Rhythmic gymnasts Averina's sisters - Dina and Arina. What did sport give you, in your opinion?

In my last post, many people wanted to know more about our wonderful artists. So who is the number one of the national team now?

Personalities

Alexandra Soldatova.

Alexandra Sergeevna Soldatova(born June 1, 1998) - Russian gymnast, member of the Russian national team, two-time world champion in team competition(2014, 2015), two-time European champion in the team competition (2015,2017), Russian champion in the individual all-around (2016), bronze medalist in the all-around at the Russian rhythmic gymnasium championship (2014).

Programs 2017.

Hoop:

In my opinion this is the most nice exercise Sasha. I think many people remember the beautiful Yulia Barsukova at the 2000 Olympics, and now, 17 years later, a new wonderful swan appears in the world of gymnastics.

Sasha is often called the most flexible gymnast in the country.

Crown element

Alexandra went to the Olympics in Rio as a reserve

Sasha is trained by Anna Vyacheslavovna Dyachenko (Shumilova)

Excerpts from the interview

Without perseverance, hard work and patience, one does not become a champion. Your coach Anna Dyachenko said that there was a time when you and she drove from Dmitrov by car to Novogorsk every morning and you slept in the back seat. This is true?

Yes. I didn’t start living and training in Novogorsk right away; I had to leave Dmitrov early in the morning to get to Novogorsk on time. Anna Vyacheslavovna put me in the back seat, I had a pillow there, I fell asleep on the way and woke up already at the entrance to the gate of the base. But it's okay, these are minor things. If you want to achieve something, you will have to deny yourself a lot and be patient.

Sasha, why rhythmic gymnastics? This is love at first sight?

No. It turned out really funny. In Sterlitamak, where I’m from, my mother brought me to the section rhythmic gymnastics record... my brother. We simply didn’t know then that gymnastics can be different - sports and artistic. We were told that where they wanted to send my brother, everything was only for girls, then my mother was not at a loss and said: “I have a girl too, take it!” I don’t remember my first training sessions; I was little; the awareness of gymnastics came to me only when I was already in third grade.

You have excellent physical data for gymnastics, I can assume that everything worked out the first time?

Far from it. I agree that I have flexibility, stretch, and good feet, but, for example, I lack dexterity. Dina and Arina Averina, in terms of working with the subject, are stronger than me, they are like that by nature.

Which subject is more difficult for you?

I can’t say that some are more difficult and some are easier. I'm still at the stage of perfecting my skills and comprehending something new.

To get into the Russian national team, you have come a long way. Sterlitamak - Dmitrov - Novogorsk.

They forgot Pushkino! From Sterlitamak my family moved to Pushkino, from there I ended up in Dmitrov, where I waited with bated breath... for me to be sent back to Pushkino. First training, second, week, second, third, and then they told me: “You stay here!” My emotion was lightning fast, but meager: “Yes. Good!” I’ll say right away that I didn’t experience any longing for my mother and family, as many girls do at the age of 12. I calmly accepted the fact that I would live separately from my parents and without their care. She was independent!

First meeting with your coach Anna Dyachenko. Did you expect to fall under her care?

I didn’t expect it, but from the first day we had a wonderful duet. From the first day, I caught her every remark. The girls and I even competed to see who would stand closest to her during training, who would be the first to ask about something, who would write or call her. She is wonderful in every way!

Sasha, how did you get to the training camp with Irina Viner?

It didn’t happen to me that I somehow unexpectedly saw Irina Alexandrovna at a training session or she unexpectedly came to the gym, and there I was. She knows who trains with her. We came to the training camp, I saw how Irina Aleksandrovna worked with other gymnasts, how she communicated. Then, when she became part of the Russian national team, she began to pay more attention to me and, naturally, there was more communication. Irina Aleksandrovna is a strict and very attentive mentor.

Photoshoot:

Arina and Dina Averina

Arina.

Arina Alekseevna Averina August 13, 1998 - Trans-Volga region) - Russian rhythmic gymnast, member of the Russian rhythmic gymnastics team, International Master of Sports. Multiple winner and prize-winner of all-Russian and international tournaments, three-time European champion.

Programs

Dina

Dina Alekseevna Averina(August 13, 1998 - Trans-Volga region) - Russian rhythmic gymnast, member of the Russian gymnastics team, Three-time European Champion 2017, Absolute Champion of Russia 2017, Master of Sports of international class. Multiple winner and prize-winner of all-Russian and international tournaments.

Programs

Joint demonstration

Dina in pink, Arina in blue

The sisters are trained by Vera Nikolaevna Shatalina. She also trained Alina Kabaeva.

Excerpt from interview with Irina Alexandrovna Viner-Usmanova:

Can we say that in some places Dina and Arina even exceeded their capabilities, in others they surprised us with their results?

The fact is that from an early age Dina and Arina were, as we say, “stunt performers,” and now the program is such that all this counts. Previously, we also had very strong girls, and Alina Kabaeva did amazing things, but not everything counted. Therefore, their time has come. But they lacked a little feeling, lacked expressiveness, they did it all like a thread. And now they do it expressively, they try to make all the exercises very “characteristic” and these movements, tricks, these risks, these interesting masterful elements merge with the music. So that they organically emphasize it, and in Budapest they succeeded.

