Evgeniya Kanaeva facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Evgeniya Kanaeva
Kanaeva at 2015
Personal information
Full name	Evgeniya Olegovna Kanaeva
Alternative name(s)	Evgenia Kanaeva
Nickname(s)	Zhenya, The Queen of Rhythmic Gymnastics
Country represented	Russia
Born	(1990-04-02) 2 April 1990 (age 35) Omsk, Soviet Union
Hometown	Moscow
Residence	Russia
Height	171 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Weight	50 kg (110 lb)
Discipline	Rhythmic gymnastics
Level	Senior International Elite
Years on national team	2005–2012
Club	CSKA Moscow
Gym	Novogorsk
Head coach(es)	Irina Viner
Assistant coach(es)	Vera Shtelbaums
Choreographer	Irina Zenovka Veronica Shatkova Ludmila Dimitrova
Eponymous skills	Kanaeva: Rotation 180 degrees on the chest, legs in split position without help
Retired	2012
World ranking	1 (2012 Season) 5 (2011 Season) 1 (2010 Season) 1 (2009 Season) 1 (2008 Season) 6 (2007 Season)
Medal record International gymnastics competitions Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 0 0 World Championships 17 1 0 European Championships 13 1 0 World Cup Final 3 0 0 FIG World Cup 99 17 6 Grand Prix Final 15 0 0 World Games 4 0 0 Summer Universiade 9 1 0 Total 162 20 6 Rhythmic Gymnastics Representing  Russia Olympic Games Gold 2008 Beijing All-Around Gold 2012 London All-Around World Championships Gold 2007 Patras Team Gold 2009 Mie All-around Gold 2009 Mie Ball Gold 2009 Mie Hoop Gold 2009 Mie Ribbon Gold 2009 Mie Rope Gold 2009 Mie Team Gold 2010 Moscow All-around Gold 2010 Moscow Ball Gold 2010 Moscow Hoop Gold 2010 Moscow Team Gold 2011 Montpellier All-around Gold 2011 Montpellier Ball Gold 2011 Montpellier Hoop Gold 2011 Montpellier Clubs Gold 2011 Montpellier Ribbon Gold 2011 Montpellier Team Silver 2010 Moscow Rope European Championships Gold 2007 Baku Team Gold 2007 Baku Ribbon Gold 2008 Torino All-around Gold 2009 Baku Team Gold 2009 Baku Ball Gold 2009 Baku Hoop Gold 2009 Baku Ribbon Gold 2009 Baku Rope Gold 2010 Bremen All-around Gold 2011 Minsk Team Gold 2011 Minsk Hoop Gold 2011 Minsk Ribbon Gold 2012 Nizhny Novgorod All-around Silver 2011 Minsk Ball World Cup Final Gold 2008 Benidorm Clubs Gold 2008 Benidorm Hoop Gold 2008 Benidorm Ribbon Grand Prix Final Gold 2009 Berlin All-around Gold 2009 Berlin Rope Gold 2009 Berlin Hoop Gold 2009 Berlin Ball Gold 2009 Berlin Ribbon Gold 2010 Berlin All-around Gold 2010 Berlin Rope Gold 2010 Berlin Hoop Gold 2010 Berlin Ball Gold 2010 Berlin Ribbon Gold 2011 Brno All-around Gold 2011 Brno Ball Gold 2011 Brno Hoop Gold 2011 Brno Clubs Gold 2011 Brno Ribbon World Games Gold 2009 Kaohsiung Ball Gold 2009 Kaohsiung Hoop Gold 2009 Kaohsiung Ribbon Gold 2009 Kaohsiung Rope Summer Universiade Gold 2009 Belgrade All-around Gold 2009 Belgrade Ball Gold 2009 Belgrade Rope Gold 2009 Belgrade Hoop Gold 2009 Belgrade Ribbon Gold 2011 Shenzhen All-around Gold 2011 Shenzhen Ball Gold 2011 Shenzhen Clubs Gold 2011 Shenzhen Hoop Silver 2011 Shenzhen Ribbon

Evgeniya Olegovna Kanaeva (born on April 2, 1990) is a retired Russian rhythmic gymnast. She is famous for being the only rhythmic gymnast in history to win two Olympic all-around gold medals. She won her first gold at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing and her second at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She was also the oldest gymnast to win an Olympic gold medal in rhythmic gymnastics.

