AVERINA Arina (RUS)

"I sob and say that I am leaving": Averins - about a career, love and Viner-Usmanova

Do you need an introduction from Arin and Dean Averina? Perhaps this is a rhetorical question. From a large interview with RIA Novosti with some of the most titled and recognizable gymnasts in history, you will learn:
-what the sisters think about their future careers;
-with what anecdotes they made Irina Viner-Usmanova laugh;
-which of the Russian figure skaters Averina is called the favorites of the Beijing Olympics;
-what animal Dina compares Arina with in training;
-whether, in their opinion, the principle of "Sports outside politics" works;
-do the sisters have a feeling that they are being escorted to "retirement";
-and much more.

"We will no longer interfere with your life"

- Let's start with health - how do you feel physically and mentally?
Dina: Everything is fine, thank God, because we just flew in from vacation and nothing bothers us. When we rest, nothing hurts for us, so what is there to complain about. It seems to me that for the first time in Dubai we have been at sea for so long in terms of recreation.
Arina: In the end, even the sun got fed up. But we still had a good rest, thanks to Irina Aleksandrovna for this opportunity. The parents also flew in, stayed with them.

- Summed up the results of the season with them?
Dina: No, we didn't talk to them about gymnastics. We are not talking about this now, especially after the Olympics - then they wanted us to finish, we also wanted this. When Irina Aleksandrovna called us back to the hall, they said: "Decide for yourself, we will no longer interfere in your life."
Arina: Therefore, after the World Cup, no further plans were discussed, not even the tournament itself. We were just resting, no talking about sports.

- Then let's update the information - there is no career decision yet?
Arina: While we are thinking, we are training.
Dina: But because we are preparing for the show, this is a different mode and attitude. It seems to me that even Irina Aleksandrovna does not know what we are thinking.
Arina: And we don't know what she is thinking (laughs) .
Dina: While doing our own thing. We devote a lot of time to driving, because before the World Cup we had a theory, but now we have moved on to practice. We study English, participate in shows and filming, so we devote more time to this.
Arina: You still have to try. Right today I can’t take it and say that I am staying in sports, but I really cannot.
Dina: Yes! I had it so that one day I want to train, and the next I sob and say: "That's it, I'm leaving." It is very difficult to make such a decision.
Arina: For now, we can say that we will not compete at the Russian Cup in December.

- In general, many focus on Paris-2024, but there are seasons before that.
Arina: That's right, another 2.5 years! Why is everyone clinging to Paris at once? First, one season is needed, then the second. Even when there were 10 days left before Tokyo, I was at the training camp and still did not know if I was performing or not.

- At the same time, after the World Cup, you said that there was a kind of reboot of motivation. Does it stay with you?
Arina: I have, yes. When I said right after the Olympics that I was finishing and no more competitions ...
Dina: And I told you right away that we'll see!
Arina: Yes, but then I didn't want to continue. And at the World Championships on the last day there was a moment when I needed to go to the third type of all-around. I go up to Dina and say: "I stay in the sport!" That is, even the tournament is not over yet, as I have already said.
Dina: On the contrary, I had different feelings. When I was sitting there in Kiss & Cry after the tape, Yulia Vladimirovna (Barsukova) asked why I was sobbing. I say: "It seems to me that this is all." If after the Olympics I said that I will stay, then after the world everything has changed.

- Dina, your words at the World Cup were once again read on the lips ...
Dina: When did you swear? (laughs)

- I got a literary word.
In chorus: Agree!
Arina: We were talking about dogs - what I am, and then you bought. But in general, in everyday life, we do not swear like that.
Dina: It's all gymnastics - there are only nerves and stress.

