Ksenia Afanasyeva

Ksenia Afanasyeva
 Gymnast 

Afanasyeva at the 2015 European Championships
Personal information
Full name Ksenia Dmitrievna Afanasyeva
Country represented  Russia
Born (1991-09-13) September 13, 1991
Tula, Russia
Hometown Tula, Russia
Residence Moscow, Russia
Height 158 cm (5 ft 2 in)
Discipline Women's artistic gymnastics
Level Senior International Elite
Club CSKA Sports Club
Gym "Lake Krugloe"
Head coach(es) Marina Vladimirovna Nazarova
Former coach(es) Sergey Olegovich Gaiderov
Choreographer Olga Burova

Ksenia Dmitrievna Afanasyeva (Russian: Ксения Дмитриевна Афанасьева) (born September 13, 1991) is a Russian artistic gymnast. She competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics and the 2012 Summer Olympics. She is the 2011 World Floor champion, the 2013 and 2015 European Floor champion, and the 2013 Universiade Vault and Floor champion.

Junior career

2005

Ksenia Afanasyeva competed at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy. She won the bronze medal in the All-Around competition with a total score of 36.550, behind Vanessa Ferrari of Italy (37.925) and fellow Russian Karina Myasnikova (37.000).[1] In event finals, she placed fourth on vault,[2] and won bronze medals on beam[3] and floor.[4] She also helped her team on their way to winning the gold medal in the team competition.[5]

2006

In April, Afanasyeva competed at the European Championships in Volos, Greece, as part of the Russian team which took gold in the junior team competition.[6] She performed on vault, uneven bars and beam.[7]

Senior career

2007

In March, Afanasyeva competed at the World Cup event in Paris, France. She placed second on balance beam scoring 15.175.[8]

2008

In April, Afanasyeva competed at the European Championships in Clermont-Ferrand, France. She contributed scores of 14.575 on vault and 14.100 on floor toward the Russian team's second-place finish.[9]

In May, Afanasyeva competed at the World Cup event in Tianjin, China. She placed second on vault scoring 14.350, third on uneven bars scoring 15.075, and fifth on balance beam scoring 15.275.[10]

At the end of May, Afanasyeva competed at the World Cup event in Moscow, Russia. She placed seventh on vault scoring 13.887 and second on floor scoring 14.775.[11]

Beijing Olympics

In August, Afanasyeva competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, China. In qualifications she placed sixth in the all around with a score of 60.800 but did not advance to the final due to the two per country rule.[12] In the team final, she contributed scores of 15.075 on vault, 14.925 on uneven bars, and 14.375 on floor toward the Russian team's fourth-place finish.[13] In the balance beam final, she placed seventh with a score of 14.825.[14]

2009

In April, Afanasyeva competed at the European Championships in Milan, Italy. She placed second in the all around final with a score of 57.600 and fourth in the uneven bars final scoring 14.650.[15]

Originally, Afanasyeva was on the four gymnast delegation for the 2009 World Championships in London, United Kingdom. She traveled to London but did not compete owing to a back injury.

2010

In April, Afansyeva competed at the Pacific Rim Championships in Melbourne, Australia. She placed third in the all around competition with a score of 57.450.[16] In event finals, she placed third on uneven bars scoring 14.250, fourth on balance beam scoring 14.525, and sixth on floor scoring 13.675.[17]

In May, Afanasyeva competed at the World Cup event in Moscow, Russia. She placed third on balance beam scoring 13.500.[18]

In July, Afanasyeva competed at the Japan Cup in Tokyo, Japan. She won the all around competition with a score of 58.350. She said, "I did all events cleanly, vault in particular."[19]

In October, Afanasyeva competed at the World Championships in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. She contributed a score of 14.800 on floor toward the Russian team's first-place finish. In the floor final, she placed eighth with a score of 12.700.[20]

2011

In May, Afanasyeva competed at the World Cup event in Moscow, Russia. She placed second on balance beam scoring 14.200 and second on floor scoring 14.200.[21]

In October, Afanasyeva competed at the World Championships in Tokyo, Japan. In the team final, she contributed scores of 14.800 on vault and 14.633 on floor toward the Russian team's second-place finish.[22] She placed seventh in the all around competition with a score of 56.732[23] and first on floor with a score of 15.133.[24]

2012

Afanasyeva performing on floor during the team final at London 2012 on 31 July.

