Ruptly
"Russian juniors Yana Zaikina and Ksenia Savinova secured gold and silver medals at the European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Varna, Bulgaria. Footage filmed on Tuesday shows the athletes practising routines at the Palace of Culture and Sports, while footage from Thursday captures the medal ceremony. "I was very proud that, for the first time in a long while, we heard the Russian national anthem at the European Championships. It means a great deal for all of Russia - for the fans, the coaches, us, and all the officials. I truly believe I achieved that, and I'm really glad everything came together for me," Zaikina said. She also spoke positively about her performance, feeling proud to represent Russia with distinction. "I was very pleased and proud that I managed to perform a good ribbon routine and raise the Russian flag to the top spot. It was quite challenging because we put so much effort into it, and I’m very happy with the outcome," she said. Zaikina took first place in the junior ribbon final with a score of 26 points. Meanwhile, Savinova finished second in the hoop final with 26.35 points, narrowly missing first place to Bulgaria’s Siyana Alekova. Both athletes are part of the Russian national team and train at Alina Kabaeva Sky Grace Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy. Their coaches are Yevgenia Eliseeva and Olga Minigalina. Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva has also played a key role in their training, assisting with practising the routines. The 42nd European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships are being held in Varna from 27 to 31 May. According to the Russian Gymnastics Federation, the European Gymnastics executive committee recently approved the participation of athletes under the Russian flag and national anthem at European competitions. "
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