Showing posts with label ZHENYALICIOUS. Show all posts
Showing posts with label ZHENYALICIOUS. Show all posts
Thursday, October 17, 2013
More photos of Zhenya at the GQ event
Looking back on some happier times....here are more photos of Zhenya at the GQ woman of the year event.
And on Zhenya Kanaeva Gymnasium, you can read a translation of her interview.
Friday, September 20, 2013
Zhenya is GQ's woman of the year!
Congrats to Zhenya on winning! She deserves it!
And I have to say, she looks great! I thought she might have really let herself go now that she's pregnant, but so far she seems to be in pretty good shape. Her arms look like they are thin like they were when she was competing!
I don't really care for the cover shot, though..she looks a little washed out or something.
I don't really care for the cover shot, though..she looks a little washed out or something.
Sunday, August 11, 2013
Happy anniversary to me and RG!!
Today is August 11, 2013, which means it has been exactly one year since Evgenia Kanaeva made history by becoming the first two-time Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics, and made me totally obsessed with the Russian RG team!!
To commemorate that momentous event, here are some of my favorite photos of Zhenya and Dasha from that fateful day! Really, can you imagine a more pulchritudinous pair of gold & silver medalists??!
Getting interviewed for a radio show...
Dancing at the BOSCO club..
Awwwww, these photos are SO CUTE!!!!!!!!!!!!! Such memories!!!! Just can't help but \(^o^)/
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| Zhenya & Dasha |
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| Zhenya congratulating Dasha--hahahaha! |
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| Dasha giving Zhenya a huge hug while Dasha's coach Olga Buyanova & Zhenya coach Vera Shtelbaums (holding the water bottle) look on--SO CUTE!!! |
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| Zhenya with a protective arm around Dasha, just like a big sis should be! |
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| ?, Zhenya, Dima, Dasha |
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| Dinara Gimatova, Zhenya, Dasha, ? |
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| Dasha doing a crazy walkover/balance |
Friday, July 5, 2013
Why I think Zhenya is #1
Ask Uliana Donskova (2012 Olympic champion in group RG) who her favorite athlete in rhythmic gymnastics is, and the answer is “Zhenya Kanaeva.”
Ask Dasha Dmitrieva (2012 Olympic silver medalist in RG) who her gymnastic idols are, and she replies, “I do not have idols in the full sense of the word, but I love Ira Chaschina. She was my favorite gymnast, when she was performing. I also love Ulyana Trofimova, who now competes for Uzbekistan. She is able to combine amazing things and emotions, which is very difficult. And, of course, the incomparable, invincible Zhenya Kanaeva. She has made a huge contribution to Russian sport; truly legendary gymnast.” [Translation by GoogleTranslate with editing by me.]
Now, I’m not going to try to list all of Zhenya’s numerous titles and accomplishments here.
There are much better sites for that:
Awesome resource for Zhenya info and rhythmic gymnastics in general
http://zhenyakanaevagymnasium.
Zhenya’s Wikipedia page in English
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
I will, however, make some observations and explain why Zhenya is #1 for me.
Since I have been only following RG for less than a year, and honestly have only really watched the Olympics, I am not an expert AT ALL, but if you ask me why I think Zhenya has been so successful, I think there are eight reasons.
First and foremost, Zhenya is incredibly hardworking and dedicated. Recently, Irina Viner (head coach of the RG team) shared an anecdote about Zhenya getting up early to train even when on vacation!
She strikes me as the type of athlete who would practice, practice, practice until she perfected an element, and I always admire that kind of perfectionist dedication.
Second, Zhenya’s routines are extremely difficult. Now, I know that others have quibbled about how she lowered the difficulty of her routines since 2011 and always does the same tricks, but at the 2012 Olympics, it was clear that she had the most complicated routines of all the gymnasts competing there. Although each individual element of her routines may not be extremely difficult, what makes Zhenya’s routines so impressive is that she strings so many difficult elements together in combination. Sure, it may be true that she “played it safe” at the Olympics, but for many years, she pushed the technical barriers of the sport, and that is exactly what I think athletes should do.