Arina Dina

private photos

With parents and older sister Polina

Dina on the left, Arina on the right

Together with the team doctor - Dmitry Ubogov

Arina on the right, Dina on the left

Dina, Arina, sister Polina, mother Ksenia
Arina on the right, Dina on the left

Arina Dina

The girls dreamed of standing in group exercises, but due to their short stature they were not accepted.

Arina on the left, Dina on the right

Photoshoot

Group exercises

(Anastasia Bliznyuk, Anastasia Tatareva, Anastasia Maksimova, Maria Tolkacheva, Vera Biryukova - Rio 2016)

Programs

3 balls + 2 jump ropes

5 hoops

Now it’s difficult to talk about the main composition, since it is constantly changing. But most often the following gymnasts are included.

Anastasia Bliznyuk

Anastasia Ilyinichna Bliznyuk(born June 28, 1994, Zaporozhe, Ukraine) - Russian gymnast. Two-time Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics in group all-around (2012, 2016); world and European champion.

Nastya returned to sports after a serious illness - leptospirosis.

The whole country was worried when you got sick, you found yourself in a difficult situation. How did you manage to continue your career?
“I didn’t even know I was so seriously ill.” My kidneys failed...Irina Aleksandrovna Wiener treated me in Germany. At first they said that perhaps the kidneys would not start. There is very little chance that I will always live on dialysis.

But thank God I recovered. And she started working in Novogorsk as a second-team coach. Somehow it turned out that I decided to lose weight and get in shape. And this grew into the training process.

I got into the second team. I proved to everyone that I can and want to. I will stand on this team! And made it to the main team.

In general, there is a lot of competition in Russia. Only when it was the last week before the Olympics did I realize that I would compete in Rio. Every start is a very big struggle. If you make any mistake even during training, they will remove you at any moment. It doesn't matter what I was Olympic champion, and that the girls won the World Championships. The road started from scratch

More excerpts from the interview:

Nastya! You are the second two-time Olympic champion in the group in our history. There was also London gold.
- Third – there are also Elena Posevina and Natalya Lavrova... Of course, I am incredibly happy and grateful to Irina Aleksandrovna Viner for this victory. I was able to overcome myself, recover from illness, and return with faith in my strengths and capabilities. Thanks to the whole team who helped a lot. This road was extremely difficult. But when you realize that you did everything, the taste of victory becomes the sweetest.

- And for five Olympics in a row we take two golds in rhythmic gymnastics.
- I think that only Irina Alexandrovna. Everything rests on Wiener.

For me she is like a mother. Because she saved my life when I got sick. I was born again! And they gave me the chance to perform in Rio.

- How to prepare yourself mentally for the new Olympic cycle?
- You know why you are doing this. But it's crazy here hard training. And this medal was more difficult for me than the first one. Apparently I was younger then. And now I thought: “Maybe I can still do this? Maybe that's not all?

I left gymnastics in 2013 after the World Championships. Now she's back. And I think: “But I can do more!”

Photoshoot

Anastasia Tatareva

Anastasia Alekseevna Tatareva(born July 19, 1997) - Russian gymnast. Olympic champion (2016). Honored Master of Sports of Russia. World and European champion.

Excerpts from the interview

– The life of gymnasts is very short. Many people have only one Olympics, and then they have to end their career... Doesn’t this scare you?
– Life is beautiful, and there are so many interesting things in it! I'm not afraid that I'll have to say goodbye to sports. This is fine. I study at the university - at the correspondence department of the Institute of International Relations. So this is probably what I will do later. Life will show.

- Interesting choice. Perhaps you speak a foreign language well?
- English. Not bad, but I need to learn more - that’s what I’ll do. There is a lot of language practice at competitions!

– Do you still have time to study?
- All my energy goes into training. Especially when preparing for competitions. We have to study on Skype... And they send us assignments, we complete them and send them back.

– Teachers don’t give discounts, don’t they simplify the task?
- No. And who am I to make my task easier? (laughs).

– You compete in the team all-around. Don't want to go into private view?
– By the way, I started in the personal. Then they invited me to join the team... No, I don’t want to - I like it better on a team - here, of course, there is greater responsibility. But you feel that we are together. There is something called “team spirit”. We have a very friendly team. If we quarrel, it’s rare. And we quickly make up.

– Do you know that you are compared on forums with Alina Kabaeva?
- I have not heard about that! It seems to me that we are completely different. I’m not like her... I think you need to remain yourself, not strive to be like others.

Photoshoot:

private photos

Vera Biryukova

Vera Leonidovna Biryukova(born April 11, 1998 - Omsk) - Russian gymnast. Member of the Russian rhythmic gymnastics team. Master of Sports of Russia of international class. Champion of the 2016 Summer Olympics. Honored Master of Sports. European champion.

Interview

Vera Biryukova “burst” into the Rio Olympics with the speed of a meteor and almost at the last moment. Even a month and a half before the Games, neither numerous fans of rhythmic gymnastics, nor the Omsk “artist” herself even thought about such a development of events.

