home » Video » Yana Kudryavtseva. Angel with iron wings. Yana Kudryavtseva - the pride of Russian gymnastics Performance by Yana Kudryavtseva

Yana Kudryavtseva. Angel with iron wings. Yana Kudryavtseva - the pride of Russian gymnastics Performance by Yana Kudryavtseva

- 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 are no longer fighting for the gold medal, but we need 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.

The world champion talks about her failure in Rio, her life after the 2016 Games and why she decided to retire in the winter

H World champion Yana Kudryavtseva was the favorite of the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro in the individual all-around. Despite the foot injury and the surgery she underwent a year before the Games, no one doubted her victory - neither her relatives, nor her fans, nor her coaches. The athlete herself was also expecting gold. But history was written differently: in the mace exercise, Kudryavtseva made a loss, and her friend and rival performed her programs without errors and beat Yana. Kudryavtseva won silver, and a few months later she decided to leave the big sport.

- At what point did you realize that you were finishing?

Everything had some swings: I finish, I don’t finish. Before the Olympics, when we worked at the training camp in Sao Paulo, I thought that I would finish one hundred percent, because it was very difficult. My legs hurt, and it was very difficult mentally. After my performance at the Games, I decided that I would stay - since I’m second, I need gold... They gave me the opportunity to rest as much as I wanted, they said - even if you rest for a year, we are waiting for you, come back. But even in ordinary life, my legs continued to hurt and react to the weather. After the New Year, I already realized for sure that that’s it. The team's bench is big, you can't jump over anyone there.

- So you weren’t lying when you said in Rio that there were thoughts of performing at Tokyo 2020?

After the Olympics, Rita and I were chatting, I said: “Well, another one?” Rita said emotionally: “No!” And I - that I will stay. And then I made another decision.

- Was it difficult to decide?

It’s probably difficult to realize that that’s it. I still miss it when I watch the video... But I wanted to try a new life. Now everything has more or less settled down, there is something to do with myself.

-Have you adapted to your new life?

I need to graduate from college next year. I'm studying to be a trainer. And then I’ll think about it. I would like to maybe become a TV presenter. I am more drawn in this direction than towards a coaching career. But these are thoughts, I haven’t seriously thought about it yet.

WITHOUT TRAINING, BUT AGAIN IN GYMNASTICS

- Did you train this year?

I went to the gym a couple of times. But, apparently, I’m so tired of this that I just can’t. When I give master classes, of course, I work at full capacity for eight hours, but in such a way as to fully train, this never happened. Such light things as twine do not go away quickly - I think I will be able to sit down for a long time without any problems. But now I can’t handle the jump - my legs are already relaxed. I'll jump and break something. But it can be returned if you want.

- After the master classes, you realized that you won’t become a trainer?

I immediately understood that I was not ready to devote my whole life to this. Because every coach here forgets about his own children and sits in the gym all day long. I think it's very difficult. Maybe when the time comes and I get older, it will be interesting to me.

- And something close to gymnastics? For example, become a choreographer?

I don't have any experience yet. We need to learn from very young children and create programs for them to begin with. They told me that I have the makings, so we’ll wait and see.

FEAR OF AIRPLANES AND FIGURE AFTER SPORTS

- What was the most memorable thing this year?

I managed to go on vacation twice. There was no need to get up and train. The first two months after the Olympics I just lay there, slept like a lazy seal, rested from everything and ate. I was this size (throws up his hands)! And then, as soon as I started to travel to Moscow - at that time I lived in St. Petersburg - all sorts of events began. For the first two months I almost didn’t answer the phone. And then it became boring, I had to do something. My year hasn't been too eventful.

- Did you manage to do anything special?

But there were no thrills, I didn’t jump with a parachute - I’m afraid of it all. I'm afraid to fly on an airplane! And if I take a chance with a parachute, it seems that my heart will stop.

- How did you fly all this time to numerous competitions and training camps?

Terrible! It’s not always scary, but when we take off, if it shakes a little, I panic, I’m very afraid. When I finished sports, I felt better. But all the same, if I need to go somewhere nearby, I’d rather go by train.

- Do you have to go to Rostov, where your young man is playing now, by plane?

Far. I specifically looked, the fastest train is 15 hours. I think no, it’s better to wait for the plane for an hour.

- Do you follow football?

Yes, I'm watching. In general, I love team sports; if possible, I always watch them. I often have football on, even if there is an interesting program on another channel. I started to understand a little, but I’m not an ardent fan or an armchair critic.

- Do you go to matches?

Yes, I often attended games when I lived in St. Petersburg. I even flew to Kazan for the Super Cup.

-Where did you go on vacation?

We flew to Monaco. I had never had a good rest anywhere before. If only with parents. But in the morning - go for a run, at nine in the evening - go to bed. The regime was even on vacation. And you can’t eat too much; on the plane you sit all bundled up so that it doesn’t get too cold. And here you could relax - eat, swim, and walk all night.

- What was the most difficult limitation of sports?

