After the 2016 Olympic Games, which ended for the Russian national team in synchronized swimming another triumph, the domestic team was waiting for a serious update. The main stars - five-time Olympic champions Natalya Ishchenko and Svetlana Romashina - announced a pause in their careers. As a result coaching staff during the World Cup I had to go to bold experiments. So, for the first time since junior age, Svetlana Kolesnichenko performed in the competition of soloists and won gold. Alexandra Patskevich had to make her debut in duets, but she did not flinch either, winning in a pair with the same Kolesnichenko. Group competitions were next in line - by the way, Kolesnichenko and Patskevich were not included in the Russian team. However, Svetlana herself thanked the head coach Tatyana Pokrovskaya for such a decision, explaining that it would be “morally difficult” for her to perform in the group as well.

As a result, the composition of the Russian G8 appeared to be radically updated. Of the Rio Olympic champions, only Maria Shurochkina and Vlada Chigiryova remained in the roster. At 22, they found themselves in the role of veterans of the national team, and the whole burden of responsibility fell on their fragile shoulders.

The rest are even younger. Twin sisters Anastasia and Daria Bayandin will turn 21 only in November. 20 years old and Maria Golyadkina with Darina Valitova. Veronika Kalinina is only 18, and Polina Kamar is 17. Valitova, however, two years ago in Kazan managed to become the world champion in mixed doubles paired with Alexander Maltsev.

With the sharply rejuvenated composition of the Russian national team, it was necessary to reaffirm their own hegemony in synchronized swimming. However, when such a person as Tatyana Pokrovskaya is at the head of the team, there can be no doubt about the success of the case. Tatyana Nikolaevna has been working with the Russian national team since 1998 and during this time she has trained more than one golden team.

“Of course, it was in connection with the departure of Ishchenko and Romashina that there were certain concerns, but the professionalism of the coaches who train synchronized swimmers for the national team continues to bear fruit. I have already talked about the group, and after all, girls who recently left the junior team also entered its composition at the World Cup. During this year, Pokrovskaya did a great job so that they could fulfill the Olympic technical program. As a result, the Russian team continues to keep a very high bar", - told RT the former ward of Pokrovskaya, three-time Olympic champion Olga Brusnikina.

• Reuters

Gold in the heat

As a result, the performance in Budapest turned out to be difficult for the updated Russian team. In the Hungarian capital that day thermometers showed above 30 ºC, and the competition was held in an outdoor pool. As luck would have it, the domestic team received the last, 12th, number and had to wait for all the rivals to perform.

But the girls were not embarrassed. Once in the pool, they did everything perfectly. The elements in their performance looked simply amazing. It seemed like they had been performing together for many years. Of course, this team is still far from the one that won Olympic gold in Rio de Janeiro, but before next games three more years. However, even now the Russian team has turned out to be inaccessible to competitors. The domestic eight scored 96.0109 points and was almost two points ahead of the second Chinese women (94.2165) - a whole gulf in synchronized swimming. It is curious that the representatives of the Celestial Empire chose a technical program with Russian folk motives. Bronze in a stubborn struggle with Ukraine was won by Japanese women (93.1590).

"There is a team change"

But Tatyana Pokrovskaya, after the end of the competition, finally agreed to call her wards a team.

“I was very worried about this group. Training is one thing, but I didn’t know how athletes would behave in competitions. At the preliminary stage, they seemed to be warming up, a little cautious. And they did well today. I am satisfied. There is a team. Before the championship, I said: “There is no team, there is no team ...” And now I can say that the team was born. There is a change to the team that I called “animals” - when the girls came out - everyone was trembling, energy was in full swing from them, ”the All Sport agency quotes the coach as saying.

Pokrovskaya also said what she thinks about the Chinese women who have chosen the music to which the Russians once performed.