Lover's head

- You run a YouTube channel , there was just a release about the World Cup. What about the content from Tokyo?
Arina: We filmed, but the vlog will not come out. They filmed training, testing, and the Olympic village to show the atmosphere of how everyone lives there. They filmed how we met Dina in qualifying, the all-around itself, but then they stopped - the day literally flew out of life. We were already filming the closing of the Olympics, as we flew back. I have all these videos. It seems to me that it would be interesting to see others, but they are not ready to exhibit yet. Now we do not remember the Olympics, we do not discuss it with anyone. We just live on - passed and passed.
Dina: For me, everything is more or less calm. The World Championship is over - and I calmed down. Apparently, it was more important for me that I won it, especially after the Olympics. I can calmly talk about the Games, but Arisha cannot.

- How have you changed during this time?
Dina: When we were on vacation after the Olympics in Cyprus, my parents said that they instantly changed somehow and matured, began to reason differently. Apparently, the brains were rearranged and began to think differently. Now you have time to calmly read the book! Probably what happened really influenced.
Arina: It seems to me that this is the case when it is more noticeable from the outside. People say that once - and instantly changed. I didn't even attach any importance to whether I changed or not. And people say that they have really grown up.

- But you still often hear that you look very young, noticeably younger than your age. How do you react to this?
Dina: It hurt me before!
Arina: When you were 12 years old, it must have been really offensive. But now Irina Aleksandrovna says every day: "You look 16, your brains look 23." We are already used to this.
Dina: It's good for the future - we will look young.
Arina: Yes, for any girl, it seems to me, looking younger than her age is a plus. Although sometimes I completely forget how old I am. But when I can hardly get out of bed in the morning, I feel like I am 40-50 years old (laughs) .

- If you develop the theme of appearance, what style of clothing, presentation of yourself is closer to you?
Arina: There was a fashion for oversize, and we have a couple of such things, but nothing more. For example, the sweatshirts we wear (in the show). I do not really like these, I would not wear them in my life. Not very comfortable. But I don't like tight clothes either. In general, you need it to hang out a little on you, but not much.
Dina: I recently fell in love with dresses - put on and went.
Arina: But the closest, of course, is the sporty style. Various T-shirts, training suits.

- The feeling of femininity and expressiveness in gymnastics changes with age and experience.
Arina: Yes. It seems to me that this began to change here in 2017, and globally in 2019. And at the last world championship, we already went out and blissed out.
Dina: By that time, we had achieved performance at the Olympics - this is the highest point. And the world championship turned out to be the fourth for us, so there was already less excitement, worries. They performed in general in a high.
Arina: It was nice to perform ourselves. There was no such thing that the heart was pounding from fear. There is natural excitement, but it was cool to perform, it's easier to reveal yourself. Plus, with experience, I began to hear music better and move to it.

- How to learn this?
Arina: In December 2016, Irina Aleksandrovna sat down and began to analyze with us every step, look, wave of her hand. To inspire us that we should move beautifully, femininely. From that moment, for all five years, she explained this to us every day and tried to reveal us even more from the inside.

- Irina Aleksandrovna colorfully told about this process. For example, that the ball is the head of the beloved.
Dina: Yes, yes ... Damn, if you present it in a different format, then what a horror (laughs) .
Arina: But in general there is about the fact that you need to roll the ball gently, smoothly, take it. That is, the projectile must be treated with care. And so far I can’t imagine anyone’s head, just a favorite ball (laughs) .
Dina: Here I am too.

- What are the nuances with other subjects?
Dina: Maces cannot be thrown. However, like other items.
Arina: "You must love the tape" - this is what she always tells me. I always had problems with the ribbon (laughs) . Irina Aleksandrovna says that we must forget all the difficulties with her and just love her.

"Can you swear?"

- What are your current accents in working with Viner-Usmanova?
Dina: She began to reveal us in a different way. Before the World Cup, we had to tell her 2-3 anecdotes every day. She says: "Why be sad? You should come happy and tell me jokes so that we can laugh together." Probably, she revealed us more in terms of communication, so that we would be cheerful, not sad, not drooped in connection with the Olympics. They just took jokes on the Internet, but she just laughed, cheered her up.