Overall it wasn't easy. And that we rarely see our parents, although I was lucky - I have them in Moscow, but I didn’t have time even on weekends. And we wanted to eat more than we ate. Although I didn’t restrict myself too much in food, it also happened that I could fast one day in order to eat a burger the next. They never forbade me from eating sweets, they said: the main thing is to get on the scales and eat that much. How to achieve this is your problem. If they saw me with a chocolate bar, they wouldn’t scold me. The coach sometimes brought me chocolates herself. They were worried not because of my figure, but because I have problems with my leg - every three hundred grams had a noticeable effect.

- Have you really started eating more? Outwardly, it seems that right now you can put on a swimsuit and hit the carpet.

When I just finished, I gained eight kilograms in three months. But I was really very plump, really! I couldn’t look at myself in the mirror - it was uncomfortable. But now it has started to go away on its own, I don’t know what it depends on. Now I eat like normal people, although I don’t really like sweets.

MAMUN'S WEDDING

- Last week Margarita Mamun and Alexander Sukhorukov got married...

Yes, the celebration was very beautiful. Before that, I was at my parents’ wedding (they got married when I was five years old), and also at. I really love Rita and Sasha and their sincere spiritual union.

- Was the program big?

I left quite early, at ten o’clock, because there was a flight to Krasnodar early in the morning - I was flying to a master class. The first dance was very touching. Compared to Zhenya Kanaeva’s wedding, there were not so many guests - about a hundred people. The closest people gathered were, of course, mostly swimmers and gymnasts. Rita had two dresses: one with long sleeves and the other with short sleeves. Everything was super beautiful!

- What did you give?

Oil painting - the artist painted Rita and Sasha. Black and white, in her style.

- Do you often manage to communicate with Rita?

Less often, of course, than before, but we still try to keep in touch. We are on very good terms and communicate whenever possible.

- Do you communicate with your personal trainer Elena Karpushenko?

Of course, but much less. We spent so many years together - in the end, it seems to me, we were tired of each other. But I came to Krylya Sovetov a couple of times, where she trains and raises new stars.

STRONG CHARACTER AND THE FATHER

- Was there any residue left after the Olympics that there was silver instead of gold?

I'm very glad that I got there at all. No one can imagine how hard it was to prepare and not know until the last minute whether you would go there or not. Your leg hurts, everyone is training, but you can’t even stand on a half-toe - what Olympics? When I dropped my mace in Rio... I thought that I wouldn’t compete at all in the last event. Elena Lvovna says: “Are you crazy?” But I don’t, that’s all. But then I finally got ready... For the first two days after the competition, I was constantly thinking about it. And now I understand that it’s cool that I even got there with such an injury and with such a character. I have a very difficult character. And I have a silver medal! When I went to the ribbon, I thought to myself: “Now I’ll drop the ribbon, and in general I won’t be among the top three winners.” It was hard... And now I even watch the video where I drop this mace. And nothing.

- Really difficult character?

Well, the training is very hard! I can not only argue with the coach, but also give myself a task. But it was already from the age of 17 - 18, my “I” appeared. I can’t imagine how Elena Lvovna worked with me, how she didn’t kill me.

- Isn’t it like that in life?

With girlfriends and parents everything is fine, but with a young man, of course, it’s difficult. I can’t change my mind right after sports. Sometimes it’s like there are two men in the family. There are some points where you can’t argue with me! Everyone is already giving up: okay, let it be your way. Such is the character.

- Your father, an Olympic champion in swimming, is strict?

Strict. He and I are both stubborn. But my mother is different, we are like friends.

- How did your parents greet you after the Olympics? Dad didn’t say: daughter, I was waiting for gold?

Everyone was waiting, there was no need to even talk about it - and it’s understandable. But after the Olympics, when I called my father, he said: “You did everything you could, well done.” Normally supported. Although I thought it would be worse, I thought that I wouldn’t be allowed to go home after the Olympics with a silver medal. But they were received well.

- Talk to anyone from the world of rhythmic gymnastics - everyone talks about the role Irina Viner-Usmanova played in their lives.

We thank Irina Alexandrovna for every word, we take everyone seriously. Her words were encouraging - everything was said on time and to the point. She can do this very well.

- Was there any key moment?

I remember at the first World Championships in Kyiv, when I did the last look, I didn’t know which one I was going for. There was such a girl out of this world, lost, it was her first big competition. And I didn't know what Rita dropped. I couldn't even believe that I could win. And the last thing I had were clubs. Irina Aleksandrovna came up and said: “Well, come on, Kudryavtseva, all of Russia is behind you. If you drop it, they will forget you forever.” I thought then: I’m little, I’m 15 years old - what kind of Russia is behind me? But it spurred me on. Everything was always on point and on time.

- Laysan Utyasheva once said in an interview that the world of rhythmic gymnastics is like a jungle. Do you agree?