“For the technical program, the Chinese chose Russian folk motifs. And for the free program they took "Prayer"! It was our favorite Olympic program. The girls even asked not to put her with anyone else. Alas, this music is not only written for us. We ourselves found it on the Internet and cannot prevent others from using it. But still, it's embarrassing. After all, I processed it, specially accelerated it at the end ... And now it seems that the Chinese took it and simply added another 30 seconds to our version. Here is the music for our current programs - this is an exclusive. It was written by Denis Garnizov, who collaborates with the Todes ballet. A very promising young composer in particular in working with dance groups. His father, Alexei Garnizov, used to write for Todes, and now Denis continues his work. I’m already taking his third melody - he wrote two especially for us, and the third one, Dinosaurs, I found on the Internet and asked permission, ”added Pokrovskaya.

In turn, the Olympic champion Vlada Chigireva, who won the seventh gold of the world championships, admitted that she was still worried.

“Each performance is exciting for us, and today the sunny weather also made its own adjustments - it was very hot. But it was also hot from the support of our fans. We go to the start without confidence in our victory, the main thing for us is to fight with ourselves. Every time we worry that something might go wrong, but we worked to the maximum, so we got such marks, ”TASS quotes Chigiryova.

Angelica Timanina will take part in international tournament on surfing.

Olympic champion in synchronized swimming Anzhelika Timanina will perform in a new sport for herself - surfing.

30-year-old Timanina will take part in the World Championships, which will be held in Miyazaki (Japan) from September 7 to 15. This tournament will be the first international start for a synchronized surfer and the twelfth world championship in her career.

“I still don’t fully understand everything that is happening to me now,” Timanina said. - Only thanks to the support of people who sincerely believe in me, everything that happens today became possible, and I personally thank everyone who helped me get to where I am now. It is a great honor for me to take part in competitions of this level and represent the country.”

Note that Timanina ended her career as a synchronized swimmer in 2016.

Composition of the Russian team at the World Championships: Nikita Avdeev, Yegor Volkov, Sergey Rasshivaev, Polina Malizia, Anna Chudnenko, Anzhelika Timanina.

The World Surfing Championship will be the qualifier for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games.

Related: Surfing competitions in Japan and Indonesia postponed Olympic champion in synchronized swimming to perform at the World Surfing Championships

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In an interview, RT commented on the judicial scandal that erupted after the performance of mixed doubles at the World Aquatics Championships in Budapest. According to her, the Russians Michaela Kalancha and Alexander Maltsev, who remained second, losing to the Italians, performed very decently. The famous athlete also appreciated the fact that the father of the world champion Giorgio Minisini was present among the judges.

Synchronized competitions in the mixed doubles at the World Aquatics Championship in Budapest ended in a serious refereeing scandal. The Russian duet of Michaela Calanci and Alexander Maltsev remained second, losing only 0.034 points to the Italians Manila Flamini and Giorgio Minisini. After the end of the speeches, it turned out that the father of Minisini, who became the world champion, was also part of the judiciary.

In Russia, many disagreed with the judges' assessments and called them biased. RT spoke with three-time Olympic champion Olga Brusnikina, who explained that the rules International Federation Swimming (FINA) do not prohibit judges from serving events with the participation of their own relatives.

- What are your impressions of the mixed doubles competition?

I saw only the performance of our duet. I didn’t follow the Italians, because I myself am at the training camp, and I didn’t have the opportunity to sit in front of the TV. I can't paint you a full picture, but Kalancha and Maltsev did everything at a very good level. Unless they had a small blot on the ejection. The rest of the performance of the guys looked very dynamic. As a result, the outcome of the struggle for gold was decided by two or three estimates. Perhaps the Italian judge helped his compatriots somewhere.

Now everyone is talking about the fact that among the judges was the father of the Italian Giorgio Minisini, who became world champion. How normal is this practice?

