Arina and Dina Averina – young stars from the Volga region

Following the results of the Universiade in Kazan and a number of other major competitions held last summer, candidates for the national teams of the country in various sports were identified. As the president of the Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation and the head coach of the Russian team, Irina Viner, noted, there is a good trend: most candidates make their way to big sport from the provinces. Irina Aleksandrovna calls them “stars” …

A great future

– I see a great future for many young participants, – said Irina Viner. – For example, Dina and Arina Averina. The next year the girls will perform in the adult program. Then I will already be watching them carefully. Next year there will be the Youth Olympic Games, where all the participants will have another great chance to prove themselves and prove their prospects.

These twin sisters from the Volga region are often written in the federal press and abroad. Unfortunately, in their native land only a narrow circle of rhythmic gymnastics lovers know them. We will try to fill this gap. Moreover, this year the “artists” turned 14 years old – a key moment in their careers in this sport.

Sisters Dina and Arina Averina have been practicing rhythmic gymnastics since the age of four. Until the age of 12, girls studied in a regular school. But not with the whole class, but individually in all subjects, except music, drawing, physical education, labor and life safety. Most of their time is spent training. The most interesting thing is that, being in a provincial town, they became members of the Russian national team. And then their sports career “took” them to Moscow, to the Olympic Training Center, bypassing the Nizhny Novgorod Olympic Reserve School. For the province, this is more than a rarity. Now the Averins are candidates for master of sports, multiple prize-winners and champions of Russian and international competitions, members of the junior national team of Russia. Moreover, Dina and Arina are in favor of the command of the armed forces of the Volga Federal District! The training schedule is very tight – every day from 10 to 13 and from 14 to 17.

The sisters train with Vera Shatalina, the senior coach of the country’s youth national team, according to an individual program. Vera Nikolaevna is an honored coach of Russia. Coach of the Olympic champion, two-time world champion, five-time European champion Alina Kabaeva and world champion Olga Kapranova. Irina Viner herself oversees the classes.

Ordinary children

When it comes to twins, their loved ones are always asked how they distinguish between them? For a coach, sisters are different.

– Dina is a 100% athlete, she is very worried if she does not take first place. Arisha is softer, worries about her sister and all her rivals, says  Vera Shatalina . – I can tell them apart even by their voice when I’m on the phone.

The common people call such young talents “children deprived of childhood.” This is fundamentally wrong. Nothing human is alien to young athletes – they are ordinary children! But if we analyze the study and free time of juniors and ordinary children, then it is about the same. Only the first spend their “free” time on training, while others sit in front of the computer – modern children do not particularly like to walk and breathe the air. The results are different for everyone: some have health and success, others have impaired vision.

In July of this year, the sixth Spartakiad was held in Penza, which brought together 152 participants from all over the country. Such an intensity of passions among young creatures has not been observed for a long time – transcendental sports horizons awaited the winners. The Nizhny Novgorod team took second place. Arina Averina took second place in the all-around, won an exercise with a hoop, and won silver after performing with a ribbon and a ball. Dina took gold in the performance with clubs and two bronze medals in the all-around and with ribbons. By the way, the tournament in Penza became a qualifying one for a trip to the fifth Russian-Chinese youth games in Shanghai.

According to the coach of the sisters, a good trend is starting to prevail in the sports world now: most of the Olympic geniuses are from the provinces. So, in the national team of the country in rhythmic gymnastics born in 1999, which includes the sisters of Averina, there is only one Muscovite. Ira Annenkova is from Sochi, and Yulia Bravikova is from Orel.

In October, the Averina sisters are going to participate in the Russian Cup. And then a “tour” of international competitions. Girls are not told in advance where they will go – they should always be ready to perform.