The jungle is suitable in principle, but I never thought about it. I had no one, somehow I was away from all this all the time - I lived alone or with Rita Mamun, I didn’t bother anyone. A women's team is always difficult. But there has never been such a thing as someone cutting each other’s swimsuits or fighting. The worst thing is that they might whisper behind your back.

Looking at rhythmic gymnastics from the outside, it seems that you, athletes, live under constant pressure - there are no places other than the first ones. How do you deal with this?

I never had the thought: “I’m second - that’s it, the end of life.” It will drive you crazy, because competitions take place every week. Many people don’t believe it, but for me, the main thing was that the Russian flag should come first. If it doesn't exist, everyone will get it.

- It will be bad for everyone - how is that?

In Kyiv, when the all-around competition was going on, we did the first event poorly - I couldn’t cope with something, and Rita dropped it. And after each event, the anthem of the country that is in the lead was played. And then the Ukrainian anthem began to play, Irina Aleksandrovna hears and understands that Anna Rizatdinova is going first... All the volunteers there just ran away... But in this sense I don’t give a damn: they’ll yell and stop. I take this calmly. True, when I first got to Novogorsk, I was very afraid of Irina Alexandrovna.

DATA NOTICED BY FATHER'S FRIEND'S WIFE

- How did you get to the base?

It was so long ago... I won a medal, it seems, at the national championship, and I was invited to train. Then I was selected for Children's Europe. After that, I started performing in the masters, and they told me: so what if you’re a European champion, it’s just in juniors. Now you have to earn your place again. I returned to train at Wings. And only after I won a silver medal at the Russian Championships and became second, I was allowed to train in Novogorsk again.

- Did your parents know right away that you would follow the path of sports?

My first coach, Ekaterina Pankova, told me how she found me. We were family friends - her husband Dima and my dad swam together, then fate separated them for some time. One day they met and dad invited them to dinner at our house. And so Dima says that his wife is a rhythmic gymnastics coach. And dad says that we have a little daughter, but she swims - I had already been studying for a year at that time. Ekaterina Valentinovna came into the room and looked - I have such insteps, I’m all so thin and with long legs. I have always been a kind of SpongeBob: without a waist, without everything, just these boxes and two long sticks. The coach later told me how she walked around the house all that evening and thought: we need to do something, something will definitely come of this girl. And for about a month they tried to persuade my parents to send me to gymnastics. This is how fate brought us together...

- Do you still know how to swim well?

Well, yes. I like to swim in the sea or pool.

A BROKEN NOSE AND A PSYCHOLOGIST FATHER

- Of all your programs that have ever been, which is your favorite?

In 2013, I really liked the ball that I used at the European Championships in Vienna - to the music of Chopin. From the Olympic programs - clubs for the Flight of the Bumblebee. And from the latter there is also a hoop, under “Horse”. It’s not that I didn’t like the tape, but according to statistics, at all major competitions, my grades in this exercise were lower by about half a point. Something didn't work out all the time. I had “bows” tied at competitions, and the ribbon would fly off the platform and slip at the end... I generally loved falling at competitions, I felt slippery all the time. I remember when I fell on my nose...

- And that was it?

Yes. I used to have such a beautiful nose, without a hump. This was right at the beginning of the exercise, I got up (I don’t know how!) and continued further. There was no blood, I don’t know if there was a fracture, but the bruises were so concrete. And then I laughed, saying, Irina Alexandrovna, will you pay for my rhinoplasty? She answered that everything was fine with me. Later they asked me why I didn’t put my hand up in that episode. But I had a ball in my hands, I couldn’t drop it! I don’t know how I got up and continued, but with the ball I came second, and then I competed in two more events and won.

- How did you spend your free time at the training camp?

Our favorite place was MEGA. Eat, go to the cinema or go shopping - so as not to travel far and not get tired. We walked around the base, we had Segways. They played cards and came up with something all the time. Elena Lvovna and I most often had training camps in Finland, there is such a base there that you can walk for hours. I love this country in general, it’s probably my favorite.

- Did they take away the phones?

For me - never. Well, I didn't give it away. They always took it away from the group members, but somehow Rita and I didn’t. I talk to my dad, he is my personal psychologist - how will I cope without him?

- Did you help me get ready?

Yes. I needed to hear that if I lost, it was okay. I felt calmer that way.

- Is your younger sister not an athlete?

No, she is far from sports. I tried to play tennis, but it didn’t work out. Looking for some kind of “easy” sport where you have to do the least amount of things. Dreams of starting to play golf. I tease her, saying, do you know how long it takes to get to the hole?

- Did she root for you?

No, I wasn’t particularly interested. When we performed, grandma sat in front of the icons, and Anya said: “Grandma is crying, but I don’t understand why.” I answer: “Anh, well, I lost, didn’t you watch?” She says she looked, but she doesn't care. She is eight years old already, an adult, but still doesn’t really delve into it. We are generally very different - she is so active, very sociable and open.

- Does your shared dog with Rita Mamun, Lebrosha, live with your sister?