In synchronized swimming, there are no rules prohibiting parents from judging the performances of their own children. In fact, anyone can do this by going through a special judicial school and passing exams at the International Swimming Federation. I don't think any special rules were applied to Minisini. I am not very familiar with the history of this referee, but referees are usually invited to the FINA Synchronized Swimming Technical Committee for the World Championships. So the presence of Minisini in Budapest is not the result of the efforts of the Italians.

In synchronized swimming, the overall score is added up as follows: 30% of it is technical complexity, another 30% is awarded for execution and 40% for artistry. Is it possible to see how a particular judge assessed the performance of a particular duet?

In the decrypted protocols, such information should be. They contain all the marks of the judges.

- Athletes and coaches can see these protocols?

Naturally. They are placed daily in the boxes for national federations. All members of the delegation can familiarize themselves with the papers. In general, everything that happened really upset me. Attempts to remove the Russian duo from the top were also made at the 2015 World Cup in Kazan. Then the victory was given to the Americans Christina Jones and Bill May. It is difficult to say whether this was done intentionally. But it should be noted that in the mixed doubles, the level of marks is, in principle, lower than that of women who knock out 95 points each. Still, mixed is a very young look.

- Maybe judges-relatives are appointed specifically to interrupt the hegemony of Russia?

In any case, one judge is not able to decide everything, since there are only 15 arbitrators. Plus, I repeat, there are no rules that prohibit judging your own relatives. We can make any guesses, but in response we will be told that everything was done according to the letter of the law.

If we ignore the judicial scandal in the mixed doubles, what emotions did the performances of other Russian synchronized swimmers leave?

The team gave a result, despite a serious update that took place on all fronts: this is both a duet and a soloist. Even in the group, Tatyana Pokrovskaya has only two Olympic champions left. But Russia holds the mark and continues to be head and shoulders above rivals. In many free programs, the gap between Russian synchronized swimmers and competitors is more than two points, that is, almost every judge puts Russia in first place and confirms the country's leadership in this sport.

Of course, it was precisely in connection with their departure that there were certain concerns, but the professionalism of the coaches who train synchronized swimmers for the national team continues to bear fruit. I have already talked about the group, and after all, girls who recently left the junior team also entered its composition at the World Cup. During this year, Pokrovskaya did a great job so that they could complete the Olympic technical program. As a result, the Russian team continues to hold a very high bar.

Water sports always attract with their entertainment. Freedom of movement human body in an unusual aquatic environment is always impressive. Among many aquatic species competitions, perhaps the most feminine can be called synchronized swimming. The essence of synchronized swimming as a water sport lies in the strict synchronous performance of certain figures and exercises in the water to the music. This artistically refined and choreographically elegant form of water gymnastics seems easy and simple only at first glance. If you look closely, you can understand how demanding the rules are in this sport. Athletes involved in this sport experience significant physical exercise. In this regard, they must have serious endurance and strength, while demonstrating grace, flexibility and absolute control over their own breathing.

Initially, synchronized swimming appeared to the public at the beginning of the last century in Canada and was then called water ballet. Then went the spread of synchronized swimming across the continent and across Europe. In 1948, at the Olympic Games in London, for the first time, demonstration performances of swimmers in synchronized swimming appeared, but then this sport was not included in the program of the games. Only in 1984 in Los Angeles, at the Summer Olympics, synchronized swimming was officially included in the program of Olympic sports. At that time, representatives of single and pair performances competed in synchronized swimming.

The program of synchronized swimming competitions includes compulsory (technical) and free (long) performances. Compulsory performance implies the performance of certain elements in the prescribed order. AT free program There are no restrictions in choreographic or musical compositions. The judging staff, evaluating the performances of swimmers, includes two groups, the first of which awards points for the technique of performance, and the second - for artistry. The maximum score is 10 points on both sides.

Until 1992, when the Barcelona Olympics were held, the synchronized swimming program included singles and doubles. But after 4 years, at the games in Atlanta in 1996, there were changes: singles and doubles performances were excluded and group performances came to replace them. This means that there was one set of awards at the games in Atlanta.