In March, Afanasyeva competed at the Russian National Championships in Penza, Russia. She placed second in the all around competition with a score of 58.387.[25] In event finals, she placed first on balance beam scoring 14.980, and second on floor scoring 14.180.[26] She sustained a small leg injury and said, "I really hope to recover, to have time to prepare and make an impact (at the European Championships). Without this tournament it will be very hard to get to the Olympics. The selection of the team goes through several stages - the Russian championships that we just had, followed by the European championships and Russian Cup."

In June, Afanasyeva competed at the Russian Cup in Penza, Russia. She placed fourth in the all around competition with a score of 56.067.[27]

London Olympics

At the end of July, Afanasyeva competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, United Kingdom and was team captain. She did not consider herself as a rival for one of the Russian spots in the all-around competition, saying "To be honest, I am not so strong in the all-around. I have a good batting average, and if we talk about the Olympics, the main battle for the medals will be led by Aliya Mustafina, Viktoria Komova and Anastasia Grishina. I was recently asked whom I consider the leader of the team. The answer to this question is difficult, because all three gymnasts in their own way are strong, and all three will help the team in the fight for the gold."[28] She described herself as more nervous than the rest of the team, but said "Gymnastics is about beauty and grace. We are strong and beautiful. Our rivals may have upgraded their routines before us. Yet we represent beauty. My girls didn’t surprise me at the European Championships because I see them every day. I know what they are capable of doing."[29]

Afanasyeva scored 15.066 on balance beam and 14.833 on floor during qualification on 29 July.[30] In the team final on 31 July, she contributed scores of 14.833 on balance beam and 14.333 on floor toward the Russian team's second-place finish.[31] In event finals on 7 August, she placed fifth on balance beam scoring 14.583 and sixth on floor, after stepping out of bounds and scoring 14.566.[32]

2013

Afanasyeva performing on floor at the 2011 Mexico Open Gymnastics in Acapulco

Ksenia Afanasyeva began her year by performing at a gala called "From London to Rio", along with other gymnasts such as Anna Pavlova, Catalina Ponor, Sandra Izbasa and Maria Paseka.

In March, Afanasyeva competed at the Russian National Championships in Penza, Russia. She placed fourth in the all around with a score of 56.850.[33] Afanasyeva contributed scores of 15.000 on vault, 12.750 on balance beam, and 14.450 on floor towards the Central team's first-place finish.[34] In event finals, she placed third on balance beam scoring 13.775 and first on floor scoring 13.600.[35]

Later in March, Afanasyeva competed at the 19th French International in La Roche-sur-Yon, France. She qualified for balance beam and floor with scores of 13.966 and 14.466 respectively.[36] Afanasyeva placed fourth on balance beam with a score of 13.066, and won gold on the floor exercise with a score of 14.633.[37]

In April, Afanasyeva competed at the European Championships in Moscow, Russia. In qualifications, she placed fifth in the all around with a score of 55.099 but did not advance to the final due to the two per country rule. After qualifying in first place with a score of 14.633, Afanasyeva won the gold medal in the floor final with a score of 15.166.[38]

In July, Afanasyeva competed at the 2013 Summer Universiade where she helped Russia finish first in the team final with scores of 15.000 on vault, 12.550 on uneven bars, 14.250 on balance beam, and 14.750 on floor exercise. In doing so, she also qualified second to all around finals behind compatriot Aliya Mustafina, fourth to vault finals, and first to floor finals. She won the all around silver with compatriot Aliya Mustafina taking the gold medal. During vault finals, she debuted her new Amanar vault and performed the same two vaults as teammate Maria Paseka. Afanasyeva however, surprised the crowd and tied for first place with North Korean gymnast Hong Un-Jong with a 15.125 while Paseka placed third. She also won the floor final.

In August, Afanasyeva was named to the Russian team for the World Championships, and did not compete at the Russian Cup to rest for Worlds. However, at the end of August, she underwent surgery for an ankle injury, and missed the World Championships as a result.

In October she appeared at the Gala de Estrellas de las Gimnasias in Mexico, a charity gala, performing her floor routine (with watered-down tumbles) and dancing on the beam to "I Will Survive", alongside gymnasts such as Sandra Izbasa, Andreea Raducan and Diego Hypolito.[39]

2014

In January Afanasyeva underwent a second ankle surgery, as the previous one had not improved her condition. In April she competed at the Russian Championships, where she performed only on the vault and the floor. She helped her team to the gold medal, but withdrew from the vault final after a fall during the team final exacerbated her ankle injury. She underwent yet another surgery, which required her to miss the World Championships for the second consecutive year.

Afanasyeva returned to international competition in late November at the Stuttgart World Cup. She debuted a new floor routine (watered down to three tumbles to help with her recovery) and performed a solid double-twisting Yurchenko vault, helping her team to a silver medal.