- Have a lover?
Dina: I remember this: "Describe your life." - "Can I swear?" - "Not". - "Then everything is fine!" It was really topical (laughs) .

- I offer imperishable classics. Irina Alexandrovna in three words?
Dina: Fair, wise, great. (After a pause) Arish, are you really thinking?
Arina: Well, how do you fit everything into three words? I will say this: loving, wise, caring.

- It is significant that you both said "wise." What advice, did you remember an idea from the last?
Arina: That you have to believe in yourself. At the World Championships, we stood in an embrace for a long time, she said a lot of things. And before the last exits in the all-around she said: "Believe in yourself, I believe in you. And God will help!"
Dina: I beg you, she says so every exit (laughs) .
Arina: Yes, but at some point it can feel completely new.

- Irina Aleksandrovna is generally a master of catchy, and sometimes harsh quotes. Doesn't it seem that sometimes you can inadvertently overdo it?
Arina: If it were soft, and not the same as it is now, then Russia would not be a leader.
Dina: Actually, I thought about it for a long time. For example, did she go too far in training? But then I understand that no, because then there would be no result. All rhythmic gymnastics really rests on it. If she had not been tough and strict, nothing would have happened. She fights to the end and does everything for her children.
Arina: Of course, not everyone can adapt, withstand such a load, communication. Perhaps characters, understanding should converge. For example, she might say to do incredible things. You think, "How can I even do this?" But here I go and do it, because I trust her. She sees that I can do it. And the truth is - after a while it succeeds. But those gymnasts who do not believe her, she does not really like, because they doubt her decision. She often explains: "I would never demand this from you if I did not see that you can."

- Did you make sure at your recent master class that you yourself do not want to be coaches?
Arina: Yes, although they say that we would have succeeded. We can help, explain to the gymnast, but I cannot sit in the gym from morning till night.
Dina: I think I would rather kill the children than tell them. So much nerves and patience are needed. If Arisha sometimes does not understand from the third time when I explain to her why I have to raise her voice, how will I explain to the children? I feel sorry for them (laughs) .

- Does this reaction quickly fade away?
Arina: Yes, everything is fine (laughs) . Previously, it hurt more, but now this mood quickly passes. Although Dina can still yell at me in training.
Dina: For you to try. In this regard, I am more expressive. This is not because Arisha does nothing, but because she understands. I try to help her so that she quickly understands how to do something. I call her a mountain goat sometimes, it's not offensive. Her legs hurt, but she still jumps! Why not a goat? Good question, I don't know (laughs) .

"Politics has been in sports for a long time"

- The video from the World Championship contains warm moments of your communication with foreign gymnasts, although at the same Olympics there were enough tense words.
In chorus: "Broke the system!" - Alina Gornosko.
Arina: At the World Championships, we communicated well with her, everything is fine. The tension was in the first days, but then everything became as usual. When there is no competition, we communicate normally with everyone. We have friendship of peoples, no one pierces or breaks anyone's objects, does not add doping (laughs) .

- At the same time, around sports and our national team, there is enough tough rhetoric mixed with politics, especially during the Olympics.
Arina: Then we generally tried not to go online. There were protests, there were petitions for the cancellation of the Olympic Games, we were condemned for speaking out while people were dying of covid. It was very offensive and unfair, they did not stand in our place. After such headlines, they tried not to read any news.
Dina: Many more wrote why go to the competition without a flag and anthem, they called it a betrayal. I do not think so.
Arina: Me too. On the contrary, despite all the difficulties, we went and performed, in the world of gymnastics everyone knows what country we are from. In Japan, everyone called us Russian women. Of course, it would be more pleasant to compete at the Olympics and the World Championships under our own flag - perhaps they would even have been judged differently.