“If I had any hopes of getting into the main team, then a couple of months before the Olympics they almost disappeared,” says Vera. “I worked calmly in the second team, trained and didn’t really count on anything. Judge for yourself: there is nothing left before the Games, who will make changes to the existing group? But it turned out that one of the girls was injured, and the coaches decided to try me. And you know, it turned out well. Even Irina Aleksandrovna Viner praised me. She said, almost imperceptibly, that a new person had joined the group. “You’ll go to Kazan, and we’ll see there,” were her words. There were only two starts left before the Olympic Games: the World Cup stages in Kazan and Baku. To be honest, I thought that after Kazan I would be removed from the team. But this did not happen either after Kazan or after Baku! But I was able to believe that I was going to Rio only on the plane flying to Brazil.

- Did you manage to have a good rest after the Games?
- Yes, the whole team sent us to the sea, we vacationed in Sardinia, it was great. Then each went to their hometown. I also enjoyed spending a week at home.
- Did you remember with your mother how it all began?
- From the sea and Turkey! We rested there, and my mother only had time to make sure that I didn’t climb where I shouldn’t. The energy was overflowing! Well, I always loved to dance, I “bent” in all directions. Then my mother suggested that I try gymnastics. I immediately agreed, although I actually had no idea what it was! Maybe I saw it on TV a couple of times. When we returned home, my mother brought me into the hall. And that’s how I started training at the age of five. My mother said that parents were not allowed to attend training so that the children would not be distracted. But she managed to peek out the window. He says I always tried, I didn’t slack. I trained conscientiously, even if the coach left the gym. Although I myself don’t remember that time well.

- And the first medal?
-I remember. On school competitions shared first place with another girl.

- You once mentioned that as a child, your idol in gymnastics was Laysan Utyasheva. But Omsk residents traditionally call Irina Chashchina, Evgenia Kanaeva...
- Irina and Evgenia are great gymnasts. But it’s true: I admired Laysan. I always liked the way she moves, works with the subject, her emotionality. Yes, for me she was the best gymnast. And over time, this has not gone away; she is still my idol. And not only as an athlete, but also as a person.
- Before the Olympics, didn’t you turn to her for advice?
- Unfortunately, before the Olympics I was not yet familiar with her. My childhood dream came true after the Games. Nastya Bliznyuk introduced us. This happened when the girls and I performed at Alexei Nemov’s show in Moscow. Laysan also took part in it, we even changed clothes in the same locker room.

- Laysan, after completing her gymnastics career, found herself as a TV presenter. Have you already thought about the future?
- To be honest, this is a difficult topic for me so far. I have not yet decided on new goals in life, in gymnastics. Now sport takes up 100% of my time and with such a schedule it is very difficult to fit anything else into my life. Therefore, I cannot answer this question yet!

Photoshoot

private photos

Sofia Skomorokh

Sofya Pavlovna Skomorokh(born August 18, 1999 Omsk) - Russian gymnast, world and European champion.

Shortly before the Olympics, Sonya was injured and was unable to go there, although she was in the first team all year.

private photos

Maria Tolkacheva

Maria Yurievna Tolkacheva(born August 18, 1997 - Zhukov) - Russian gymnast, three-time world champion, three-time European champion, two-time European Games champion, Olympic champion (2016) in group exercises. Honored Master of Sports

In my opinion, Masha is the most beautiful gymnast national team. Although, of course, they are all beautiful.

Masha and Nastya Tatareva are best friends

That's all! Thank you all for your attention, and new victories for the girls)

WORLD CHAMPIONSHIP

"SE" tells the story of twin sisters - the new leaders of the Russian rhythmic gymnastics team

ZAVOLZHIE - THE PLACE WHERE TALENTS ARE BORN

Dina and Arina were born in 1998 in Zavolzhye - a small town in Nizhny Novgorod region. Of their 19 years, 15 of them have been doing gymnastics. Due to serious preparation, the sisters switched to individual training, and then graduated from school as an external student. Now they are studying at Lesgaft University in St. Petersburg.

THREE SISTERS

The twins have an older sister, Polina. It was she and her mother who brought the girls to the gym. Polina herself did not become a gymnast, concentrating on her studies. The sisters are friendly with each other, and the eldest supports the younger ones and is proud of their successes.

FAMOUS NOVOGORSK

Every gymnast dreams of one day getting to the main base of the Russian rhythmic gymnastics team and working under the supervision of the great coach Irina Viner-Usmanova. The sisters ended up at a base near Moscow in 2011, where they live and train together.

SHATALINA'S WARDS

The Averins train with Vera Shatalina. Six years ago, the acquaintance with the future mentor happened almost by accident - Shatalina arrived in Novogorsk, where at that moment the gymnastic mats were being re-rolled, and saw two athletes who had arrived for a tryout. Parents said that if the girls are not accepted, they are thinking about the possibility of ending their careers and focusing on their studies. After the first training session, Shatalina admitted that she asked herself the question: can she now work without Dina and Arina? Vera Nikolaevna treats the Averins like daughters; this atmosphere developed in their small team as soon as the young gymnasts began training with a specialist.

