Alina Kabaeva facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Alina Kabaeva Алина Кабаева
Kabaeva in 2005
Personal information
Full name	Alina Maratovna Kabaeva
Country represented	Russia
Born	(1983-05-12) 12 May 1983 (age 42) Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union (now Tashkent, Uzbekistan)
Residence	Moscow, Russia
Height	166 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Weight	50 kg (110 lb)
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 May 12, 1983) is a famous Russian rhythmic gymnast. She is also known for her work as a politician and media manager. The Russian government has given her the title of Honoured Master of Sports.

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

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

Early Life and Family Background

Alina Kabaeva was born on May 12, 1983, in Tashkent. At that time, Tashkent was part of the Soviet Union. Her father, Marat Kabayev, was a professional football player. Her mother, Lyubov Kabaeva, was Russian. Alina's father is of Tatar background.

Because her father was a football player, Alina's family often moved. They lived in different places in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, and Russia. Alina has a younger sister named Leysan Kabaeva. Leysan works as a director for a real estate company.

Alina Kabaeva's Gymnastics Career

Starting Rhythmic Gymnastics

Alina Kabaeva began rhythmic gymnastics when she was only three years old. Her first coach was Margarita Samuilovna. In 1993, she represented Kazakhstan in a competition in Japan.

When she was a teenager, Alina moved to Moscow. Her mother took her to meet the head coach of the Russian team, Irina Viner.

Rising to Fame: 1996–1999

Kabaeva at the 1999 European Championships

Alina Kabaeva trained with Irina Viner and made her international debut for Russia in 1996. At just 15 years old, she won the 1998 Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships in Portugal. She was the youngest on the Russian team.

Kabaeva continued to win, becoming the 1999 European Champion in Hungary. She also won the 1999 World Title in Japan. Overall, she won five All-Around titles at the European Championships.

Olympic Challenges and Triumphs: 2000–2004

At the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia, Alina Kabaeva was a favorite to win gold. However, she made a small mistake during her hoop routine. She dropped her hoop and it rolled outside the competition area. This caused her to win the bronze medal instead of gold. Her final score was 39.466. Her teammate, Yulia Barsukova, won the gold medal.

Alina Kabaeva (bronze), Yulia Barsukova (gold), and Yulia Raskina (silver) at the 2000 Olympic Games podium.

In 2001, Kabaeva faced a challenge. At the 2001 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Spain, she won several gold medals. However, she and her teammate, Irina Tchachina, were found to have taken a substance that was not allowed. This led to their medals being taken away.

The Russian head coach, Irina Viner, explained that the gymnasts had taken a food supplement. This supplement was supposed to help with premenstrual syndrome. The team bought a new supply from a local pharmacy, but it turned out to be fake. It contained a banned substance. As a result, Kabaeva was not allowed to compete from August 2001 to August 2002.

After her break, Kabaeva returned strong. She won first place in the individual all-around at the 2002 European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships. She then won the 2003 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Hungary.

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

Later Career: 2005–2007

President Vladimir Putin presented Kabaeva with the Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" in 2005.

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

In March 2006, she won the Gazprom Moscow Grand Prix. She also won a silver medal at the 2006 Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships.

At the 2007 Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships in Azerbaijan, Kabaeva had to withdraw due to an injury. She finished fourth in qualifications at the 2007 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships. However, she could not advance to the finals because only two gymnasts per country were allowed.

Contributions to Rhythmic Gymnastics

Alina Kabaeva brought new and exciting moves to rhythmic gymnastics. She was one of the few gymnasts to perform unique skills. One of these was the back split pivot with hand help, also known as "The Kabaeva." She also performed a ring position with a slow full turn and a backscale pivot.

Major Gymnastics Achievements

• She won the 1998 European Championships at just 15 years old. This made her the youngest ever to win this title.
• She was one of the youngest rhythmic gymnasts to win the All-Around World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in 1999 at 16.
• Alina was the first to perform the backscale pivot.
• She holds the record for the most European All-Around titles, winning in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2004.
• Kabaeva won all the "Grand-slam" titles. She is one of only three rhythmic gymnasts to do so. These titles include the Olympics, World Championships, European Championships, World Cup Final, and Grand Prix Final.
• She became a six-time Russian National All-Around Champion. She won in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2006, and 2007.

Detailed Olympic Results

Kabaeva at the 2001 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships.

Routine Music Information

Life After Gymnastics

Olympic Torch Bearer

Alina Kabaeva was one of six Russian athletes who carried the Olympic flame. This happened during the Opening Ceremony of the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

Ambassador for Gymnastics

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. She represented the sport at the 2017 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Italy.

Political and Media Roles

Since 2005, Alina Kabaeva has been a member of the Public Chamber of Russia. This group helps connect the public with the government. In 2008, she became the head of the Public Council of the National Media Group. This is a large media company in Russia.

From 2007 to 2014, Kabaeva was a Member of the Russian Parliament, called the State Duma. She represented the city of Nizhnekamsk as part of the United Russia party.

In September 2014, Kabaeva left the Duma. She then became the chair of the board of directors for the National Media Group. This group is one of the biggest media companies in Russia.

Other Activities

In 2001, Alina Kabaeva appeared in a Japanese movie called Red Shadow. She performed a gymnastics routine in the film.

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

Honours and Awards

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

Images for kids

• 

  President Vladimir Putin and Kabaeva at the 2001 Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships.

See also

In Spanish: Alina Kabáyeva para niños