- Politics has finally come to sport, is the reverse thesis very naive?
Dina: Yes ... Sport is not out of politics for a long time.
Arina: Now the principle of "Politics in Sports" is already working, it is worth remembering the same news about the boycott of the Winter Olympics in Beijing.

- You just closely follow figure skating and will watch it at the Games?
Dina: Yes. Our favorites in Beijing? Kamila Valieva and Anya Shcherbakova (in chorus) .
Arina: Of course, everyone is worthy. It is difficult to choose who will go to the Olympics. There is also Sasha Trusova, Maya Khromykh, it's a pity that Dasha Usacheva was recently injured. And, of course, Tuktamysheva, for whom there is great respect. She skates differently, she has an adult, feminine skating. One can feel how the "little ones" are more afraid, compete, and Liza comes out and enjoys even herself.

Live without "sued again"

- Have you felt a surge in popularity in recent months?
Arina: No.
Dina: Yes! Everyone loves scandals, intrigues, investigations, so after the Olympics, everyone talks about gymnastics.
Arina: Now every fifth person "understands" the rules, comments on them. If before there was solid news on covid, then after the Olympics - only gymnastics.
Dina: That's a plus. At least they began to talk about rhythmic gymnastics, they began to notice, at least somehow they promoted and promoted. But we still don't feel it on ourselves, not counting the followers on Instagram.

- Are you already tired of such public attention to scandals?
Dina: I would like to get rid of it as soon as possible, so that it would calm down, everyone somehow forgot, otherwise they say at every step. At some point, it was really annoying, I wanted to live peacefully without "suing again" and other things.

- Do you feel, on your part, the professional task of popularizing gymnastics in other ways? Is it important for athletes?
Arina: It seems to me, yes, because all day long sports. You can come to some show, TV channel - and unwind, and get a completely different experience, new emotions. I think this is important for every athlete. For us it is not strained.

- Are the category of luxury events, show business hangouts close to you?
Chorus: No!
Arina: We are shy. So far, it is not very attractive there. We are athletes, and there are stars - they have a different world, from which it is a little uncomfortable. We do not attend all the events where we are invited.
Dina: This is completely different, there is fear at such events.

- At the same time, you perform in thousands of rhinestones - pure luxury.
Dina: In gymnastics it is necessary - the more stones, the better!
Arina: Yes, swimwear is expensive. Some of them are paid by Irina Aleksandrovna, federation. And so they are very expensive. Now six-year-old children wear swimsuits with a thousand stones each, their parents give a lot of money for one swimsuit. The average cost of ours is a little over a hundred thousand (rubles). We sell some, some remain in Novogorsk, they can be worn by gymnasts of the Russian national team. So far, nothing has been left as a souvenir.

Under the new rules

- There will now be new requirements for swimwear. What's the trick?
Dina: Not everything is as scary as many have written. They don't want to do the long-legged effect like synchronized swimming. We usually have beige mesh on the sides to visually lengthen the legs. Now this cannot be done, you can just use colored fabric on the thighs. Aesthetically, this does not play a special role.

- Swimwear is often spoken about in the context of the objectification of women. Have you ever been embarrassed by this?
Dina: I don't like going out too open, it's inconvenient. It's hard to get used to, as it is difficult to go out for the first time in a swimsuit without a skirt. Imagine how everyone will look at you, you think: "What a nightmare, I will disgrace myself." In fact, what will the skirt do? When you go out, it covers your thighs and ass, and when you move, you can see everything. Now we are trying to follow the fashion in order to sew beautiful swimwear. We save information from fashion shows, we can take an idea from there a little, but do it in our own way.