Posted by ArishaDina✔️ (@arishadina1998) Feb 21, 2017 at 2:50 PST

MUTUAL SUPPORT

Athletes always sincerely support each other, experience failures and happy moments together. According to the sisters, they have no envy or jealousy; each one knows how to find Right words to cheer up your sister in a difficult moment. Both consider this the key to success.

ONE INSTAGRAM FOR TWO

Girls actively use social networks. They maintain one Instagram page for two. The sisters have no secrets from each other, and since they are always together - both in life and in photos, everything looks quite logical. And the fans, as a rule, support both Dina and Arina.

HELP FROM KANAYAVA

Two-time Olympic champion Evgenia Kanaeva, after finishing her sports career, became a coach, works in Novogorsk and often gives Averin valuable advice. The gymnasts admitted that these tips were very helpful more than once.

SIMILAR, BUT STILL DIFFERENT

The girls admit that they are often confused - but only by new acquaintances. The longer people know athletes personally, the fewer awkward situations that arise. In fact, if you look closely, there are slight differences in the twins' facial features. Arina's are smoother and more subtle, Dina's are more strong-willed.

Previously, the sisters preferred to dress the same, but now they are increasingly choosing different outfits. So the best advice for those who cannot distinguish Dina from Arina at competitions is to look first at the swimsuits. And then to the faces - soon you will understand who is who.

CRITICISM AS A STIMULUS

Different people look for different motivations to move forward; for the Averins, the main motivator is constructive criticism. Understanding mistakes, correcting them and becoming better - this is the path you need to move towards victories.

SWEET INDULGENCE

Desserts have always been considered taboo for fragile gymnasts, but the Averins say that for them there is no such prohibition. It’s just that girls are quite indifferent to sweets. Apparently, the whole point is that the sisters don’t have any special problems with extra grams; they naturally have slim figures, and constant training helps keep yourself in good shape.

Rhythmic gymnast Arina Alekseevna Averina was born in the city of Trans-Volga region, a member of the Russian rhythmic gymnastics team, an international master of sports. She was a champion many times and took prizes at national and international tournaments. She became European champion three times. Her sister Averina Dina Alekseevna is also a member of the Russian rhythmic gymnastics team and has also won European competitions three times. In 2017 it became absolute champion Russia. Repeatedly climbed to the podium at All-Russian and international competitions, including the first step. Dina and Arina have another sister, Polina, who also did rhythmic gymnastics, but switched to other activities. First of all, you should like rhythmic gymnastics, because it brings not only rewards, but also pain and hardships; not everyone likes to give preference to sports for the sake of other, no less interesting and important activities.

Junior team

Averina's sisters, Dina and Arina, are twins; they were born on August 13, 1998 in the city of Zavolzhye, not far from Nizhny Novgorod. Gymnasts go side by side in the sport - they are members of the Russian national team together, and often attend the same competitions together.

Sports biography It began with the girls going to a sports school in the rhythmic gymnastics department at the age of four (they went to a regular school a year later, at the age of five). The twins were interested in their older sister Polina, who was already involved in this sport. Later Polina left sports school, and Arina and Dina Averina decided already in early age decided to do sports career— they are not distinguished by their age by their serious attitude towards the common cause they have begun. The first coach was Larisa Viktorovna Belova.

Girls up to 12 years old studied in a regular school. Then we went to individual program training. All my free time was spent training, but a serious attitude towards gymnastics yielded results in the form of victories in competitions.

Since the girls began to give excellent results, the parents decided to continue their education in Nizhny Novgorod, where gymnastics training is at a different level thanks to good facilities and sports traditions - there are excellent Sport halls, which host international tournaments, the world champion in rhythmic gymnastics trained in the city. To ensure that daughters have sufficient opportunities to develop their talents, Nizhny Novgorod The whole Averin family moves.

In 2011, the sisters had three competitions in which they showed good results: Moscow stage of the Grand Prix, Hopes of Russia and the Russian championship. The Young Gymnast competition was successful, after which the twins were invited to a training camp in Croatia. The senior coach of the Russian junior team, Shatalina Vera Nikolaevna, who coached Olga Kapranova and Alina Kabaeva, after training in Croatia, invites the twins to the Moscow Olympic Training Center. The sisters came to Moscow without going to school Olympic reserve in Nizhny Novgorod, which happens very rarely.

The girls came to Vera Shatalina by chance - in 2011 they came for 10 days to train at olympic village. The girls were determined to show results in the capital. They said that if they did not stay in Moscow, they would quit gymnastics and focus on studying at school, as their sister Polina did.

The girls, when they first arrived in Moscow, were short, 138 centimeters. The children were not on a diet, but on the contrary, they ate heavily so that their bodies would grow and develop well. A few years later, the height was already 161 centimeters (weight was about 40 kilograms), which is quite enough to successfully enter adult sports (weight and height correspond to last year girls' junior program). Thus, Shatalina Vera cared not only about sports results, but also about health young gymnasts.