Evgeniya holds the record for winning the most World titles (seventeen) and European titles (thirteen). She is one of only three gymnasts to win all three major titles (Olympics, World, and European) without any ties.

At the 2009 World Championship in Japan, Evgeniya made history by winning all six possible titles. She did this again at the 2011 World Championship in France, matching her own amazing record.

In 2009, Evgeniya was given the special title of Merited Master of Sports in Russia. After the 2012 Olympics, she received the Merit for the Fatherland IV Degree award from Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Evgeniya is also the only gymnast to get a perfect score under the old 30-point judging system. She achieved this twice: at the 2011 Grand Prix Final and the 2012 Grand Prix.

Early Life and Training

Evgeniya Kanaeva was born in Omsk, Soviet Union. Her mother, Svetlana, was also a rhythmic gymnast. Her father, Oleg Kanaev, was a coach and a former Greco-Roman wrestler. She has an older brother, Egor, who is also a wrestler.

Evgeniya's grandmother introduced her to rhythmic gymnastics when she was six years old. Her first coach, Yelena Arais, was the daughter of her later coach, Vera Shtelbaums. Vera Shtelbaums remembered Evgeniya practicing for many hours, even after other students had left. Her grandmother would wait patiently for her.

Becoming a Star Gymnast

Starting Out

When Evgeniya was 12, she was chosen to try out for a group of young rhythmic gymnasts in Moscow. Her performance impressed Amina Zaripova, who was in charge of the youth program. Evgeniya was then invited to train at the School of the Olympic Reserve.

She improved a lot under the guidance of Vera Shtelbaums. In 2003, at age 13, Evgeniya started competing internationally and began winning junior events. She competed in Japan at the World Club Championship, also known as 'Aeon Cup'. She won the junior title there and was noticed by the head coach of the Russian national team, Irina Viner. Evgeniya was then accepted into the Novogorsk training center for the national team.

First Senior Competitions

After the 2004 Olympic Games, Evgeniya made her first senior international appearance in 2006. She competed at the International Tournament Schmiden, where she won gold medals in all categories. She also competed at a World Cup event in Mie, finishing 5th in clubs and ribbon.

In 2007, Evgeniya won the all-around gold medal at the World Cup in Corbeil-Essonnes. She also won gold in hoop, rope, and ribbon, beating famous gymnast Anna Bessonova. Later that year, at the 2007 Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan, a teammate had to withdraw due to injury. Evgeniya was chosen as a last-minute replacement. Despite the short notice, she did incredibly well, winning gold medals in the individual ribbon and team competition. A few months later, she won another team gold medal at the World Championship in Patras, Greece.

The 2008 Olympic Games

Kanayeva in 2008

To get ready for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, Evgeniya's routines were made very difficult. Her music was chosen to show off her unique style. One famous routine was her ribbon performance to a special piano version of 'Moscow Nights'.

At the start of 2008, Evgeniya faced strong competition from older teammates and the then-World Champion, Anna Bessonova from Ukraine. But by mid-spring, Evgeniya started winning all the individual all-around titles in the Grand Prix and World Cup series. She also won the Russian National Championship.

At the European Championship in Turin, Italy, she showed everyone she was the top rhythmic gymnast for Russia. She scored very high in all her routines. Her coaches, Irina Viner, chose Evgeniya to represent Russia at the Olympics.

Evgeniya was the youngest gymnast in the Olympic rhythmic gymnastics final. She said that the Olympics were "different from all other competitions." She focused only on herself and her performance. Evgeniya won the Olympic gold medal with a score of 75.50. She was 3.50 points ahead of the silver medalist, Inna Zhukova from Belarus.

Amazing 2009 Season

Kanaeva, gold medalist at the 2009 European Championships

Evgeniya's gymnastics style changed a lot in 2009. Even with some injuries and tiredness, she won gold medals in all four events at the 2009 European Championships in May. In July, she won all nine gold medals available at the Universiade and the World Games.

Her five gold medals at the Universiade helped Russia win first place in the overall team ranking. The Russian President, Dmitry Medvedev, praised Evgeniya's efforts. She was even called the "Heroine of the Games" by the official Universiade website.

In September, Evgeniya competed at the World Championships in Japan. She was the best in every single event, winning a gold medal for each. Her results also helped Russia win the team gold medal. In the individual all-around final, Evgeniya won her sixth gold medal. This broke the record for most gold medals won in a single rhythmic gymnastics World Championship. President Medvedev again congratulated her on this new record.