Yes, they came to see me the other day and asked me to leave the dog for a couple of days, but my mother didn’t want to. The dog is just perfect - if you want to play, she will play with you, but if she gets tired, she will lie down somewhere.

- A dog raised in Novogorsk...

Exactly. It seems to me that it was hard for her there - she lived in our room, sat alone while we went to training. We had a lot of people there, even once a small pig - a mini-pig, with one of the group members. Hamsters, rats, fish... There weren't really any dogs or cats.

DATA OR HARD WORK?

- Do you keep in touch with any of the current athletes?

I communicate very well with Sasha Soldatova and Nastya Bliznyuk. Someone can write - we’ll be happy to chat, but very close - with no one.

- Don’t you look at the base?

I came to a control training session before the World Championships in Pesaro - Irina Aleksandrovna invited me. This is the only time. As it is, there are too many memories, and very different ones, that’s why I don’t look too much.

Why do you think Soldatova failed to pick up your baton this season and become the team leader?

Of course, everyone expected this, and, probably, this very “you must, you will” turned out to be very difficult. Moreover, Sasha did not have parents who would find the right words, maybe she did not have such a character - I was born in such a family. Not everyone can do this, but I think she did everything she could. God grant that everything works out next year.

- They say that her natural abilities and flexibility are simply incredible.

Yes, she is very flexible. I'm not flexible, for example, but I'm a world champion. This is not the main criterion for which you can become a star; a lot must come together.

-Are you not flexible?

Not like Sasha. My back is still “oaky”. As a child, stretching was, of course, difficult. And then they stretched just to warm up.

- Mamun said that everything in gymnastics was given to her not by talent, but by hard work. And you?

I feel better, I think. Her data is worse, of course, but her main quality is that she is very hardworking. I’m still not like that, I can be free somewhere... But I was lucky. In addition, I am two years younger, this also affected.

- Do you consider yourself lucky?

Yes. So, we competed at the World Championships in Stuttgart, and after several subjects I came second. And then Rita drops it. And so on at different competitions. At the World Championships in Izmir, we performed well in all events together, but I won. Rita made a mistake somewhere and gave me a chance. Lucky.

- Everyone talked about your rivalry and friendship. Was there never any resentment towards each other?

We never even quarreled! But it’s simply impossible to quarrel with Rita. I’m such a super emotional person, I can yell or do something else. And she even speaks in a whisper, that’s how she was raised. It was even impossible to shout at her. We always communicated very closely. It happened that we were sitting after the competition, and Rita was upset - like, why am I dropping? I came up and said, let’s watch the video, here’s where you dropped your hand early, here’s something else. They even suggested something to each other.

DREAM IS TO BE BACK AT THE DRIVE

- Do you drive an Olympic BMW?

Immediately after the Games I gave the car to my mother. In St. Petersburg I had another car, but now I have returned to Moscow and still without a car. When my mother goes away, she sometimes leaves me the car.

- What car do you want now?

In general, I love big cars, for example, Range Rover, Gelendvagen, Land Cruiser 200. I drove a racing Mercedes - it’s my car, I really liked it, but the Porsche is not mine.

- Do you generally like to drive?

Very! I love driving and speed. I really want a car now - at least some kind. By the way, it’s my birthday soon (laughs).

- We'll give you a hint. By the way, how are you going to celebrate?

Probably first with loved ones, and then with friends. I think it will be some kind of party - karaoke, cafe, club, but definitely not at home. I have a large circle, about 15-20 people. There is still time to prepare and figure out how to celebrate my 20th birthday.

December 20, 2017, 20:48

August 20, 2016, Rio Olympic Arena, Brazil. The final of the Olympic Games in individual all-around rhythmic gymnastics is underway. The athletes walked the equator, doing 2 events each - a hoop and a ball. There are two more views to come. The leader is the Russian gymnast, 13-time world champion, 10-time European champion, the youngest world champion in the history of rhythmic gymnastics, the strongest gymnast of the last four years, the invincible Yana Kudryavtseva. Yana has the highest scores for the first two types.

And here is the penultimate one - an exercise with clubs. For it, Yana took the cosmic music of Armand Amar from the documentary film about planet Earth “Home”. Hundreds of crystals are scattered across the dark blue swimsuit, shining like stars in the night sky. Blue eyes and ash-colored hair tied in a bun. The Snow Queen.

Yana’s exercise is full of complex elements, risky catches, and fine work with clubs, but you don’t notice it. She seems to be dancing, while simultaneously performing incredible tricks with clubs.

The performance ends, the signal beeps that there are 5 seconds left until the end. Yana throws both clubs under the ceiling in the last element at risk. The first mace is caught, the second seems to be flying straight into the hand. But no, she flies past and falls next to the gymnast lying on the mat, who covers her, saving the end of the exercise...

At first a roar swept through the hall, then there was silence. Yana slowly leaves the carpet, the audience begins to applaud her.

