Polina Berezina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Polina Berezina
Berezina in 2017
Personal information
Full name	Polina Berezina Ksenofontova
Country represented	Spain
Born	(1997-12-05) 5 December 1997 (age 27) Moscow, Russia
Hometown	Alicante, Spain
Training location	Madrid, Spain
Discipline	Rhythmic gymnastics
Level	Senior International Elite
Years on national team	2015-present
Club	Club Gimnasia Rítmica Torrevieja
Head coach(es)	Mónica Ferrández
Medal record Rhythmic Gymnastics Representing  Spain World Championships Bronze 2022 Sofia Team FIG World Cup Event 1st 2nd 3rd World Cup 0 0 1

Polina Berezina Ksenofontova (born 5 December 1997) is an individual rhythmic gymnast. Born in Russia, she represents Spain internationally. She has competed at seven Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships and won a bronze medal with the Spanish team in 2022. She is a five-time (2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022) Spanish national all-around champion at the senior level. She competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in women's rhythmic individual all-around and placed 15th, cutoff from the finals.

Early life

Berezina was born in Moscow, Russia, and has lived in Alicante, Spain, since 2001. At the age of 7, she took up rhythmic gymnastics in Guardamar del Segura and, at the age of 8, entered a Rhythmic Gymnastics Club in Torrevieja, where she trained under Mónica Ferrández until 2016. By 2008, her father's work led her to live again in Moscow, and she began to combine her training sessions between Spain, with Mónica Ferrández, and Russia, with Oksana Skaldina.

Career

Berezina received her Spanish citizenship in 2013, enabling her to compete for the Spanish national team in international competitions. She made her international debut at the 2013 Gymnasiade and won a bronze medal in the hoop final.

2015-16

Berezina finished 26th in the all-around at the 2015 Lisbon World Cup. She then finished 25th in the all-around at the Bucharest World Cup and 19th at the Tashkent World Cup. At the Budapest World Cup, she dropped one of her clubs during her routine and placed 28th in the all-around. She then finished 29th all-around at the Kazan World Cup. She made her World Championships debut in 2015 and was selected to perform in the ribbon event. On her last throw, her ribbon went out of bounds, so she did not advance to the event final. The Spanish team of Berezina, Natalia García, Sara Llana, and Carolina Rodríguez finished 10th.

Berezina began the season at the 2016 Espoo World Cup, finishing 25th in the all-around. Then at the Pesaro World Cup, she finished 40th in the all-around, and she finished 25th at the Kazan World Cup.

2017

Berezina began the season with a 39th-place finish at the Pesaro World Cup. She then finished 23rd at the Tashkent World Cup. At the Portimão World Challenge Cup, she finished 12th in the all-around and qualified for the clubs final where she finished seventh. She competed with the ribbon at the European Championships and helped the Spanish team finish 12th. In June, she won her first Spanish national all-around title. She finished 18th in the all-around at the Minsk World Challenge Cup and 31st at the Kazan World Challenge Cup. She finished 34th in the all-around during the qualification round of the World Championships, missing out on the all-around final.

2018

Berezina placed 19th in the all-around at the Sofia World Cup thanks to consistent performances. She then finished 26th at the Pesaro World Cup and 23rd at the Baku World Cup. Then at the Guadalajara World Challenge Cup, she finished 16th in the all-around. In June, she competed at the European Championships and qualified for the all-around final, where she finished 20th. Later that month, she successfully defended her Spanish national all-around title. She then competed at the Mediterranean Games and placed fourth in the all-around final. She finished 25th in the all-around at the Minsk World Challenge Cup and then 16th at the Kazan World Challenge Cup. At the World Championships, she finished 37th in the all-around during the qualification round, and the Spanish team finished 17th.

2019

Berezina finished 30th in the all-around at the Pesaro World Cup. Then at the Guadalajara World Challenge Cup, she finished 13th in the all-around. She finished 7th with the Spanish team at the European Championships. She then competed at the Minsk World Challenge Cup, finishing 21st in the all-around. At the Portimão World Challenge Cup, she finished 12th in the all-around and qualified for the clubs and ribbon finals, finishing sixth in both. Berezina competed at the World Championships and qualified for her first World all-around final and finished 22nd. Because she did not place in the top 16, Spain did not earn a berth for the 2020 Olympic Games.