- There are still coming changes in the rules of refereeing, which you have recently been studying in detail. How are your impressions?
Dina: To be honest, the rules are not very good. Something like it, something not. But there will be more artists, it is necessary to show beautifully the music, style, manner - this is about real rhythmic gymnastics. There are difficulties, but difficult for everyone.
Arina: There are many pluses and minuses. I like that there are two dance floors, that is, you began to dance more and show rhythmic gymnastics itself, less "throw-catch". The effect of the apparatus is gone, but real rhythmic gymnastics has appeared. For example, it is generally obligatory to just dance with the object for 16 seconds.
Unitary elements appeared, in which you can combine two elements. A lot of monotonous exercises have become due to the fact that they did not think a little about the cost of throws, catching, rolls, so everyone makes the most expensive set, and the exercises look the same in terms of the subject. Irina Aleksandrovna said that if we approach these rules with our heads, then everything will be fine.

- Will it noticeably refresh the competition in the national team? And it’s so annoying when someone steps on the heels.
Dina: Strains. The atmosphere in the hall is tense, because the younger generation is already looking at us like: "What else are you doing here, isn't it time to retire? Make way for us." But this is how I feel. I think everyone should achieve it himself, we were also on a long bench, moving closer and closer and waiting for our moment, practicing to show the result. We did not look at Yana (Kudryavtseva) and Rita (Mamun) with the message "Finish faster." On the contrary, I was a fan of them and took something from them to be just as cool.
Arina:T here is competition in any sport, it is felt. Sometimes they even look askance. But everyone only gets better from her, because he sees how the other is doing something, and wants to learn too.
Dina: The main thing is that the training ends and everyone communicates well - this is a plus. Everything that happens in the gym and at the competitions remains there, but in life everything is normal.

- After all, not only the rules are changing, but also the key persons in the International Gymnastics Federation. Did you follow the election to the technical committee?
Dina: Yes, it was on vacation. Just in the evening we learned that (to replace Natalya Kuzmina) they chose Noha Abu Shaban, Irina Aleksandrovna wrote. Let's go to her, she was very happy. We, too, was really interested. Irina Alexandrovna was very worried, so we supported her and immediately congratulated her. Then she exhaled. Let's see what will happen next. We don't know what the new chapter will do.
Arina: Since Irina Aleksandrovna made it clear that this is for the best, then it is so. She understands this better.

Do you have to be a bitch in sports?

- At the World Championships, as in Novogorsk for a long time, you lived in separate rooms because of the regulations, and now you are together again at the base. How do you feel more comfortable at the moment?
Arina:O ver the past year, we got used to living one at a time, because we have been living this way since 2020. We were settled, we lived behind a wall with doors wide open. By the end of last year, we were settled together, because they knew that we were already walking each other. They say: "Okay, the Averins live together." So it was this year, but from mid-July we lived separately and did not intersect at all until the Olympics. At first it was difficult because of the separation, but then we got used to it. The main thing is to share things (laughs) . And at normal times we live quietly in different apartments - each has its own.

- And who is stronger in everyday life?
Dina: Arisha. I’m so lazy, I’ll even complain. We have no time at all, even on our free weekend evenings, driving and English lessons. Until we finish, while we have a bite, we go to bed late, we get up early. If it’s a day off, then it’s also scheduled, and we will have it until the New Year. So we’re tired and too lazy to clean up, we don’t even have time.

- As well as your personal life, probably? Social networks are probably constantly inundated, including offers to get married.
Dina: He writes a lot of all sorts of left-wing people, they call to meet. The stream in Direct has become larger.
Arina: I think it's very difficult to get acquainted via the Internet. Even a photo can be photoshopped a hundred times before displaying it. Then you will come to the meeting ...
Dina: It's called a date (laughs) .
Arina: You know, there are business meetings, and they can just invite you to the park for a walk!
Dina: But so far we have nothing with anyone. No communication, no meetings. There was and still is a closed base, so we are sitting on it. Now there is no opportunity, and when the competitive season begins, then there is time. In my head there is only training, from morning to night in the gym.
Arina: Life goes on, but everything has its time. You have to live for today, you don't know what will happen tomorrow. You can make plans, but not do global planning.

