Alina Kabaeva facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alina Kabaeva Алина Кабаева
Kabaeva in 2021
Personal information
Full name	Alina Maratovna Kabaeva
Country represented	Russia
Born	(1983-05-12) 12 May 1983 (age 42) Tashkent, Soviet Union
Height	166 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Discipline	Rhythmic gymnastics
Years on national team	1996–2007
Club	MGFSO Dynamo
Head coach(es)	Irina Viner
Assistant coach(es)	Vera Shatalina
Choreographer	Veronica Shatkova
Eponymous skills	Backscale pivots
Retired	2007
Medal record Rhythmic gymnastics Representing  Russia Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 1 0 1 World Championships 9 3 2 European Championships 15 3 3 European Team Championships 3 0 0 World Cup Final 5 1 0 Grand Prix Final 4 1 1 Goodwill Games 4 1 0 Total 41 9 7 Olympic Games Gold 2004 Athens All-around Bronze 2000 Sydney All-around World Championships Gold 1999 Osaka All-around Gold 1999 Osaka Team Gold 1999 Osaka Ball Gold 1999 Osaka Ribbon Gold 2003 Budapest All-around Gold 2003 Budapest Team Gold 2003 Budapest Ball Gold 2003 Budapest Ribbon Gold 2007 Patras Team Silver 1999 Osaka Rope Silver 1999 Osaka Hoop Silver 2003 Budapest Hoop Bronze 2003 Budapest Clubs Bronze 2007 Patras Ribbon Disqualified 2001 Madrid All-around Disqualified 2001 Madrid Rope Disqualified 2001 Madrid Ball Disqualified 2001 Madrid Hoop Disqualified 2001 Madrid Clubs Disqualified 2001 Madrid Team European Championships Gold 1998 Porto All-around Gold 1999 Budapest All-around Gold 1999 Budapest Hoop Gold 2000 Zaragoza All-around Gold 2000 Zaragoza Team Gold 2000 Zaragoza Hoop Gold 2000 Zaragoza Ball Gold 2000 Zaragoza Ribbon Gold 2001 Geneva Hoop Gold 2001 Geneva Ball Gold 2001 Geneva Clubs Gold 2002 Granada All-around Gold 2002 Granada Team Gold 2004 Kyiv All-around Gold 2004 Kyiv Team Silver 1999 Budapest Ribbon Silver 2001 Geneva Rope Silver 2006 Moscow All-around Bronze 1998 Porto Team Bronze 1999 Budapest Rope Bronze 2000 Zaragoza Rope European Team Championships Gold 1999 Patras Team Gold 2001 Riesa Team Gold 2003 Moscow Team World Cup Final Gold 2000 Glasgow Rope Gold 2000 Glasgow Ball Gold 2000 Glasgow Ribbon Gold 2004 Moscow Hoop Gold 2004 Moscow Ribbon Silver 2000 Glasgow Hoop Grand Prix Final Gold 1998 Linz All-around Gold 1999 Korneuburg Hoop Gold 1999 Korneuburg Ball Gold 1999 Korneuburg Ribbon Gold 2001 Deventer All-around Gold 2001 Deventer Hoop Gold 2001 Deventer Ball Silver 1999 Korneuburg All-around Silver 2001 Deventer Rope Bronze 2000 Deventer Ribbon Goodwill Games Gold 1998 New York All-around Gold 1998 New York Clubs Gold 1998 New York Ribbon Gold 1998 New York Hoop Silver 1998 New York Rope Disqualified 2001 Brisbane All-around Disqualified 2001 Brisbane Ball Disqualified 2001 Brisbane Clubs Disqualified 2001 Brisbane Rope Disqualified 2001 Brisbane Hoop
Member of the State Duma for Nizhnekamsk
In office 12 February 2007 – 15 September 2014
Personal details
Political party	United Russia

Alina Maratovna Kabaeva (born 12 May 1983) is a famous Russian rhythmic gymnast who is now a politician and media manager. She is recognized as an Honoured Master of Sports by the Russian government.

Kabaeva is one of the most successful gymnasts in rhythmic gymnastics history. She has won many medals, including 2 Olympic medals, 14 World Championship medals, and 21 European Championship medals.

From 2007 to 2014, Kabaeva served as a member of the State Duma, which is like a parliament in Russia. In September 2014, she became the chairwoman of the board of directors for a large media company called the National Media Group.

Early Life and Family Background

Alina Kabaeva was born on 12 May 1983 in Tashkent, which was then part of the Soviet Union. Her mother is Lyubov Kabaeva, and her father is Marat Kabayev, a professional football player.

Her father is from the Tatars ethnic group, and her mother is Russian. Because her father was a football player, her family often moved to different places in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Russia.

Alina Kabaeva's Gymnastics Journey

Starting Rhythmic Gymnastics

Alina Kabaeva began rhythmic gymnastics when she was just three years old. Her first coach was Margarita Samuilovna. When she was seven, her mother took her to a club in Tashkent, but they said she was too heavy to join.

In 1993, at age 10, she represented Kazakhstan in an international competition held in Japan.

Moving to Moscow and Strict Training

At age 12, Kabaeva and her mother moved to Moscow. There, her mother introduced her to the Russian head coach, Irina Viner. Coach Viner initially thought Alina was too short and heavy for gymnastics.