I know exactly how the coaches, judges, and spectators in the hall and on television felt at that moment. "This can't be true!" It was really hard to believe. Yana never lost a major competition and became the absolute world champion three times in a row. Before her, only three artistic gymnasts in history had succeeded in this. She was only 15 years old when she became the strongest gymnast on the planet at the incredibly intense and dramatic World Championships in Kyiv in 2013. There has never been such a young world champion in the history of this sport.

She was the best in everything: technique, mastery of the subject, ability to convey music and perform a performance. On the carpet, Yana was both lyrical and steely. "Angel with iron wings." That's what Irina Viner called her.

As the gymnast herself recently admitted, at that moment in Rio 15 years in the sport were crossed out. But of course this is not true. In just 4 years in adult gymnastics, Yana was not only able to become an idol and idol for many generations of gymnasts and rhythmic gymnastics fans. She revolutionized the sport by giving it her own unique style. A mix of elegance, grace, technicality and expressiveness. She felt music like no one else. She was able to express every nuance and shade of the melody she performed to. That failure with the mace could not cancel anything out. Long before her, Yana had already entered the history of rhythmic gymnastics forever.

That evening she had to gather the remaining hopes for the gold of strength after the collapse and go to the final stage. The irony of fate: Yana performed the last exercise with the ribbon to Sibelius's "Sad Waltz". It was as beautiful as it was piercingly sad. Yana said goodbye to big sports, and we said goodbye to her performances on the carpet.

The judges gave the ribbon exercise the highest score in the final. But Yana became only the second. Her friend in life and rival on the mat, the magnificent Russian athlete, Margarita Mamun, took the gold.

Yana Kudryavtseva was born on September 30, 1997 in Moscow. Her dad is the 1992 Olympic swimming champion, Alexey Kudryavtsev.

Let's go back to 2013, when Yana first announced herself as an adult athlete. Adult in this case is the translation of the word senior, she was only 15 years old at that time.

That year, at her debut European Championship in Austria, she made a splash, receiving a record score of 19 points for her performance with the ball under the new 20-point system. This crystal exercise is considered the benchmark in rhythmic gymnastics, the best exercise in history with the ball. The way Yana danced to Chopin’s “Nocturne” with an object that came to life in her hands is something you just have to see. By the way, this video was viewed more than 13 million times on Facebook alone.

She performed her signature element - spinning the ball on her index finger - simultaneously with turning her entire body over on one arm! In the video you can see the surprised and delighted faces of the judges. Then everyone started talking about her, and even the coaches of the national teams of other countries admitted that a new star had lit up. Yana won her first European Championship. The World Cup was ahead.

The World Championships in Kyiv in 2013 became one of the most scandalous in history. The removal of judges accused of fraud, the Russian anthem, which was unexpectedly turned on during the celebration of the champion from Ukraine, and, of course, the scandal with turning off the soundtrack while Yana was performing an exercise with a ribbon. She had to do it twice in a row (!). Look how she performed the second time. What endurance, what character!

Yana was not expected to win at that debut world championship. The coaches told her: “Perform as best you can.” And Yana won the tournament, becoming the youngest absolute world champion in the history of rhythmic gymnastics.

Then there were a lot of beautiful victories. Second title of absolute world champion in 2014. And then the injury - complete destruction of the navicular bone on the foot. Unfortunately, doctors could not make a diagnosis for a long time. And with a broken leg, Yana wins her third world championship in 2015! After that there was an operation in Germany and a long recovery. And this happened in the pre-Olympic season.

Yana went to training on crutches and tried to stay in shape by doing simple exercises with one leg in a cast. By Rio, the gymnast had fully recovered, and considers her Olympic silver to be a great success. After such an injury, it was very difficult to predict whether she would return to big-time sports at all, and whether she would be able to perform at the same level. But she came back. Because she is the one and only Yana Kudryavtseva. Angel with iron wings.

“I’m very glad that I got there [Rio 2016]. No one can imagine how hard it was to prepare and not know until the last minute whether you would go there or not. Your leg hurts, everyone is training, and you can’t even stand on half a toe - what Olympics? When I dropped the mace in Rio... I thought that I wouldn’t compete at all. Elena Lvovna [E.L. Karpushenko, personal trainer] says: “Are you crazy?” , and that’s all. But then I got ready... The first two days after the competition I constantly thought about it. But now I understand that it’s cool that I even got there with such an injury and with such a character. heavy character. And I have a silver medal! When I went to the ribbon, I thought to myself: “Now I’ll drop the ribbon, and in general I won’t be among the top three winners... And now I’m even watching the video where I have this mace.” I drop it. And - nothing."

“I would describe myself as “persistent” and “demanding.”

“For any coach, Yana is a gift. She combines a number of qualities: plasticity, coordination, musicality. Many talented girls cannot fully realize their potential, but Kudryavtseva squeezes out the necessary maximum from her capabilities. I’ll give an example. At the World Cup stage in In 2013, my ward was only fifteen years old. She performed unsuccessfully in one of the exercises and almost lost her chances of success. Do you think she cried? No! In the last seconds before leaving, she asked: “Can I be first?” He hears in response: “If you get such and such a mark.” The girl goes out on the mat and earns the points necessary to win, accurate to hundredths.” Elena Lvovna Karpushenko, personal trainer

“I am probably one of those rare people who almost always remains calm, I have never had a problem with this. I know that Rita sometimes worries before our starts, but for me it’s exactly the opposite - absolute calm and complete concentration, you just go out and work.”