In December, she competed at the Voronin Cup, winning gold on floor and silver on vault.

2015

Afanasyeva on vault at the 2015 European Championships.

Afanasyeva competed at the Russian Championships in March, winning team and floor exercise gold, and placing fourth on vault.[40][41]

April saw a return to her pre-injury form, when she travelled to France for the European Championships and was crowned floor champion with a score of 14.733,[42] as well as picking up a bronze medal on the vault after competing an Amanar and a Lopez and scoring 14.866.[43] She admitted in an interview afterwards that she had only successfully performed the Amanar vault twice in her life - once, when she won the vault title at the 2013 Summer Universiade, and the second time in Montpellier, saying "If I didn't dare to try it, I would have had no chance - either I'd win the bronze medal or I'd fall, but nothing ventured nothing gained."[44] She was officially congratulated by politician Vladimir Gruzdev, Governor of Afanasyeva's home region Tula Oblast, who said "The gold medal in the floor exercise was the result of hard work, perseverance and determination. Your countrymen are proud of your achievements! I am confident that a strong character and skill will continue to serve as collateral for your athletic success."[45]

In August she competed at the Batumi International.[46][47]

In September she competed at the Russian Cup in preparation for the World Championships. She performed well, helping her team to the silver medal, and individually winning gold on floor (14.700), silver on beam (14.333) and bronze on vault (14.334).[48] Following this meet, she was named to the nominative list for the 2015 World Championships.[49]

Afanasyeva looked weak in podium training in Glasgow, and revealed that she was suffering from kidney stones and had spent a week in hospital.[50] The Russian team performed well in qualifications, with Afanasyeva posting a 14.866 on vault and a 14.633 on floor, qualifying fourth individually into the floor final, and helping the team to qualify in second position to the team final.[51] In the team final, the Russians started strongly on vault, with Afanasyeva improving on her qualifying score with a 15.066 for her double-twisting Yurchenko. However, with one fall on bars and three falls on beam, the Russians finished in fourth place and out of the medals, despite Afanasyeva's respectable score of 14.500 on floor.[52] Afanasyeva's final performance at the 2015 World Championships came in the floor final, where she upgraded her difficulty to a 6.4 and scored 15.100 to win the silver medal behind the USA's Simone Biles.[53]

In December she competed at the Toyota International Cup in Japan, along with teammates Maria Paseka, Daria Spiridonova and Viktoria Komova. She finished fifth on the vault, and won the floor final with a 14.500 ahead of Japan's Sae Miyakawa who scored 14.450.[54]

2016

Ksenia Afanasyeva's health problems continued, and in January it was announced that she was undergoing ankle surgery in Munich for the fourth time.[55]

Floor music

2005–2006: "Dancing With the Muse"
2007–2008: "Isadora" and "L for Love"
2009: "Ballet" and "Nuclear"
2010–2011: "The Color of the Night"
2011: "Tango in the Night"/"Infiltrado"
2012–2013: "Grand Guignol" and "Ironside"
2014: "El Tango de Roxane" - José Feliciano, Ewan McGregor, Jacek Koman
2015: "Halo Theme (cover)" - Lindsey Stirling and William Joseph
2015 Worlds: "Puddit" by Al Jarreau

Competitive history

Afanasyeva on floor at the 2010 World Championships.

Afanasyeva's gymnastics include strong technique, difficult skills, and consistency. She excels especially on floor where she displays both difficult tumbling elements and difficult dance elements.