- By nature, do you clearly divide into father's and mother's daughter?
Arina: I look like my dad, and Dina looks like my mother. I can say that my father's character is more gentle, humorous. And the older sister too.
Dina: And my mother and I are building everyone!

- I just remember Svetlana Khorkina's phrase that in sports you have to be a bitch and even a little catty ...
A: Yes, Dina's character fits the sport.
Dina: Only the last - not in terms of communicating with people, of course. This is about behavior on the court, with a subject, sports arrogance.

- What is your dream outside of sports now?
Arina: Snowboard to master and pump in figure skating. I would like to be invited to the "Ice Age" after a career.
Dina: We talked with Ilya Averbukh in Nizhny Novgorod, he suggested trying it. We trained for ourselves, but then returned to the gym.

- Who did you study with?
Dina: The first skating was with Ilya. Very scary.
Arina: I don't, I'm used to falling. These are compatible things (laughs) .

- Arina, what happened to your hand?
Arina: Yesterday I hurt my finger with a club, so I didn't know whether I would perform today.
Dina: That's why I made her perform with clubs.
Arina: I decided: eather I’ll go out and do it or I won’t perform at all.
Dina and Arina Alexandrovna said me: "You can do everything, come on, take your clubs".
Dina: She competed in three types and I told her: “There are only clubs left, I understand that it hurts you, you can’t do them, but come on.”

- After three programs, you and Lala were on a par...
Arina: I didn’t think about it, because I wasn’t supposed to perform. I tuned in to three types only, I didn’t even take clubs in my hands.
Dina: Today she put on makeup, made hairstyle, came into the hall and said: “I will not perform.” I asked: “Why are you wearing makeup then?” She replied that she would pronably try. Once you try, why not perform". And after each program, she used to come and say: "That's it, I won't perform anymore, I'm done".
Arina: They asked me everytime whether should we cancel or not. I was saying: "Well, I'll try the ball and that's it, we will stop". Then they asked again: “Cancelling?”. "I'll try the ribbon, too".
Dina: And then Arisha herself came and said that she wants to cancel because she couldn’t take clubs. I said: “You have alrrady done three programs and you can do clubs as well".

- One has a plaster on the left leg, the other has a plaster on the right leg.
Arina: Coincidence.
Dina: We decided to match each other (laughs).

- Is this also situational or chronicle?
Dina: Yes, old injuries. They promised to heal after Tokio..
Arina: How do you imagine a professional athlete to be healthy?
Dina: They do not heal, these injuries are with us for whole life and do not leave us. So that we don't get bored.

- I imagine a professional athlete who has injuries, but they are under control.
Dina: Well, yes, and we have fresh injuries. The programs have changed, the work of the body has changed, everything has changed.


- The previous rules broke many gymnasts, it was hard; ligaments, joints, muscles were falling apart. Are the new rules different in terms of requirements for the body?
Arina: I think they are different, combined elements have appeared, new elements that we have never done before.
Dina: The nature of the work has changed, before we practiced "Ms", throws, risks, and now there are many elements where you need to strain all the muscles, stand on half-fingered feet, so the body gets even more injured.

- Some of the combined elements that I saw today look very traumatic, to be honest.
Dina: Yes, indeed. For example, it was very difficult for me to start working with a ribbon according to the new rules, because drawing is valued in this program now. It means that almost the entire program you have to draw patterns with a ribbon, so when we started to prepare it, the ligaments of the hands and wrists ached. There are almost no ribbon throws, a maximum of five throws, and the rest is solid drawings.

- If you summarize the changes in terms of workload, then what do we have in result?
Dina: The number of throws has decreased, there is more small work. And everyone thought that this was a positive change, but in fact, small work with an apparatus is a very difficult thing, you need to constantly think, can't relax your mind.

- Arina, when Irina Alexandrovna Viner-Usmanova took you out on the carpet, there was a phrase: "Don't give up."
Arina: When I went out with a ribbon, yes. She said: "Don't give up, do everything right, everything as I taught you." When I had performed with a ribbon, she almost came out on the carpet to me. She tried to help me somehow. And I heard her voice during the performance.