Third, Zhenya has a fantastic coach—Vera Efremovna Shtelbaums—with whom she has an incredibly close relationship. Vera Efremovna has basically known Zhenya since she was a child, and the total trust they have in each other (and affection for each other) definitely have helped Zhenya succeed.
Now, Zhenya being Zhenya (i.e. incredibly modest), she would probably stop there and tell you that she was able to achieve her success all thanks to hard work, her amazing coaches and the supportive training environment, but I think there are a couple of things that are special/unique about Zhenya that made her the Greatest of All Time.
Fourth, Zhenya is extremely naturally flexible. In particular, her back is extremely flexible, which allows her to pull off her signature ring pivots.
I definitely think that part of the reason that Zhenya was able to stay on top for so long was because her natural flexibility spared her from serious injuries that derailed many other gymnasts’ careers.
I say this because figure skater Mao Asada (who is also extremely naturally flexible) has not had many serious injuries compared to Yu-Na Kim and Miki Ando, for example, who are not as flexible. (Figure skating is my only other point of comparison, since I haven't been following RG that long.)
Fifth, Zhenya is good at all the apparatuses, and she claims to love them all equally. In contrast, most gymnasts seem to have some favorite apparatuses, and some they like less. To me, Zhenya's facility with all the apparatuses suggests that she naturally has superior hand-eye coordination skills, so they are equally easy to her. Having no weaknesses (among the apparatuses) is certainly a strength.
Sixth, Zhenya is beautiful! Let’s be honest here. Rhythmic gymnastics is a subjective sport, and looks definitely matter. Now, Zhenya is absolutely gorgeous, and even several years back, she was super cute. Of course the judges (and the fans) would want to root for a girl with a smile like this!
If Zhenya were not so adorable and pretty, she probably would’ve been very successful, but I don’t think she would have been as successful and as popular as she is.
These six traits are things figure skater Mao Asada exhibits as well—extreme work ethic, always trying difficult elements, very close to her coaches, naturally flexible, naturally good at jumps/spins/steps, and super cute. However, I think there are two additional characteristics that Zhenya has that Mao does not have, which have made Zhenya the very best in her sport.
Seventh, Zhenya seems to be extremely mentally tough. She very rarely makes mistakes in competitions, and when she does, she is able to cover them very well (think on her feet). That ability to execute in competition is something that Mao Asada unfortunately lacks. You may be able to do the hardest tricks in practice, but if you can’t perform in the competition, it doesn’t matter.
Finally, Zhenya seems to be very smart and self-aware. I think that Mao Asada has struggled because she doesn’t understand her strengths and she doesn’t understand what the judges want to see. I think Zhenya is the opposite; I think she is VERY aware of what she is good at and what she needs to work on.
Lyubov Cherkashina, the bronze medalist at the 2012 Olympics, once commented that if you ask Zhenya how she did after a competition, she immediately lists all the mistakes she made. As a result, she has been able to maintain her motivation to continue training hard, which in turn helped her win almost every competition and made her legendary!
Yes, I definitely think hard work and a great coaching relationship helped propel Zhenya to the top. But that is not all that is needed to win. I think Zhenya’s special combination of natural aptitude, intelligence/self-awareness, mental toughness, and personal beauty made her the Greatest of All Time.
As Alina Kabaeva, another queen of rhythmic gymnastics once wrote, “What a star she is! I think any type of sport could only dream of having performers like Zhenya!”
More on Zhenya to come...
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| Zhenya & Ul at the 2013 Spring Cup in Krasnoyarsk |
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| Dasha D cheering for Zhenya |
There are much better sites for that:
Awesome resource for Zhenya info and rhythmic gymnastics in general
http://zhenyakanaevagymnasium.
Zhenya’s Wikipedia page in English
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/
I will, however, make some observations and explain why Zhenya is #1 for me.
Since I have been only following RG for less than a year, and honestly have only really watched the Olympics, I am not an expert AT ALL, but if you ask me why I think Zhenya has been so successful, I think there are eight reasons.
First and foremost, Zhenya is incredibly hardworking and dedicated. Recently, Irina Viner (head coach of the RG team) shared an anecdote about Zhenya getting up early to train even when on vacation!
