”
“I was invited to appear on television. But I believe that to engage in this activity you need to receive a special education and be a competent person in this environment. Going on television simply because you have the name and title of Olympic champion is wrong.”
“I can sacrifice a lot for the sake of the cause. Many were surprised that I won the Olympics right away, but Vera Efremovna and I trained a lot. At half past six in the morning we were already in the hall, so as not to wait later for the carpet to be free. Then the choreography , light breakfast, rest, second training, lunch, rest, third training..."
“I have a lot of shortcomings. For example, it would be nice to improve the jump, make it higher. The stretching is far from ideal. I definitely wouldn’t be accepted into ballet with such a foot.”
“Very talented girls trained next to me. Much more capable than me. They had better data, better figures, and more expressive faces. Collectively, they were amazing gymnasts.”
“I have my own trick [at competitions, when the fear of making a mistake appears]. I begin to think that my mother will not love me any less.”
"Advice to young gymnasts? We live once and we should enjoy it. Don’t be constrained, don’t be afraid of mistakes. They will happen in any case. Everyone goes through this. There are no victories without losses, so you shouldn’t be afraid to make mistakes. We should probably , be afraid of something else - repeated mistakes."
"In London, I already had a goal - to go through the entire cycle and reach the end. It was very difficult. You know, everything really coincided there. And it coincides once in a million."
“Thank God that sport opens up some opportunities. You know... thanks to sport, I saw the sea for the first time when I went to Sochi for a training camp. Thanks to sport, I got an apartment.”
“Irina Aleksandrovna “strives” to find Tatar roots in every gymnast. I don’t know, it’s quite possible that I have them, but I want to say that I have a lot of blood mixed together.”
“To perform at the Olympics is a great happiness and success.”
“I promised myself never to show my fatigue on the carpet, not to show it to the audience. We are actresses on the carpet, and everything we do should look easy and simple.”
“I clearly remember that the coaches called me “goosebumps”. At one time, some of them said about me: no, Zhenya will remain small, unnoticed. And she won’t grow up. I was very worried about this. But, Thank God I grew up."
“I don’t have the most ideal parameters for doing rhythmic gymnastics and I don’t have the longest legs. I just madly love what I do, and I don’t know what rest is. In my case, if you don’t work out for a month, the ligaments become ossified.”
“I will repeat for the hundredth time that the “Kanaeva phenomenon” is hard work. And talent. Not a single medal has fallen from the sky into her hands.” Elena Arais, first coach.
“The hardest thing in our sport is nerves. Sometimes learning the most difficult element is easier than controlling yourself. And I still have to work and work on this task.”
“I am sure of one thing: if you want to be better than others, work harder than everyone else. I can’t stand still, I need to progress and show something new. This is the only way to stay at the top."
“Chashchina and Kabaeva became a huge example for me. Alina turned the world of gymnastics upside down, opened it up from a different side. She was so emotional, artistic and sincere in her performances that it was impossible to tear herself away. For this, the entire sports world loves and respects her. And Ira "she captivated everyone with her plasticity. And no one owned and does not own the object like she does. In general, creatures from another planet."
As a child, Zhenya made a wish and wrote in her diary that she wanted to become an Olympic champion. She doesn’t remember this; her mother, Svetlana Kanaeva, showed her the recording years later.
She became the first gymnast in the history of rhythmic gymnastics who managed to get the highest score under a 30-point judging system.
On June 8, 2013, she married hockey player Igor Musatov. Marina Gogua, the one who has been dressing her in gymnastic leotards for the last 4-5 years, sewed Zhenya’s wedding dress.
In 2013 she graduated from NSU. them. P.F. Lesgaft in St. Petersburg.
Now Evgenia Kanaeva-Musatova works as a coach and educates young gymnasts.
About the second, historic victory in London:
“I would like to use this opportunity to thank everyone who helped me, who put part of their soul into this victory and not only this, but all previous ones. I am very grateful to my mentor Vera Efremovna Shtelbaums, the head coach of the national team Irina Alexandrovna Viner, her husband Alisher Burkhanovich for the enormous support of rhythmic gymnastics, my director Irina Borisovna Zenovka, the national team's choreographers, doctors, massage therapists and everyone, everyone who contributed part of their soul to this victory. I also want to thank my first coach Elena Arais for everything. , Amin Zaripova and Natalya Kukushkina, who trained me at the Olympic training center in Moscow. Thank you very much to all of them! If not for all these people, I would not have been able to achieve what I have achieved. To my loved ones, my family and my future husband Igor, for his support and for his love.To be loved is a great happiness.
And thank you, the fans, very much. Special thanks to Zoya, as we call her, who flew to London from Taiwan to support me and cheer for our Russian team. I have always felt the support of loved ones and even those I don’t know... But this year it was especially strong. This was our common victory."
