The event was held in Cheboksary, Republic of Chuvashia, on 30 January – 2 February.

‘Nirvana’ team was the best in aerobics, and ‘Cright’ team finished third is step aerobics.

‘Cright’ team captain Alina Zagitova confessed, “Some can say that we are only the third. However, after having won this bronze, we understood that there is much to work on, and we are moving in the right direction. Our wonderful coaches, Yekaterina Yachmenyova and Larisa Maslova, help us to grow.”

Of the 40 young women who comprise KFU’s step aerobics teams, the majority took dancing classes during their secondary school years.

As Larisa Maslova, KFU employee and Head of the Federation of Fitness Aerobics of Tatarstan, noted, fitness aerobics requires great physical fitness, flexibility and coordination. She explains, “As for Russian national competitions, only athletes with the first adult category [referring to the Russian official system of professional athletic rankings] are allowed to join. For that to be achieved, the girls joined provincial events and the Russian Championship in November 2020. Two athletes were awarded the rank of the Candidate at Sports Master, and others were given the first adult category.”

Over a half of the winners had never engaged in professional sports before they first stepped on the aerobics arena in September 2020. “We will not stop at this,” promises Yekaterina Yachmenyova, Chief Coach of the Federation of Fitness Aerobics of Tatarstan, Russian Official Fitness Aerobics Referee, Senior Lecturer of the Institute of Geology and Petroleum Technologies.

Source text: Larisa Busil

Translation: Yury Nurmeev