Russian athletes in synchronized swimming led by the head coach of the national team of our country Tatyana Pokrovskaya, won all the gold medals at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, 2004 in Athens and 2008 in Beijing.

This beautiful sport keeps the big names that made Russian synchronized swimming famous.

Maria Kiseleva - Russian swimmer- synchronizer. Honored Master of Sports of Russia, three-time Olympic champion, three-time World champion, nine-time European champion, multiple champion of Russia and World and European Cups, champion of the Goodwill Games, member of the Presidential Council for Physical Education and Sports.

Olga Brusnikina- Russian athlete - swimmer. Honored Master of Sports of Russia in synchronized swimming. Multiple World and European Champion. Three-time Olympic champion in 2000 in Sydney in the group and doubles event, and in 2004 in Athens in the group event. Currently, a member of the Presidential Council Russian Federation for physical education and sports.

Daria Korobova - Russian athlete - synchronized swimmer, member of the Russian national team. Honored Master of Sports of Russia. Five-time World Champion, twice European Champion, 15-time Russian Champion, World Cup winner. Hope of Russian synchronized swimming.

Angelica Timanina- Russian athlete - synchronized swimmer. Honored Master of Sports of Russia. Member of the Russian team. Five-time World Champion and two-time European Champion.

Natalya Ishchenko is a Russian synchronized swimmer. Member of the national team of our country. Honored Master of Sports of Russia. Olympic champion of the 2008 games in Beijing, sixteen-time World champion, seven-time European champion, absolute European champion in 2010, the only synchronized swimmer who won all 4 events in the history of European championships.

Svetlana Romashina- Russian athlete - synchronized swimmer. Member of the national team. Honored Master of Sports of Russia. Olympic champion in 2008 in Beijing, ten-time World champion, four-time European champion.

Anastasia Davydova- eminent Russian athlete - synchronized swimmer. Honored Master of Sports of Russia. Four-time Olympic champion in synchronized swimming, thirteen-time World champion, seven-time European champion. The best synchronized swimmer of the first decade of the 21st century.

Our synchronized swimmers have always been a powerful competitor to athletes from other countries. With the current generation, Russian synchronized swimming will always be at a decent level.

Synchronized swimming - the history of the emergence and development in the world and Russia

The history of synchronized swimming began to be written by representatives of ancient civilizations. In Egypt, girls picking lotus flowers showed miracles of grace, holding a basket with their hands and moving only with the help of leg movements. The ancient Greek historian Herodotus wrote about the daughter of a famous swimmer, who felt so free in the water that, according to legend, she received the name Beloved of the god of the seas. AT Ancient Rome swimming of girls and boys with round dances to the music was an obligatory part of the program of water extravaganzas. It is believed that the formation of synchronized swimming as an independent sports discipline began in Europe at the end of the 19th century. Moreover, the "pioneers" mass competitions it was not women at all, but men who first competed among themselves in Berlin in 1891. The next country to join the process of developing a new sport was Great Britain, where a year later its own group of “synchronized” swimmers appeared. And at the beginning of the 20th century, "artistic swimming" began to conquer France, in which the "Seagull" club was formed.

"Water ballet", as synchronized swimming was originally called, was not recognized until 1920. A key factor in conquering the world was the first championship in Montreal, Canada, organized four years later, and the spread of the craze for this elegant and sophisticated sport in the United States and throughout Europe. At the same time, the mass participation of synchronized women in competitions began, which gradually replaced men from them.

In 1952, synchronized swimming received the long-awaited official international recognition and its modern name. At the French Championship, musical accompaniment that was not previously used was used; at the Olympics in Finland, demonstration performance American women, and a separate committee was created in FINA.