"I love Yana Kudryavtseva and her coach - Elena Karpushenko. Elena Lvovna had interesting gymnasts before, but only with Yana she managed to reach such heights. Yana is like a fairy on the carpet. She has already been nicknamed the “crystal” girl. Yana is a very balanced gymnast. Her working with the subject and connecting with music brings aesthetic pleasure." Irina Leparskaya, head coach of the Belarusian rhythmic gymnastics team

“I love active recreation. Driving off-road on ATVs, going somewhere else. On weekends I go for walks with friends, go home, spend time with my parents and little sister.”

"Before every competition, I talk to the subject. Some people might think I'm crazy, but we have a lot of people who do it. We think it helps a lot."

“I can’t imagine a non-athlete as my young man. Firstly, the lifestyle should be similar. Secondly, he can understand, support, find some right word. I didn’t communicate with people who are not associated with the world of sports, and it seems that I can’t.”

“Kudryavtseva is a fighter, she is the crown princess of an Olympic champion. Kudryavtseva listens to all the right things that her personal trainer Elena Karpushenko tells her. And she listens to everything I say, and how I set her up. And she does it. These are her best qualities.” Irina Viner

“We [Rita Mamun and I] are rivals only on the mat, but outside of it, in life, we support each other very much. Before us, no one had ever been so friendly as rivals. At the last championship, Rita dropped the ball. I told her: “Well.” That’s it, Mamun, sit down, we’ll sort out your mistakes.”

“Everyone asks me how it’s possible to be friends with a rival. Everyone says, you’re probably only so friendly on camera with Rita, it’s unrealistic. But if you knew Rita, you would never have such thoughts. Because She is a super kind, pure, open, non-envious person. I adore her."

“Artists” do not eat very much, so as not to gain excess weight. I prefer simple Russian cuisine: borscht, chicken, cutlets, porridge. True, sometimes in the off-season I allow myself to relax a little."

"Advice for young gymnasts? Take care of your health. I don’t even know what else to advise... I think that I did a lot of things in sports wrong. I would advise you to clearly see the goal and not skip training if that goal is to become an Olympic champion. Dedicate yourself to the sport completely and obey the coach, this is the most important thing."

“Well, in training I have a very difficult [character]! I can not only argue with the coach, but also give myself a task. But it was already from the age of 17–18, my own “I” appeared. I can’t imagine how Elena Lvovna worked with me, how she didn't kill me."

“At first I did swimming, and then a coach my parents knew suggested I try gymnastics, just for general development, which is how many children get into sports. But I stayed, gymnastics became the meaning of my life for many, many years. This is my business, and not in the sense that I make money from it, I just love doing it, I love training.”

“I love cinema. Dramas most of all, but horrors too. And I also love music, I can’t live without it.”

“After the Olympics, when I called my dad, he said: “You did everything you could, well done.” Although I thought it would be worse, I thought that he wouldn’t let me go home after the Olympics with a silver medal. But they met me well.”

“As long as you stand on the pedestal, you are a queen. As soon as you come down from it, you are nobody. We must start all over again. That’s what Irina Aleksandrovna Wiener always told us.”

“I had to give up a lot for the sake of victories. But I don’t regret anything.”

“The Russian flag should always be higher than the rest. Who exactly will stand on the pedestal under this flag is of secondary importance.”

“A huge, boundless desire to speak for our homeland, to raise the flag of our country - only this moves us forward.”

“I don’t have a dream, I have everything. The main thing is that there is peace on Earth, and that everything is fine with my family and friends. I had a dream - to get to the Olympic Games. I never said “win”, I always said "get in". And this dream came true."

Yana Kudryavtseva became famous not only for her enormous gymnastic talent. In sports circles, for her special grace and sophistication, as well as for the many awards she received at a young age, she was nicknamed the “Crystal Statuette.”

This fragile girl in the history of gymnastics became the youngest absolute world champion, receiving this title at the age of 15. Yana Kudryavtseva, whose height and weight can be found in our article, received the title of multiple European champion. Also, this girl, in just three years (from 2013 to 2015), managed to receive the title of thirteen-time world champion.

Yana Kudryavtseva, biography

The future world-famous gymnast was born in Moscow in 1997. Many believe that the girl’s perseverance, discipline and love of sports were inherent at the genetic level. Her family cannot be called mediocre or ordinary, because her father, Alexey Kudryavtsev, is a famous swimmer who became an Olympic Champion in 1992.

Start of sports performances

Yana Kudryavtseva, whose photo is provided in our article, began her sports career in 2008 at the age of 11 years.