Year Event Team AA VT UB BB FX
2005European Youth Olympic Festival 1st 3rd 3rd 3rd
2006European Championships (Junior) 1st
2007Paris World Cup 2nd
2008National Championships 2nd 4th 6th 4th
European Championships 2nd
Moscow World Cup 7th 2nd
Tianjin World Cup 2nd 3rd 5th
Russian Cup 1st
Swiss Cup 3rd
Olympic Games 4th 7th
Arthur Gander Memorial 5th 3rd 8th 2nd
2009National Championships 2nd 6th 3rd2nd 6th
European Championships 2nd 4th
Russian Cup 2nd 8th 1st 1st
2010Pacific Rim Championships 3rd 3rd 4th 6th
Japan Cup 1st 1st
Russian Cup 2nd 5th 2nd
Holland Invitational 1st 2nd
World Championships 1st 8th
Elite Gym Massilia 1st 3rd 3rd 2nd 1st
2011Russian Cup 4th 7th 7th 1st
Dinamo International 2nd 6th 6th 1st
World Championships 2nd 7th 1st
Mexican Open 1st
2012National Championships 2nd 2nd 1st 2nd
Russian Cup 2nd 4th 7th 8th
Olympic Games 2nd 5th 6th
2013National Championships 1st 4th 3rd 1st
La Roche-sur-Yon World Cup 4th 1st
European Championships 1st
Universiade 1st 2nd1st 1st
2014National Championships 1st
Stuttgart World Cup 2nd
Voronin Cup 2nd 1st
2015National Championships 1st 4th 1st
European Championships 3rd 1st
Russian Cup 2nd 3rd 2nd 1st
World Championships 4th 2nd
Toyota International Cup 5th 1st
2016National Championships 1st 1st
Year Competition Description Location Apparatus Rank-Final Score-Final Rank-Qualifying Score-Qualifying
2008 European Championships Clermont-Ferrand Team 2 179.475 2 176.425
Balance Beam 14 14.700
Floor Exercise 20 14.225
Olympic Games Beijing Team 4 180.625 3 244.400
All-Around 6 60.800
Uneven Bars 21 14.825
Balance Beam 7 14.825 7 15.775
Floor Exercise 9 15.025
2009 European Championships Milan All-Around 2 57.600 20 54.575
Uneven Bars 4 14.650 3 14.825
Balance Beam 50 12.025
Floor Exercise 30 13.250
2010 World Championships Rotterdam Team 1 175.397 1 234.521
All-Around 17 55.465
Uneven Bars 107 11.866
Balance Beam 9 14.533
Floor Exercise 8 12.700 2 14.766
2011 World Championships Tokyo Team 2 175.329 2 231.062
All-Around 7 56.732 6 56.941
Uneven Bars 21 14.083
Balance Beam 28 14.100
Floor Exercise 1 15.133 10 14.325
2012 Olympic Games London Team 2 178.530 2 180.429
Balance Beam 5 14.583 7 15.066
Floor Exercise 6 14.566 4 14.833
2013 European Championships Moscow All-Around 5 55.099
Uneven Bars 30 12.466
Balance Beam 15 13.100
Floor Exercise 1 15.166 1 14.633
2015 European Championships Montpellier Vault 3 14.866 3 14.533
Floor Exercise 1 14.733 2 14.266
World Championships Glasgow Team 4 171.964 2 231.437
Floor Exercise 2 15.100 4 14.633