Since 2011, the girls’ new place of residence is the Russian capital, where their training took place. We trained intensively, from 10 to 13 hours, then a break for lunch, and from 14 to 17 - training again, a total of five hours a day.

In 2012 there were many successful competitions - the World Cup in Pesaro and the Russian championship, the junior international tournament in Slovenia - gold medals, Hopes of Russia - third and fourth place.

In 2013, the girls became masters of sports, they moved from the junior team to the adult team and began training in Novogorsk.

In 2014

In 2014, the sisters won the Grand Prix in Moscow, followed by a victory at the Grand Prix in Holon, Israel. In Israel, Averina Arina defeated her sister with a gap of hundredths of a point, which indicates their approximately equal level as athletes.

This year, the sisters took part in the Moscow Championship, where Dina Averina became the champion (despite the fact that she performed with a high temperature), Arina Averina received a silver medal.

The Lisbon World Cup brought Dina a silver medal for clubs and two bronze medals for all-around and ribbon. Around the same time, Arina Alekseevna Averina at the Baltic Hoop competition received gold medal for his performance with the ball, two silver medals for the mace and ribbon, and the hoop brought bronze. She achieved this success in the absence of a coach, since Vera Shatalina was with Dina in Portugal at that time.

In the same year, the Russian championship in Penza brought Arina a gold medal for the ball, a silver medal for the clubs, and a bronze medal for the hoop. The gymnast won many awards, despite the fact that she performed with a wrist injury. At these competitions, Dina received silver for the hoop and bronze for the ribbon.

The Spartakiad stage in Ramenskoye and the Luxembourg Trophy brought Arina silver medals. Dina won silver in Ramenskoye, and at the competition in Luxeburg she received gold medals for all-around, hoop and ribbon.

In 2015

The Moscow Grand Prix did not bring any medals, Arina took 13th place, Dina - 6th. But since the Grand Prix is ​​one of the most prestigious competitions in the world (there were 42 participants in total), these places approximately indicate the world ranking of rhythmic gymnasts. For beginner athletes, a quite decent result at the Grand Prix will be close to the top ten.

The girls took prizes at the Russian Championship - Arina won silver in the all-around, Dina won bronze. In individual events, Arina received first place for clubs and hoop, second place for her performance with ribbon and ball. Dina received a gold medal for performing with a ball, a silver medal for performing with a hoop, and third place for performing with a ribbon. The girls received first and second team places, as they competed separately for different federal districts.

International tournament in Pesaro brought championship titles to two sisters; in certain events, Arina received a gold medal for exercises with a ribbon and a ball, Dina a gold medal for clubs, and a bronze medal for performing with a hoop.

The girls brought back ten prize medals from the Spanish Corbeil-Essones tournament - Arina five gold, Dina five silver.

At the Hungarian stage of the World Cup, Dina received a gold medal for all-around, exercises with clubs, a ball, a hoop, and a silver medal for a ribbon. Arina won silver for hoop, bronze for all-around and ball performance.

The tournament in Sofia brought gold to Dina and silver to Arina.

In 2016

The Averina sisters continued to perform successfully at world-class competitions in 2016.

The Czech Grand Prix stage in Brno brought Dina bronze for the all-around and a silver medal for her performance with ribbon and hoop.

The Romanian stage of the Grand Prix, which took place in the city of Bucharest, brought Arina a silver medal for the all-around, the ribbon and clubs brought bronze. Dina received silver for clubs, a bronze medal for all-around, performance with a ball and hoop.

World Cup in Sofia - Arina won a bronze medal. Berlin stage of the World Cup - Dina won a gold medal for the all-around, ribbon and ball. Arina suffered a hand injury at this tournament and stopped performing the next day of the competition.

Moscow Grand Prix - Arina receives bronze for all-around, silver for clubs and gold for exercises with ribbon. Alina Kabaeva awarded the sisters a prize for high level artistry in performances.

World Cup stage in the Finnish city of Espoo received a gold medal for her performance with the ball.

World Cup stage in the capital of Portugal, Lisbon, Arina won a silver medal for exercises with a ribbon.

Senior Tourney at the World Cup - Arina receives a full set of gold medals, five awards in total.

World Cup in Pesaro - Dina won two bronze medals for clubs and hoop, silver for ribbon and ball.

At the Russian Championships, Dina won bronze in the all-around and ball, hoop and ribbon brought two silver medals. Arina won a bronze medal for her performance with hoop and clubs; the ball brought silver.

The Grand Prix stage in Israeli Eilat brought Dina silver for the all-around, hoop and ribbon, Dina received silver for the ball and bronze for the all-around.

Dina and Arina, as members of the Russian team, represented Russia at international competitions, in team championship represented the Volga Federal District and Moscow.