Years of Dominance: 2010 & 2011

Kanaeva at the 2011 LG WHISEN Rhythmic All Stars Gala

In 2010, Evgeniya had a perfect season, winning gold medals in all-around and event finals at the Grand Prix Final. She also won the 2010 European all-around title again. At the 2010 World Championships, she won gold in the all-around, ball, and hoop. She took silver in rope.

Evgeniya started her 2011 season strong, winning gold in all-around and all event finals at the Moscow Grand Prix. She continued to win most of her World Cup and Grand Prix all-around competitions. At the 2011 European Championships, she won gold in hoop and ball, and a silver medal in ribbon.

At the 2011 World Championships, Evgeniya broke her own record! She won 6 gold medals again in a single World Championship. These included the all-around, all event finals (hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon), and the team event. At the 2011 Grand Prix Final, she won gold in all events and scored a perfect 30 in ribbon. She finished her season by winning the all-around at the 2011 Aeon Cup in Japan.

The 2012 Olympic Games Season

Kanaeva in 2012

Evgeniya began her 2012 season with new routines. She finished 2nd in the all-around at the 2012 Moscow Grand Prix but won gold medals in ribbon, clubs, and hoop. She then won the all-around title at the International Thiais Tournament.

She continued her winning streak at her first World Cup of the season in Pesaro, winning the all-around title and the clubs, ball, and hoop finals. She later won the Sofia World Cup, beating the defending champion. She also became the champion at the 2012 Corbeil-Essonnes Cup.

Kanaeva performing at the Grand Prix Rhythmic Gymnastics in Austria (2012)

At the 2012 European Championships, Evgeniya won her third European All-around title in a row. She said that this victory was not easy and that she needed to keep working hard. She then won gold medals in all events at the Grand Prix Vorarlberg in Austria. At the World Cup series in Minsk, Evgeniya won the all-around gold medal and all the event finals.

In the qualifying rounds at the 2012 London Olympics, Evgeniya was second after the first day. But on the second day, she moved into first place. In the finals, Evgeniya performed all four routines without any big mistakes. She was the only gymnast to score over 29 points in ball, hoop, and clubs. Evgeniya finished with a total of 116.900 points, winning her second Olympic gold medal.

After the Olympics

Evgeniya decided not to continue training after the 2012 Olympics. In December 2012, she announced that she had finished her competitive career. At the same time, she was chosen as a vice-president of the Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation. Evgeniya wanted to stay involved in rhythmic gymnastics as a coach or in an administrative role.

In 2012, Evgeniya was ranked as the most successful female athlete in Russia. In September 2013, she was named "Woman of the year" by GQ Russia magazine.

On February 15, 2015, a special gala was held in Russia to celebrate 80 years of rhythmic gymnastics. Evgeniya performed at this event alongside other famous Russian gymnasts.

Sponsorships and Personal Life

Evgeniya was an ambassador for the luxury watch company Longines from 2009 to 2012. She was also sponsored by Visa for the 2012 London Olympics and was an ambassador for Pantene.

She was one of 50 top Russian athletes chosen as an honorary ambassador for the 2013 Summer Universiade in Kazan.

Evgeniya is studying at the Siberian State University of Physical Training and Sports. She has said she is interested in learning to draw, play piano, study foreign languages, and learn about computers. Her mother mentioned that Evgeniya saves her prize money for her future education.

On June 8, 2013, Evgeniya married ice hockey player Igor Musatov. On March 19, 2014, they had their first child, a boy named Vladimir. Evgeniya's father, Oleg, passed away in 2013.

As of 2020, Evgeniya has been working as a coach for junior Russian gymnasts. She coaches Sofya Agafonova and also helps coach Anastasia Simakova.

Special Gymnastics Moves

Evgeniya Kanaeva has a special move named after her in rhythmic gymnastics.

Competitive Highlights

(Team competitions in seniors are held only at the World Championships, Europeans and other Continental Games.)

Kanaeva at the 2009 European Championships

Detailed Olympic Results

Images for kids

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  Kanaeva performing her hoop routine at the 2012 Vorarlberg Grand Prix.

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  Kanaeva performing with clubs.

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  Kanaeva at the 2011 LG WHISEN Rhythmic All Stars Gala.

See also

In Spanish: Yevguéniya Kanáyeva para niños