- Dina, does winning the national championship mean anything to you, given the baggage of titles?
Dina: So, Arisha won the last three national championships, and I really wanted to compete calmly today, because in the previous three years I was nervous, worried, tried to fight, to prove to myself that I could do something. And today I just went out on the carpet and enjoyed the programs.

- Even with the new ball program?
Dina: I was a bit nervous there because I did not have time to work it out, but today everything worked out, thanks God. And when I realized that I won the Championship, I was very happy.

- Why have you changed the ball program?
Dina: Irina Alexandrovna said at the Grand Prix that we need to talk about the ball program. I replied that if we are talking about replacing music, then I agree. At the next training session, they have started making changes in the program but I resisted for a long time, saying that I couldn’t work under Glinka music, that it was very difficult for me, I didn't feel this music. But we still practiced, cleaned it up, and today we have presented the program.

- Why did Glinka turn out to be heavy?
Dina: Because it's like Tchaikovsky, under which I have already performed. This is serious music.

- Shostakovich in the ribbon - not serious?
Dina: Shostakovich is my style, and the coaches immediately told me that I could do everything.

The situation with further competitions is unclear. There are athletes who love to train and they stay motivated through training. There are those who need competitions.
Arina: I think I'm from the second group. Just training is boring, there is no motivation then. And you have to compete to splash out energy, emotions. You compete with other gymnasts and through this you yourself become better. And there is no such effect from training.
Dina: In 2020, when there was quarantine, the competitive pause was a huge plus for me, because I managed to heal my back as much as possible and completely change the exercises so as not to bend in the back area. And then it worked out.

- It's a paradox, outwardly it always seemed that it was Dina who was more suitable for the path through the competitios, and Arina is on the contrary. Now it's the other way around (laughs).
Arina: I want to perform more on the carpet, because these are completely different emotions. Unreal.
Dina: The public, the audience, their support. You go out - and goosebumps run through your body. Nerves, stress, anxiety. It is very cool.

- If the Russia-Belarus tournament is held, will it add nerve and competitive sensations?
Arina: Yes, it will be different experience and emotions compared to the Russian Championship.
Dina: Well, I don't know... Arina, we talked to you yesterday and recalled the Russian Championship as the most difficult start. It is very nervous, emotional, and it is always difficult to perform in Russia, especially since the Russian Championship has been the main start, selection for the national team. But it happened this year that the national championship was the calmest in terms of emotions; it can probably be compared with the World Championship.

- But so far, there is no understanding of where and when you will enter the competitive carpet next time?
Dina: It seems to me that there is no even a plan.
Arina: No plan.
Dina: Now let's heal a little, have a rest. And .. then, maybe, we will work, work out programs.

Averina gymnasts said they would end their career if the Russian team was not allowed to the 2024 Games in Paris

The leaders of the Russian rhythmic gymnastics team Arina and Dina Averina, on the air of a show on Nikita Nagorny's YouTube channel, announced that they would end their careers if the national team was not allowed to participate in the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris.

What will happen if the news comes out that the Russian team will not take part in the Olympic Games in Paris?
- Yes, we are ending our careers,” Arina said.
- Before the whole situation, thanks to Arina, we wanted to leave after the Olympics in Paris. She persuaded me - three years about nothing at all. And I thought, okay, we persuaded, we stay. And then everything was blocked for us, and I think: why is this all? When will everything come back so that we can perform normally? I want to leave for a long time, but they don’t let us go, ”Dina added.

Dina Averina is a silver medalist at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics, an 18-time world champion and a 10-time European champion. Her twin sister Arina is a 5-time world champion and 9-time European champion.

On August 13, the athletes will turn 24 years old. The 2024 Summer Games are to be held in Paris from July 26 to August 11.