A press conference was held in Omsk with the participation of Evgenia Kanaeva and Ksenia Dudkina

Today, three-time world champion Evgenia Kanaeva and world champion-2011 in group exercises, Honored Master of Sports Ksenia Dudkina answered questions from journalists

On October 11, 2011, a press conference on the results of the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championship was held in the conference hall of the Ministry of Youth Affairs, Physical Culture and Sports of the Omsk Region. Olympic champion, 17-time world champion Evgenia Kanaeva, world champion Ksenia Dudkina, gymnast coaches Vera Shtelbaums and Elena Arais, as well as Viktor Babkin, First Deputy Minister of Youth Affairs, Physical Culture and Sports of the Omsk Region, met with media representatives.

In his welcoming speech, Viktor Babkin noted that the Omsk region and the regional center of rhythmic gymnastics are “a source of personnel, masters of such a wonderful sport.” The First Deputy Minister also stressed that as a result of the signing of an agreement between the Ministry of Sports and Tourism of Russia and the Government of the Omsk Region in June this year, the new building of the rhythmic gymnastics center will be built in six months instead of two years.

Naturally, the most popular topic for questions was the last World Cup in France, preparation for the Olympic Games in London. As noted by the athletes and coaches, the audience’s interest in rhythmic gymnastics is constantly growing, and there have been no vacancies at the world championships in recent years. In Montpellier, Kanaeva was presented with an unusual gift – a fan of a gymnast from Taiwan made a poster in the form of 10 thousand different photographs of an Omsk woman.

The main competition is between the representatives of the former USSR – Russia, Ukraine and Belarus, traditionally the team of Bulgaria is strong. “We win through skill. I don’t know what the secret of constant victories is – probably in work ”- Vera Shtelbaums admitted. “I don’t think about competition, I go out on the court alone and I have to do what the coach teaches me and what I am preparing for. Regarding the Olympic program, we will definitely change two types, and two types – if we find music better than the current one, ”said Evgenia Kanaeva.

According to Ksenia Dudkina, the youngest Honored Master of Sports of Russia, she has not yet fully realized her new status, and her main emotions are still the joy of winning the World Championship. Elena Arais described the program of the Russian team in group exercises as the most difficult in the world, but our gymnasts took risks when performing some difficult elements and lost points for inaccurate performance.

Naturally, the constant victories of Russian gymnasts attract everyone’s attention, and even, as Vera Shtelbaums noted, cause some displeasure with the President of the International Federation, Bruno Grandi. “Leaders are looked at differently, and they cannot be wrong. But the judges are also spectators, and when a gymnast performs well, they are happy to give good marks ”- this is how Kanaeva commented on the situation.

In a few days, the gymnasts will have to perform again – at the final stage of the Grand Prix in Czech Brno. Further – tournaments in Italy and Japan. Evgenia Kanaeva will return to Omsk at the end of the year to participate in the opening of the traditional tournament in memory of Galina Gorenkova. In January, the “pre-Olympic week” will take place, the competitions of which are planned to be held in the future hall of the London Games.