In 2017

Dina Averina competed in the following competitions in 2017:

1. At the Grand Prix in Moscow, Dina is ahead of Alexandra Soldatova in points and wins a gold medal in the all-around, for her performance with ribbon, clubs and hoop, the ball brought silver.
2. Dina becomes the absolute champion of Russia, winning the Russian championship.
3. The Grand Prix in Thiais brought four gold medals - for all-around, clubs, ball and hoop.
4. The World Cup in Pesaro brings gold for ribbon, clubs and ball, silver medals for all-around and hoop.
5. The Tashkent stage of the world cup brought gold for the all-around and clubs, as well as three silver medals.
6. The European Championship brought three gold medals - all-around, ribbon, hoop, and received a silver medal for exercises with clubs. This was Dina's third victory at the European Championship.
7. Grand Prix stage in Holon - gold for ball, two silvers for all-around and clubs.

Dina and Arina often attend competitions together; Arina also won prizes at many of the above-mentioned competitions. One of the very last performances where the sisters competed together - World Games, which took place in the Polish city of Wroclaw on July 21 - 22, 2017. On the first day of the competition, Arina became a champion in exercises with a ball and a hoop, Dina won two silver medals in the same disciplines.

Personal life

After graduating from school, the girls received higher education by studying in absentia at the Lesgaft Institute of Physical Education and Sports in the northern capital - the city of St. Petersburg. No matter how much time the girls spend in the gym, they understand that studying is also important. Despite the tough sports schedule, they found time to study school subjects and study at a university.

In 2016, the Averina sisters took part in the show “Alexey Nemov and the Legends of Sports”, as well as in the show “Without Insurance”.

Girls love to travel, listen to music, and chat with friends in their free time. In order to communicate with peers at competitions, they study foreign languages, focusing on English as the language of international communication. Although, given the level of development of gymnastics in Russia, the Russian language is also international in this sport.

Averina’s gymnasts are considered the most promising gymnasts in Russia; there are many competitions ahead that will be stages towards the main test - Olympic Games 2020 in Tokyo.

In the team championship, all-around and exercises in individual events. The sisters are always together - so it would be wrong to divide this conversation into two separate interviews. The Averins told R-Sport correspondent Elena Sobol what it’s like to be similar and support each other at competitions, about how they don’t see their families for a long time, about their relationship with coach Vera Shatalina and two-time Olympic champion Evgenia Kanaeva, as well as about their goals in sports career.

“I know my sister’s program by heart.”

- Did everything work out in the team championship?

Dina: It turned out more than planned. Of course, something didn’t work out, there is something to work on, we will correct it in the all-around. Probably something unfinished or something else. The task is to complete everything to the maximum, as set. The most important thing is that the coach, director and, of course, me like it.

- So your personal assessment is also important?

Dina: Of course. I always have this myself, and the coach teaches it.

- Will personal all-around be the most important here?

Arina: Yes, of course, this will be a very important and responsible competition. This is a selection for the national team, you have to get into the top eight. This is a worthwhile task.

- You always worry about each other so touchingly.

Dina: This is already a tradition - we go out to cheer for each other during competitions. Of course, if the exit is very close, we don’t go. But if not, then mentally I’m still with my sister. When my sister performs, I don’t even know what I think! I am very afraid, I repeat her entire exercise to myself, I know it by heart. When Arisha staged, I was present at the production, and she was with me too. When I watch an exercise, I praise her to myself and scold her. I experience such emotions as if it was me on the carpet, and not her!

Arina: I have exactly the same feelings. And you worry more about your sister. You know for yourself - where you throw it, how you catch it. And when Dina speaks, I don’t understand what she will do, how she will act. I'm worried about my sister.

- If you are doubly scared than others, then perhaps you are doubly joyful?

Arina: Yes, it's true.

- How difficult is it if one performed well and the other did not?

Arina: It’s not that difficult, perhaps. Those of us who performed well will support and say important words to improve the next day.

-Are you always together?

Dina: Yes! This helps a lot, and not only in training. We are always together in life. There is rarely free time at competitions, and there are days off at training camps. Every year we have training camps in Croatia, in our free time we sunbathe there, swim, go somewhere or just walk. Now we were preparing for the Russian Championship in Novogorsk, we arrived in the most fighting mood.

Zhenya Kanaeva is an example

- Did you choose the music yourself this year?

Arina: With a coach and director.

Dina: We are already slowly looking for music and new season, we’ll show the coach something.

Arina: We are preparing in advance.

- Do you like the production process itself?

Dina: Yes! This is something new and interesting. Over the course of a year, you get tired of the old, you learn new elements, you want to go to training with pleasure, even around the clock! I don't feel tired at all.

- Is it harder to perform at Russian or international competitions?

Dina: It’s a little more difficult at Russian competitions; we compete at home.

Arina: Moreover, we have very serious competition in Russia, more difficult, of course.

- There is no feeling that the level of the World Cup?

Dina: Yes, only among Russian women.

- Are the fans different?

Arina: There is also very good support abroad, they are just as approachable. You want to perform for the audience again and again, you come out with pleasure.

- Doesn’t it bother you when a crowd of little girls comes up and asks you to sign your name or take a photo as a souvenir?

Dina: No, on the contrary, it’s very nice (smiles). But if they approach you before a performance, then it may be a little confusing or even nerve-wracking, because you are tuning in, preparing. Usually we ask after the performance, and everyone comes up after.

- Who is your example and inspiration in rhythmic gymnastics?