Second, Zhenya’s routines are extremely difficult. Now, I know that others have quibbled about how she lowered the difficulty of her routines since 2011 and always does the same tricks, but at the 2012 Olympics, it was clear that she had the most complicated routines of all the gymnasts competing there. Although each individual element of her routines may not be extremely difficult, what makes Zhenya’s routines so impressive is that she strings so many difficult elements together in combination. Sure, it may be true that she “played it safe” at the Olympics, but for many years, she pushed the technical barriers of the sport, and that is exactly what I think athletes should do.
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| You try catching this on your back!! |
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| Zhenya & Vera Efremovna |
Fourth, Zhenya is extremely naturally flexible. In particular, her back is extremely flexible, which allows her to pull off her signature ring pivots.
I definitely think that part of the reason that Zhenya was able to stay on top for so long was because her natural flexibility spared her from serious injuries that derailed many other gymnasts’ careers.
I say this because figure skater Mao Asada (who is also extremely naturally flexible) has not had many serious injuries compared to Yu-Na Kim and Miki Ando, for example, who are not as flexible. (Figure skating is my only other point of comparison, since I haven't been following RG that long.)
Fifth, Zhenya is good at all the apparatuses, and she claims to love them all equally. In contrast, most gymnasts seem to have some favorite apparatuses, and some they like less. To me, Zhenya's facility with all the apparatuses suggests that she naturally has superior hand-eye coordination skills, so they are equally easy to her. Having no weaknesses (among the apparatuses) is certainly a strength.
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| Rolling a hoop/ball AND scarf |
Sixth, Zhenya is beautiful! Let’s be honest here. Rhythmic gymnastics is a subjective sport, and looks definitely matter. Now, Zhenya is absolutely gorgeous, and even several years back, she was super cute. Of course the judges (and the fans) would want to root for a girl with a smile like this!
If Zhenya were not so adorable and pretty, she probably would’ve been very successful, but I don’t think she would have been as successful and as popular as she is.
These six traits are things figure skater Mao Asada exhibits as well—extreme work ethic, always trying difficult elements, very close to her coaches, naturally flexible, naturally good at jumps/spins/steps, and super cute. However, I think there are two additional characteristics that Zhenya has that Mao does not have, which have made Zhenya the very best in her sport.
Seventh, Zhenya seems to be extremely mentally tough. She very rarely makes mistakes in competitions, and when she does, she is able to cover them very well (think on her feet). That ability to execute in competition is something that Mao Asada unfortunately lacks. You may be able to do the hardest tricks in practice, but if you can’t perform in the competition, it doesn’t matter.
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| Totally focused! |
Finally, Zhenya seems to be very smart and self-aware. I think that Mao Asada has struggled because she doesn’t understand her strengths and she doesn’t understand what the judges want to see. I think Zhenya is the opposite; I think she is VERY aware of what she is good at and what she needs to work on.
Lyubov Cherkashina, the bronze medalist at the 2012 Olympics, once commented that if you ask Zhenya how she did after a competition, she immediately lists all the mistakes she made. As a result, she has been able to maintain her motivation to continue training hard, which in turn helped her win almost every competition and made her legendary!
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| Thinking had! |
As Alina Kabaeva, another queen of rhythmic gymnastics once wrote, “What a star she is! I think any type of sport could only dream of having performers like Zhenya!”
More on Zhenya to come...
In the beginning, there was Zhenya
(I meant to publish these posts much earlier, but then I got distracted by Zhenya's wedding and a bunch of other stuff! So here they are, finally...)
Up to this point I’ve been mostly posting a bunch of photos, but now I thought I’d try to write a little bit about how I became a rhythmic gymnastics fan. And it all started with Zhenya!
I first saw Evgenia Kanaeva at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
That was not the first time I had watched rhythmic gymnastics, but it was probably the first time in recent memory that I had made a conscious effort to record and watch the competition (rather than accidentally stumble upon it).
I remember thinking that Kanaeva was amazing, and very cute, but at the time, I didn’t feel like I had to go and learn all about her. This was in part due to the fact that I had just become obsessed with Nastia Liukin, the artistic gymnast who had just won her 2008 Olympic title in storybook fashion, in addition to my ongoing obsession with figure skater Mao Asada.)