She won regional junior competitions with incredible ease. A year after a very successful start, in 2009, Yana Kudryavtseva won the Russian Junior Championship, which was held in Dmitrov. Over the next 2 years, the gymnast became the winner of the same championship, held in Kazan and Samara.

Amazing victories of a young gymnast

Yana Kudryavtseva first entered international competitions in 2011 and immediately won the Junior World Cup. Literally a year later, in 2012, she became the best among European juniors who performed ball exercises. At the same competitions, she received a medal by taking part in the team all-around.

Starting in 2013, Yana began participating in adult competitions. In Vienna, at the European Championships, Kudryavtseva wins gold. At the World Cup in 2013, the gymnast deservedly received silver and gold for individual performances and bronze for the all-around.

In the same year, she successfully debuted at the World Championships, which took place in Kyiv. She received two gold medals and became a silver medalist at the World Championships.

Painful growing up

It is known that a gymnast’s parameters play a significant role in the technique of performing tricks. Yana received her first awards when she was still a very fragile child. But over the years, of course, her body began to develop and grow. Discussions about her external data appeared in the press; they began to write that Kudryavtseva had grown taller and gained weight, which is why she would not be able to perform with the same success as before. The girl, understanding the irreversibility of this process, did not get upset and pay attention to the barbs.

Yana Kudryavtseva, whose height today is about 170 cm and weight is about 48 kg, was able, with the help of a trainer, to select and develop ideal performance programs for herself, taking into account her parameters. She continues to perform successfully, winning new medals.

Difficulties with studies

Frequent sports camps, constant training and competitions are the main components of the life of any athlete. Accordingly, no exceptions are made for young gymnasts. This is why almost all junior athletes have problems with their studies; there is simply no time left for it physically, and sometimes even moral strength. Yana was no exception, and in one of her interviews she admitted that she had not been to school, in the classical sense, since the 7th grade, and only came there to take exams.

When it was time for her senior year, in order to pass the Unified State Exam, Kudryavtseva had to try hard. She worked hard with tutors, and especially had to improve in mathematics, because, as her sports coach noted, this is the subject that she dislikes missing the most. After school, the gymnast planned to get a higher education by entering the State University of Physical Culture in St. Petersburg.

In order to resolve the issue with final exams, Yana Kudryavtseva was forced to miss the qualifying stages of the World Cup, but the girl, as always, thanks to her perseverance, achieved her goals. All exams, taking into account the existing difficulties, were passed by Yana with dignity.

Injuries and rapid recovery

The opinion that good natural abilities, innate grace and flexibility, as well as good coordination of movement are sufficient for success in artistic gymnastics is deeply erroneous. According to the coach, Yana Kudryavtseva trains 5-6 hours a day, and each element is practiced countless times until it is perfect.

This fragile girl truly has a fighting spirit, which is confirmed not only by her behavior in training. Yana Kudryavtseva, whose photos are often published in various international sports publications, during her short sports career, in addition to numerous awards, she also managed to receive quite serious injuries. One of the latest news about the gymnast was a leg injury received in August during the World Cup held in Kazan. The girl amazed many with her willpower, managing to recover in almost 6 weeks. This is not the first case, which says a lot about her character.

For example, in 2014 in Holon, Israel, a young gymnast took part in performances at the Grand Prix stage. While performing one of the difficult exercises with the ball, Yana lost her balance. As a result, she fell and hit her head very hard. Many in the hall thought that the gymnast would not rise again. But Kudrevtseva was not only able to surprise the audience by rising after a terrible fall. She finished the performance, completed her exercise to the end, without making a single mistake. The reward for such strength of character was third place.

The judges were perplexed when Yana continued her performance in two more all-around events. On this day, in addition to third place for her performance with the ball, she received prizes for her performances with ribbon and clubs.

At a young age, this girl reached unprecedented heights. She is a 13-time world champion in rhythmic gymnastics. This is a kind of record, because Yana Kudryavtseva managed to become the absolute world champion at the age of 15. Let us remember that this happened when she turned 16.

However, it could not be otherwise, because Yana was born into the family of a famous athlete. The girl’s father, Alexey Kudryavtsev, is the 1992 Olympic swimming champion. It was he who raised a strong character in his daughter and instilled in him the desire to overcome all obstacles on the way to the heights of sports.

Yana Kudryavtseva took up gymnastics at the age of 4. Dad happened to know a coach in this sport. Hearing that he was recruiting a group, Alexey Kudryavtsev asked his little daughter to watch. He didn’t think about medals or titles then. I just wanted Yana to have excellent posture and the figure that all girls dream of in the future.

And in the daughter, apparently, the genes of the champion father took over. She became seriously interested in rhythmic gymnastics and soon made her first tangible successes in the sport. School lessons faded into the background, because the workload and busyness in the gym turned out to be such that I had to make a choice in favor of one thing, the main thing. Yana decided that the main thing for her was sports.

Today the girl is a student at the Department of Theory and Methods of Gymnastics at the P. F. Lesgaft University in St. Petersburg.