Dina: Zhenya Kanaeva! She was always hardworking, obedient, and purposeful. She works as a coach now in Novogorsk, sometimes she suggests something, makes some comments. Helps a lot! Zhenya recently finished her career, she remembers everything, what to do, and tells me how to do it.

Arina: She told us a very valuable thing about ribbon craftsmanship. How to throw it correctly, how to catch it, how to make it fly into your hand, how not to get confused.

- What have you added this year?

Dina: In terms of emotions.

Arina: In emotions, in technology. Turns - we always try to turn three or more.

"Only new acquaintances get confused"

-Are you often confused?

Dina: Close ones - no. But new people and friends confuse at first, and then get used to it.

-Have you ever taken advantage of the fact that you look alike? For example, did you marry each other at the blackboard at school?

Arina: We didn’t really go to school, and it wasn’t like that, we probably never wanted to.

- How is your relationship with your older sister Polina?

Dina: We have very a good relationship, we are friends, we correspond every day. We see each other quite rarely, really. She and her mother came to visit us in Moscow before leaving for Sochi.

- Does she regret ending her career?

Dina: No, she now trains little girls herself. So sometimes it can tell us something. He always supports us at competitions, writes, but never scolds us.

- Is it cool to be the same?

Dina: We don’t really notice it. But now we have started to dress differently, we already want to be a little different, so that they know that we can be different.

Arina: Before, everything was the same. Probably tired of it.

- How does Mom feel about not seeing you for a long time?

Dina: Calm down, she’s already used to it. At first I cried when we left for Moscow. We got used to it and got used to it, and then it became normal. But she had never watched competitions since childhood. We have such a tradition that she doesn’t even watch us live. She can’t, she’s very worried.

Arina: We also have some traditions, but which ones are a secret.

About the coach, the Olympics and dreams

- You have a very warm relationship with coach Vera Nikolaevna Shatalina.

Arina: Somehow it happened right away for us.

Dina: She noticed us and took us in to train. She immediately treated us like her daughters. She is like a second mother to us, it helps us a lot. Every year we become closer and closer to her.

- Is Vera Nikolaevna demanding?

Dina: Yes.

- Does it happen that he swears?

Arina: All the coaches swear, but you can’t praise us for what we’re doing wrong! (Laughs) And if everything is good, he praises.

- What helps better to work on yourself?

Dina: Probably criticism.

Arina: Yes, criticism. They tell us mistakes, we correct them and become better and better.

- What is your goal in sports?

Dina: Probably go to the Olympics. And become an Olympic champion.

Arina: Me too.

- Are you thinking about the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro?

Dina: We don’t really think about it, we just work and improve our results. And then - how it will turn out.

Arina: If they say - we must, we must always be ready.

- Do you have a dream outside of sports?

Arina: Probably there is. Start a family (laughs).

Dina: I always dreamed of building a house so that we could live together as a family. So as not to be separated from my sister.

- Do you like to dream at all?

Dina: Yes, of course. Sometimes we dream about a vacation. I want, when we finish with sports, I want to take the whole family and go somewhere to relax, not think about anything.

- You, of course, have a difficult schedule. Does it ever happen that you just want to lie there and do nothing because you’re tired?

Arina: It happens. There are difficult days during preparation, when you just want to lie down and lie there.

About chocolate and hobbies

- They say that in Novogorsk you can’t eat even a piece of extra chocolate.

Arina: No, the coach allows us. She knows that we ourselves monitor our weight, she trusts us.

Dina: In general, it’s not very difficult to monitor your weight. We were probably lucky by nature after all.

Arina: Sweets? I don’t want the whole cake, I prefer marmalade, and somehow I’m not particularly drawn to chocolate.

Dina: I’m somehow indifferent to sweets.

- What did sport give you, in your opinion?

Arina: First of all, character. Posture, figure.

Dina: If we didn’t play sports, we would always be at home, it would be hard to ever part with loved ones, with parents. Sport made us independent.

- You are already studying at the university, despite the fact that you are only 17 years old.

Dina: We are already finishing our first year, studying to become a coach. It’s not hard to study, we have time - we go to St. Petersburg to study, but if not, we do our homework.

- Would you like to work in your profession in the future?

Dina: At first I wanted to choose some other education so that after sports I could just work. I really wanted to be a coach, but now I don’t really want to. First of all, I want to get higher education, then family, work. But if you work as a coach and have a family, it will be difficult.

Arina: Honestly, I don’t really want to work as a coach yet. Because I understand how hard it is. Maybe I’ll grow up and want it. I love working with young children, I really like to give hints and explain. Perhaps someday... In general, we haven’t thought about the future yet, what will happen after rhythmic gymnastics.

Arina: I love to draw. Especially tigers, I really like them. I taught myself, it’s just my hobby. In general, I'm trying to get started now English language. We need to learn it. While the level is zero, we stopped attending school normally from the fifth grade; there was no time to study it. We focused on the basic subjects for admission, and now we decided to study English.

Dina: We understand that English is very necessary; we often travel abroad. It’s hard not knowing English there; I want to communicate. Our older sister speaks English, it’s easy for her.