However, after watching Alina practice and seeing how flexible she was and how high she could jump, Viner decided to coach her. But she insisted that Alina lose weight right away. For three days, Alina was only allowed to drink water and followed a very strict diet while training hard. Alina later shared that she had to beg Coach Viner for food during this time.

Becoming a Champion: 1996–1999

Kabaeva at the 1999 European Championships

Alina Kabaeva started competing internationally for Russia in 1996. In her first year as a senior international gymnast in 1998, at just 15 years old, she won the 1998 Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships in Portugal. She was the youngest member of the Russian team at that time.

Later in 1998, she won the World Youth Games in Moscow. She also won the all-around title and three out of four event finals at the 1998 Goodwill Games.

Kabaeva continued her success, becoming the 1999 European Champion in Hungary. She also won the 1999 World title in Osaka, Japan. Overall, Alina won five all-around titles at the European Championships during her career.

Olympic Dreams and Challenges: 2000–2004

(L–R) Alina Kabaeva (bronze), Yulia Barsukova (gold) and Yulia Raskina (silver) at 2000 Olympic Games podium

At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Australia, many expected Alina Kabaeva to win the gold medal. However, she made a mistake during her hoop routine, dropping it outside the competition area. This led her to win the bronze medal instead. Her teammate, Yulia Barsukova, won the gold.

At the 2001 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Madrid, Spain, Kabaeva won several gold medals. She won for the Ball, Clubs, Hoop, Rope, Individual All-Around, and Team competitions. She also won gold medals at the 2001 Goodwill Games in Australia.

However, Kabaeva and her teammate, Irina Tchachina, were found to have used a substance that was not allowed. As a result, they lost their medals from the 2001 World Championships and Goodwill Games. Kabaeva was not allowed to compete from August 2001 to August 2002. After her ban, her first competition was the 2002 European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships, where she won first place in the individual all-around.

Kabaeva then won the 2003 World Title in Budapest, Hungary. She won the All-Around Gold Medal, as well as the Ribbon and Ball events.

In 2004, Kabaeva won the All-Around Gold at the 2004 European Championships in Kyiv, Ukraine. At the 2004 Athens Olympics in Greece, Alina achieved her dream, winning the gold medal in the Individual All-Around for Rhythmic Gymnastics. Her teammate, Irina Tchachina, won the silver medal.

Later Career and Retirement: 2005–2007

President Vladimir Putin presented Kabaeva with the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", IV degree, in 2005

In October 2004, Kabaeva announced she was retiring from gymnastics. But in June 2005, her coach, Irina Viner, said Alina might return. Kabaeva did come back to compete in September 2005.

In March 2006, Kabaeva won the Gazprom Moscow Grand Prix. She also won a silver medal in the All-Around at the 2006 Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships.

At the 2007 European Championships, Kabaeva had to withdraw due to an injury. She finished fourth in qualifications at the 2007 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships but did not make it to the finals because of a rule that only two gymnasts per country could advance. She did win a bronze medal in the ribbon final. Alina Kabaeva officially retired from gymnastics in 2007.

Contributions to Rhythmic Gymnastics

Alina Kabaeva changed rhythmic gymnastics by introducing new and exciting moves. She was one of the few gymnasts to perform skills like the back split pivot with hand help, which is now sometimes called "The Kabaeva." She also performed the ring position with a slow full turn and was the first to do the backscale pivot.

Major Rhythmic Gymnastics Achievements

• She won the 1998 European Championships in the all-around at just 15 years old, making her the youngest ever to do so at the time.
• She was one of the youngest rhythmic gymnasts to win the All-Around World Championships in 1999 at 16 years old.
• She holds the record for the most European All-Around titles, winning in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2004.
• Alina is one of only three rhythmic gymnasts to win all major "Grand-slam" titles: the Olympics, World Championships, European Championships, World Cup Final, and Grand Prix Final.
• She became a six-time Russian National All-Around Champion.

Olympic Results Overview

Kabaeva at the 2001 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships

Routine Music Information

Life After Retirement from Gymnastics

After retiring from gymnastics, Alina Kabaeva remained involved in sports and public life. She was one of the six Russian athletes who carried the Olympic flame during the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics.

In 2015, Kabaeva was a special guest at the 2015 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Germany. In 2017, she became an official ambassador for rhythmic gymnastics at the 2017 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Italy.

Political and Media Roles

Since 2005, Kabaeva has been a member of the Public Chamber of Russia, which advises the government. In February 2008, she became the chairwoman of the Public Council of the National Media Group. This is a large media company that owns several important news outlets in Russia.

Between 2007 and 2014, Kabaeva was a Member of the Russian Parliament, known as the State Duma. She represented the city of Nizhnekamsk as part of the United Russia political party.

In September 2014, Kabaeva left her role in the Duma. She then took on the position of chair of the board of directors for the National Media Group. This is one of the biggest media companies in Russia.

Other Activities

In 2001, Alina Kabaeva appeared in a Japanese movie called Red Shadow, where she performed a gymnastics routine.

In January 2011, Kabaeva was featured on the cover of Vogue Russia magazine. In the same month, she also started a singing career, performing on stage for the first time.

Honors and Awards

Alina Kabaeva has received many honors for her achievements:

• Russia:
  • Honoured Master of Sports of the Russian Federation (1999)
  • Order of Friendship (2001)
  • Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" IV Degree (2005)
  • Russian Federation Presidential Certificate of Honour (2013)
• South Ossetia: Order of Honour (2015)

See also

In Spanish: Alina Kabáyeva para niños