Gymnastics

The first victory came to the young gymnast at the age of 11. Since 2008, she began to win junior tournaments within the country one after another. In 2009 - in Dmitrov. In 2011 and 2012 - in Samara and Kazan.

Since 2011, when Kudryavtseva was 14 years old, the gymnast has performed at international junior tournaments. In Pesaro, the gymnast won the World Cup. And the next year, Yana managed to win gold in the team all-around, where Alexandra Soldatova and Diana Borisova performed with her.

Yana Kudryavtseva came to adult sports in 2013. In Israeli Holon, she won bronze in the hoop exercise and gold in the all-around. The World Cup in Bulgaria was also a success. Here, in Sofia, the athlete managed to beat her compatriot and Bulgarian gymnast Silvia Miteva.

Yana Kudryavtseva at the 2013 European Championship in Vienna, ball

In Minsk, Yana received a second gold medal in the all-around and silver in the clubs exercises.

2013 turned out to be a truly breakthrough and turning point in her sports career for the gymnast. In Vienna, at the European Championships, Kudryavtseva replaced her colleague Alexandra Merkulova. In a trio with Margarita Mamun and Daria Svatkovskaya, the girl managed to win gold and score the highest number of points according to the new judging system: 19 out of 20.

In Turkish Izmir, the sports biography of Yana Kudryavtseva was enriched with a new bright page. The athlete managed to repeat her past achievements, becoming the absolute champion in the individual all-around, and received a special prize from the Swiss watch brand “Longines” for her natural charm and elegance. The Russian gymnast, together with her Swiss colleague Julia Steingruber, was chosen as Longines ambassadors of elegance.

Yana Kudryavtseva at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio, clubs

The girl started the Olympic season with victories. At the World Cup in Pesaro, the athlete won the all-around and ultimately did not participate in the finals of the individual events. In Tashkent, Yana won all programs, and in Sofia she took first place in the all-around and in exercises with a ball and ribbon.

Yana Kudryavtseva went to the Olympics in Rio de Janeiro in excellent shape. Many predicted her victory. And Yana still climbed to the podium, winning a silver medal in the individual all-around.

Also in 2016, Yana won the European Championships in Israel. The girl performed exercises with a hoop to the song “Horse” by the Lyube group. The gymnast’s performance was breathtaking and gave the audience goosebumps.

Back in 2015, at the World Cup stages, the girl felt discomfort in her leg. But, overcoming the pain, she won 5 gold medals. Later it turned out that Kudryavtseva had an injury - a broken leg (foot). And in 2016, after the Olympic championship, it was announced that the athlete was retiring from her career.

Personal life

The athlete simply did not have enough time for activities other than rhythmic gymnastics. But when she had a free minute, the girl still didn’t lie on the sofa or the seashore. She loves active recreation: racing off-road with a group of friends on an ATV.

For obvious reasons, the personal life of Yana Kudryavtseva was relegated to the background for some time, but there were thoughts about it. The girl insisted that she could not imagine a man next to her who was far from sports. The lifestyle of people who decide to live together must certainly be similar.

The gymnast was in a relationship with CSKA basketball player Mikhail Kulagin. Yana posted in “ Instagram” a screenshot of Scryptonite’s song “This is Love” playing and tagging the athlete in the photo, captioning it “on the same page.” And while at the training camp, the girl in love wrote the young man’s nickname in the sand and drew hearts next to it.

At the same time, Kudryavtseva’s boyfriend presented his beloved with chic bouquets, which the girl did not forget to share on her personal profile. But later the couple broke up. It was rumored that the reason for this was the guy’s betrayal.

A week later, the gymnast’s fans saw on the girl’s page on social networks a joint photo with Zenit football player Artur Yusupov. To questions about whether there is an affair between them, Yana answers evasively: "We are fine". Then, pictures from a joint vacation appeared on the athlete’s profile, and in the captions, Yana asked Arthur to always be there. Fans of the couple were waiting for the lovers to get married, but at the end of 2017, in an interview, the girl shared that she and Yusupov were no longer together.

At the beginning of 2018, it became known that the girl had a new romance. The beauty's chosen one was hockey player Dmitry Kugryshev, who is 8 years older than Yana. In May, the couple vacationed together in the Maldives, which the famous gymnast announced on Instagram. Dmitry is a forward for the Salavat Yulaev team.

At the same time, the girl posts many photographs demonstrating Kudryavtseva’s beautiful figure and athletic form. Interestingly, with a height of 170 cm, Yana’s weight is only 40 kg.

The girl’s best friend is another Russian gymnast Margarita Mamun. Yana has mentioned more than once that she and Rita always support each other during competitions.

Yana Kudryavtseva now

Today Yana Kudryavtseva does not stop training. The girl conducts master classes in Russian cities. And the gymnast’s first lesson took place in Mexico. For 2018, the athlete has “classes” planned not only in her native country: residents of Egypt and Spain will be able to attend Yana’s classes.