Arina: We want the same. My sister is working with us.

Dina: We tried to talk to each other with Arisha, but every time we try, we start laughing. In addition, there are press conferences at international competitions, you need to understand what question they are asking you and answer it yourself.

Our girls always find themselves on the podium when it comes to rhythmic gymnastics. Now they are also “identical in appearance.” “AiF” talked to the twins, who were able to take home 10 medals (including 5 gold) from the World Championships.

Roman Ivanov, AiF: How did rhythmic gymnastics appear in your life?

Arina: We were sent to gymnastics because my older sister studied there Pauline. Although I must say that in the Volga region, where we were born, there was no other choice (smiles). Mom and dad left for work in Nizhny Novgorod in the morning, returned late, and grandparents were responsible for us. And we were such hooligans - no one could put us to sleep. Sports helped in this sense - we had less energy.

Dina: We turned 4 years old when the Sydney Olympics took place. We watched rhythmic gymnastics on TV and tried to repeat it. Then they decided that I would be Alina Kabaeva, and Arina would be Irina Chashchina. They began to organize competitions at home, which were judged by the older sister. I honestly don’t remember the first day in the gym. It seems like we were just freaking out there, and the coach was trying to calm us down. It was difficult for all of us to manage. They often quarreled with each other and could fight.

-Can you fight now?

D.: No, we have matured and become wiser (laughs).

A.: Now we help each other in difficult moments.

From left to right: Dina and Arina Averina. Photo: RIA Novosti / Vladimir Pesnya

- And when was such a moment?

D.: Last year I had the Grand Prix at the Moscow stage. I made it to the hoop final. She performed very poorly and missed her chance. I was really upset and wanted to quit everything. If it weren't for Arisha, Vera Nikolaevna(Shatalina, national team coach. - Ed.) and Irina Alexandrovna(Viner-Usmanova, Main coach national team. - Ed.), who supported me then, I don’t know if I would have stayed in gymnastics...

A.: This season is difficult for me. Trauma after injury, and this misfortune does not end. Just before the World Championships I had a problem with my leg. The question arose: should I go there at all? But I couldn’t refuse the championship - there was too much competition in the team, I couldn’t drop out of the team. And the pain? I didn't feel it. When you perform, there is such adrenaline that you forget about everything.

- They say that there is a mystical connection between twins. Is there such a thing?

D.: I think yes. Even without being next to my sister, I can feel what is happening to her. For example, if Arisha gets sick, then I might too. And I also noticed this thing: if Arisha performed well, then everything will be fine with me. And if she made a mistake, then, most likely, I will repeat after her, and in the same place.

- What is it like to compete with your sister? Dreaming that your twin will become the second...

A.: And there are no such thoughts. On the contrary, in sports we support each other. If one fails, the other must not fail.

D.: We didn’t even compete in the all-around at the World Championships. It just so happened that I got the “gold” and Arisha the “silver”. You're not upset, are you?

A.: Of course not. As I worked, these are the points I received.

- By the way, how do you feel about the fact that men started doing rhythmic gymnastics?

D.: I don't understand this a little.

A.: And I. I think men should go to hockey, football, boxing. But that’s their business - let them do whatever they want.

- Do you have time left for anything other than sports?

D.: When you are preparing, for example, for the World Championships, then no. Two workouts a day, four hours each. The rest of the time is spent on medical procedures and sleep. Plus, we are in our third year of correspondence studies at the University. Lesgafta. Let's become coaches.

When the schedule is simpler, we do diamond embroidery - this is when you glue rhinestones onto paintings. We want a picture like this New Year to do for Irina Alexandrovna. What else? Cinema, shops. Now they even began to recognize us there. Apparently, because when the World Cup was held, we were in the news. But Arisha immediately says: “No, no, it’s not us. You are mistaken". It's funny.

A.: We don't go to discos or clubs. Another thing is the park, Fresh air. In the summer we go to training camps in Croatia, sometimes we manage to go to our parents in the Volga region. Well, mom and dad come to visit us at the base in Novogorsk near Moscow, where we have been living for 4 years.

Dina and Arina Averina Photo: / RIA Novosti / Vladimir Pesnya

- To be honest, aren’t you tired of each other?

D.: Not from Arisha. In the 19 years that we have been together, this has never happened (laughs).

A.: Somehow we decided to train separately. We didn’t quarrel, it was just easier to work on new programs. They came to the hall one by one. Unusual! Everyone asked: “Why are you alone, where is Dina?”

By the way

The most successful twins domestic sports- freestyle wrestlers Beloglazovs(in order not to fight each other, they performed in different weight categories). Sergey- double Olympic champion(1980, 1988), six-time world champion. Anatoly- Olympic champion (1980), three-time world champion. U hockey players Evgeny and Boris Mayorov for two also 3 Olympic victories(1964, 1968), world championship gold medals - 8. Rowers Yuri and Nikolai Pimenov won silver at the Olympics (1980) and the World Championship three times . Football players Alexey and Vasily Berezutsky- winners of the UEFA Cup (2005) and “bronze” of the European Championship (2008).