Artistic gymnasts from across Russia gather in Kazan

Russia’s best artistic gymnasts have gathered in Kazan.Two tournaments, simultaneous exercises national championship and Russia Artistic Gymnastics Cup, are under way in Kazan, on the grounds of a new Gymnastics Centre.

The first stage of the national cup has concluded. Thirteen athletes from various parts of the country, including the Nizhny Novgorod, Belgorod, Sverdlovsk, Omsk, Moscow, Penza regions, and Moscow, have performed routines with a ball and a hoola hoop.

Ekaterina Selezneva of the Moscow region has on the first day been the leader, scoring 54.45 points, followed by Anastassia Kadochnikova, with 52.2 points, and Adel Galina, with 52 points.

Everything would be decided on Thursday, it was too early to celebrate, Selezneva commented. Her coach is her mother, Olga Nazarova.

“It is easier for me than working with a strange person. We understand each other well. But we do not talk about gymnastics at home, trying to separate sport and family,” she said.

The championship’s programme for today includes routines with five balls, in which event 32 teams from various Russian regions, including Tatarstan, take part. The Russian national team will trial a new venue as well. The girls are in the next few days scheduled to present a demonstration performance, the Kazan 2013 Executive Directorate’s media department reports.