2020-21

Berezina did not compete in 2020 until the Spanish Championships in December due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There, she won her third national all-around title. She competed at all four events on the 2021 World Cup series to earn points for Olympic qualification. In Sofia, she finished 14th in the all-around. Then in Tashkent, she finished 19th in the all-around and eighth in the clubs final. At the Baku and Pesaro World Cups, she placed 26th in the all-around. Only the top three eligible gymnasts earned berths for the Olympic Games, and Berezina did not earn enough points to be in the top three.

Berezina competed at the 2021 European Championships, her final chance to earn an Olympic berth. She finished 15th in the all-around and did not obtain the one available Olympic berth. In July 2021, Berezina won her fourth Spanish all-around title. She then competed at the World Championships and finished 25th in the qualification round.

2022

Berezina finished 13th in the all-around at the Pesaro World Cup and also qualified for the ball final, finishing eighth. In June, she competed at the European Championships and placed 23rd in the all-around final. Later that month, she successfully defended her Spanish national all-around title. At the Portimão World Challenge Cup, she finished 10th in the all-around and fourth in the ball final. Then at the Cluj Napoca World Challenge Cup, she finished 11th in the all-around and eighth in the clubs final. At the World Championships, she was part of the Spanish delegation that won the bronze medal in the team event.

2023

Berezina won her first FIG World Cup medal at the 2023 Athens World Cup in the hoop final behind Sofia Raffaeli and Fanni Pigniczki. Then at the Thiais Grand Prix, she won a bronze medal with the hoop and a gold medal with the ball. At the Baku World Cup, she placed 15th in the all-around and seventh in the hoop final. She finished eighth in the all-around at the European Championships, and she also qualified for her first European apparatus final, finishing eighth with the hoop. She then finished second to Alba Bautista at the Spanish Championships. She finished 14th in the all-around at the 2023 World Championships and qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games.

2024

Berezina finished 11th in the all-around at the Portimão World Challenge Cup and seventh in the hoop final. Then at the European Championships, she finished 13th in the all-around final. She then placed 13th in the all-around at the Cluj Napoca World Challenge Cup and eighth in the ball final. In August, Berezina competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics. She ended the qualification round in 15th place and did not advance to the final.

Personal life

Berezina studies audiovisual communication at the Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia in Murcia, as of 2024. Her goal is to become a film director. She is fluent in Russian, Spanish, and English. She has one older sister who works in film and music in Moscow.

Competitive history

Year	Event	Team	AA	HP	BA	CL	RB
Junior
2013	Gymnasiade
Senior: Nationals
2017	Spanish Championships
2018	Spanish Championships
2020	Spanish Championships
2021	Spanish Championships
2022	Spanish Championships
2023	Spanish Championships
Senior: International
2015	Lisbon World Cup		26
	Bucharest World Cup		25
	Tashkent World Cup		19
	Budapest World Cup		28
	Kazan World Cup		29
	World Championships	10
2016	Espoo World Cup		25
	Pesaro World Cup		40
	Kazan World Cup		25
2017	Pesaro World Cup		39
	Tashkent World Cup		23
	Portimão World Challenge Cup		12			7
	European Championships	12
	Minsk World Challenge Cup		18
	Kazan World Challenge Cup		31
	World Championships		34
2018	Sofia World Cup		19
	Pesaro World Cup		26
	Baku World Cup		23
	Guadalajara World Challenge Cup		16
	European Championships		20
	Mediterranean Games		4
	Minsk World Challenge Cup		25
	Kazan World Challenge Cup		16
	World Championships	17	37
2019	Pesaro World Cup		30
	Guadalajara World Challenge Cup		13
	European Championships	7	16
	Minsk World Challenge Cup		21
	Portimão World Challenge Cup		12			6	6
	World Championships	11	22
2021	Sofia World Cup		14
	Tashkent World Cup		19			8
	Baku World Cup		26
	Pesaro World Cup		26
	European Championships	8	15
	World Championships	10	25
2022	Pesaro World Cup		13		8
	European Championships	6	23
	Portimão World Challenge Cup		10		4
	Cluj Napoca World Challenge Cup		11			8
	World Championships		20
2023	Athens World Cup		8			8
	Thiais Grand Prix
	Baku World Cup		15	7
	European Championships	6	8	8
	World Championships	5	14			5
2024	Portimão World Challenge Cup		11	7
	European Championships	5	13
	Cluj Napoca World Challenge Cup		12		8
	Olympic Games		15

Routine music information

See also

In Spanish: Polina Berezina para niños