Here is Kanaeva’s amazing rope routine from 2008. I love the music, and from the very beginning, the tricks she performs with the rope are mind-blowing.
(Click to watch the video in HD on YouTube--it's totally worth it!)
Fast-forward to 2012. As the London Olympics approached, I thought about rhythmic gymnastics for the first time in four years. I remembered Kanaeva’s name and looked her up, and realized she had basically been undefeated at all the major competitions since the 2008 Olympics. Wow!!
So I was really looking forward to watching the 2012 rhythmic gymnastics competition and (hopefully) seeing Kanaeva take home a second gold medal.
And OH MY! What a difference four years makes! The cute but slightly reserved 18-year old had blossomed into an absolutely stunning QUEEN. She simply commanded your attention. Her handling of the apparatus was flawless, her movements were effortless and fluid, and she felt the music.
Can you say GORGEOUS??!
Even to an inexperienced viewer like me, she was, without a doubt, in a class by herself.
And good lord, just look at that dazzling smile!
Here are Zhenya’s four routines from the final all-around competition (skip to the times listed below):
Hoop - 14:35
http://www.youtube.com/user/olympic?v=y-nyuuqmfVo&t=14m35s
Ball - 44:20
http://www.youtube.com/user/olympic?v=y-nyuuqmfVo&t=44m20s
Clubs - 1:49:04
http://www.youtube.com/user/olympic?v=y-nyuuqmfVo&t=1h49m4s
Ribbon - 2:25:10
http://www.youtube.com/user/olympic?v=y-nyuuqmfVo&t=2h25m25s
In particular, I wanted to watch her club routine again and again!
So needless to say, Zhenya won her second Olympic gold medal.
And this time around, I became TOTALLY OBSESSED!
More on Zhenya in the posts to follow…
Up to this point I’ve been mostly posting a bunch of photos, but now I thought I’d try to write a little bit about how I became a rhythmic gymnastics fan. And it all started with Zhenya!
I first saw Evgenia Kanaeva at the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.
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| Inna Zhukova, Zhenya, Anna Bessonova |
I remember thinking that Kanaeva was amazing, and very cute, but at the time, I didn’t feel like I had to go and learn all about her. This was in part due to the fact that I had just become obsessed with Nastia Liukin, the artistic gymnast who had just won her 2008 Olympic title in storybook fashion, in addition to my ongoing obsession with figure skater Mao Asada.)
Here is Kanaeva’s amazing rope routine from 2008. I love the music, and from the very beginning, the tricks she performs with the rope are mind-blowing.
(Click to watch the video in HD on YouTube--it's totally worth it!)
Fast-forward to 2012. As the London Olympics approached, I thought about rhythmic gymnastics for the first time in four years. I remembered Kanaeva’s name and looked her up, and realized she had basically been undefeated at all the major competitions since the 2008 Olympics. Wow!!
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| 2009 World Championships: Dasha Kondakova, Zhenya, Anna Bessonova |
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| 2010 World Championships: Dasha Kondakova, Zhenya, Melita Staniouta |
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| 2011 World Championships: Dasha Kondakova, Zhenya, Aliya Garayeva |
And OH MY! What a difference four years makes! The cute but slightly reserved 18-year old had blossomed into an absolutely stunning QUEEN. She simply commanded your attention. Her handling of the apparatus was flawless, her movements were effortless and fluid, and she felt the music.
Can you say GORGEOUS??!
And good lord, just look at that dazzling smile!
Here are Zhenya’s four routines from the final all-around competition (skip to the times listed below):
Hoop - 14:35
http://www.youtube.com/user/olympic?v=y-nyuuqmfVo&t=14m35s
Ball - 44:20
http://www.youtube.com/user/olympic?v=y-nyuuqmfVo&t=44m20s
Clubs - 1:49:04
http://www.youtube.com/user/olympic?v=y-nyuuqmfVo&t=1h49m4s
Ribbon - 2:25:10
http://www.youtube.com/user/olympic?v=y-nyuuqmfVo&t=2h25m25s
In particular, I wanted to watch her club routine again and again!
So needless to say, Zhenya won her second Olympic gold medal.
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| Dasha Dmitrieva, Zhenya, Lyubov Cherkashina |
More on Zhenya in the posts to follow…
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