See also

References

  1. "All-Around Individual". Lignano2005. 7 July 2005. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  2. "Event Finals Vault Results". Lignano2005. 8 July 2005. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  3. "Event Finals Beam Results". Lignano2005. 8 July 2005. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  4. "Event Finals Floor Results". Lignano2005. 8 July 2005. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  5. "Team Final Results". Lignano2005. 5 July 2005. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  6. "26th Women’s European Championships Artistic Gymnastics" (PDF). Union Européene de Gymnastique. 28 April 2006. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  7. "2006 European Championships Artistic Gymnastics Women Juniors". Gymnastics Results. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  8. "Events :: Show". Fig.lx2.sportcentric.com. 2007-03-18. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  9. "27th Women’s European Championships Artistic Gymnastics Results Seniors Team Final" (PDF). Clermont-Ferrand, France: European Union of Gymnastics. 5 April 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  10. "Events :: Show". Fig.lx2.sportcentric.com. 2008-05-15. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  11. "Events :: Show". Fig.lx2.sportcentric.com. 2008-05-30. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  12. "Gymnastics Artistic Women's Qualification Results" (PDF). Beijing, China: Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique. 10 August 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  13. "Gymnastics Artistic Women's Team Final Results" (PDF). Beijing, China: Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique. 13 August 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  14. "Gymnastics Artistic Women's Vault Final Results" (PDF). Beijing, China: Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique. 17 August 2008. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  15. "3rd European Artistic Gymnastics Individual Championships Result Women's Individual All Around Final" (PDF). Milan, Italy: European Union of Gymnastics. 4 April 2009. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  16. "2010 Pacific Rim Championships Women's Senior Results" (PDF). Melbourne, Australia: Pacific Alliance of National Gymnastics Federations. 30 April 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  17. "2010 Pacific Rim Championships Finals Women's Senior Results" (PDF). Melbourne, Australia: Pacific Alliance of National Gymnastics Federations. 2 May 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  18. "Events :: Show". Fig.lx2.sportcentric.com. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  19. International Gymnast Magazine Online – Uchimura, Afanasyeva Take Japan Cup Titles. Intlgymnast.com (2010-07-04). Retrieved on 2011-11-08.
  20. "42nd FIG Artistic Gymnastics World Championships Results" (PDF). Rotterdam, The Netherlands: Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique. 21 October 2010. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  21. "Events :: Show". Fig.lx2.sportcentric.com. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  22. "43rd Artistic Gymnastics World Championships Results Women's Team Final" (PDF). Tokyo, Japan: Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique. 11 October 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  23. "43rd Artistic Gymnastics World Championships Results Women's Individual All Around Final" (PDF). Tokyo, Japan: Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique. 13 October 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2012.
  24. "43rd Artistic Gymnastics World Championships Results Women's Floor Exercise Final" (PDF). Tokyo, Japan: Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique. 16 October 2011. Retrieved 10 August 2010.
  25. "International Gymnast Magazine Online - Mustafina Wins Russian National Title". Intlgymnast.com. 2012-03-21. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  26. "International Gymnast Magazine Online - Afanasyeva, Grishina Win Russian Event Titles". Intlgymnast.com. 2012-03-24. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  27. "International Gymnast Magazine Online - Komova Victorious Over Mustafina at Russian Cup". Intlgymnast.com. 2012-06-15. Retrieved 2012-08-19.
  28. "Гимнастка Ксения Афанасьева – о сборной команде и Олимпийских играх". 20 April 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  29. "Ksenia Afanasyeva: We Are Strong And Beautiful". Rewriting Russian Gymnastics. 21 July 2012. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  30. Women's Qualification - Olympic Gymnastics - Artistic, London 2012, retrieved 7 Sep 2012
  31. "Gymnastics Artistic Women's Team Final Results" (PDF). London, United Kingdom: Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique. 31 July 2012. Retrieved 31 July 2012.
  32. "Gymnastics Artistic Women's Apparatus Final Results Summary" (PDF). London, United Kingdom: Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique. 7 August 2012. Retrieved 7 August 2012.
  33. Turner, Amanda (3 March 2013). "Mustafina, Belyavsky Win Russian Championships". Penza, Russia: International Gymnast Magazine Online. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  34. Turner, Amanda (5 March 2013). "Central Teams Win Russian Championships". Penza, Russia: International Gymnast Magazine Online. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  35. Turner, Amanda (7 March 2013). "Ablyazin Takes Third Gold as Russian Nationals End". Penza, Russia: International Gymnast Magazine Online. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  36. Amanda Turner (16 Mar 2013), Russians Top Qualifications at French International, International Gymnast Magazine Online, retrieved 8 Apr 2013
  37. Amanda Turner (17 Mar 2013), Steingruber Grabs Two Golds at French International, International Gymnast Magazine Online, retrieved 8 Apr 2013
  38. "The 5th European Men's and Women's Artistic Gymnastics Individual Championships" (PDF). Moscow, Russia: European Union of Gymnastics. 21 April 2013. Retrieved 22 May 2013.
  39. "Presentación Gala de Estrellas de las Gimnasias 2013". 14 October 2013. Retrieved 30 November 2015.
  40. "Russian Championships team finals results" (PDF). Федерация Спортивной Гимнастики России. 4 March 2015.
  41. "Russian Championships event finals results" (PDF). Федерация Спортивной Гимнастики России. 4 March 2015.
  42. "Women's Apparatus Finals: Floor" (PDF). Union Européene de Gymnastique. 19 April 2015.
  43. "Women's Apparatus Finals: Vault" (PDF). Union Européene de Gymnastique. 18 April 2015.
  44. "Ксения Афанасьева: осталась финишная прямая до Олимпиады в Рио, нужно потерпеть". 21 April 2015.
  45. "Afanasyeva congratulated by regional Governor Vladimir Gruzdev". 20 April 2015.
  46. "Rusudan Sikharulidze partial results". 28 August 2015.
  47. "2015 Batumi International Results". 30 August 2015.
  48. "Russian Cup Gymnastics Results". Gymnastics Results. 20 September 2015.
  49. "WAG Nominative Registrations". FIG. 24 September 2015.
  50. "Valentina Rodionenko - Mustafina will have knee surgery after Glasgow". Rewriting Russian Gymnastics. 15 October 2015.
  51. "Qualification Results" (PDF). Gymnastics Results. 23 October 2015.
  52. "Team Final Results" (PDF). Gymnastics Results. 27 October 2015.
  53. "WAG Floor Final Results" (PDF). Gymnastics Results. 1 November 2015.
  54. "2015 Toyota International Cup Results". The Gymter.net. 12 December 2015.
  55. "Afanasyeva has treatment in Munich". Rewriting Russian Gymnastics. 15 January 2016.

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