The emergence and development of synchronized swimming in the USSR

The beginning of the development of this sport in Russia can be considered 1908. It was then that a swimming school was founded near St. Petersburg, where they passed the standards in 12 disciplines, including rather unusual ones. On weekends, holidays were held here, during which students performed various figures on the water.

Demonstration performances of women in the amount of up to 24 people, in which the best athletes of that time participated - Khatuntseva, Kuznetsova, sisters Vtorova, Fedorova - became popular already in the 30s. After the war, independent groups began to organize, one of which performed in 1957 at the stadium. Lenin in Luzhniki.

The preliminary stage or formation of synchronized swimming in the USSR fell on 1961-1969 - from the first official metropolitan championship to inclusion in the calendar of annual city competitions. The second stage - Moscow - where the prize for the opening of the season was played, the individual championship and the Cubes of Moscow took place, lasted for 10 years until 1979. During this period, the requirements for categories and standards, competition rules and a qualification program were approved. As part of the established Moscow Federation under the leadership of the head. the department of State Center for Physical and Physical Education O. I. Logunova included V.V. Belokovsky, O. Kireeva, A. Mindlina, O. Wiltsin. The first coaching schools of O. Kireeva (Luzhniki), T. Dobychina, Z.A. Barbier ("Moscow"), M.N. Maksimova (Department of Swimming GTSOLIFK).

In 1974, at the request of the Federation, the editors of the Soviet Woman magazine established a spring competition prize dedicated to March 8. Two years later, the All-Union Commission was created under the USSR Sports Committee with the first chairman in the person of the famous Maya Plisetskaya, and the third stage in the development of synchronized swimming was launched, which began to conquer the entire Soviet space. Evidence of this is the appearance of the titles "Master of Sports of the USSR" and "MS international class» in synchronized swimming, regional and republican teams - Belarusian and Ukrainian, Georgian and Moldovan, Uzbek, Kazakhstani and Armenian.

The third stage - all-Union - lasted from 1979 until the collapse of the USSR and began with the first All-Union competitions in Elektrostal, where new stars lit up: Potemkin, Frolov, Heitzer.

In 1980, the XXII Olympiad was held in Moscow, at which synchronized swimming is recognized olympic view sports and has been included in them since 1984 as an exclusively female discipline. First, competitions take place in singles and doubles with technical and free programs, and then group performances are added. In 1986 Soviet athletes go to their first world championship, in 1988 juniors begin to participate in competitions, and after 3 years the USSR ceases to exist and the modern - Russian - stage of development of synchronized swimming begins.

Olympic medal winners

Soviet synchronized swimmers did not participate in the XXIII Olympiad, held in Los Angeles. The reason is simple - a boycott in response to similar actions of the American team and a number of other teams that refused to come to a socialist country.

two gold Olympic medals Los Angeles from both sets went to Tracy Ruiz from the USA. In 1988, Caroline Waldo from Canada became the champion in Seoul. At the XXV Olympic Games in Barcelona in 1992 in singles American Christine Babb-Spraig won doubles won by the duo of Sarah and Karen Josephson. Four years later, in Atlanta, singles and pairs were replaced by group exercises, but highest award again went to synchronized swimmers from the USA.

The dominance of American athletes ended in Sydney, where two sets of awards began to be played out - among duos and teams. From 2000 to 2016 in Australia, Greece, Japan, Great Britain and Brazil, synchronized swimmers from Russia took gold medals with them.

Among the strongest athletes in the world who have won the maximum number of awards, our legendary girls are in the lead:

• Anastasia Davydova. Five-time Olympic champion in group and duet, 13-time world champion and 7-time European champion.
• Anastasia Ermakova. Four-time Olympic champion, 8-time world, European and Russian champion.
• Olga Brusnikina. Three-time Olympic champion, four-time world champion.
• Maria Kiseleva. Three-time Olympic champion, 3-time world champion, 9-time European champion.

The brilliant results are the merit of the talented and persistent athletes themselves, the head coach of the Russian national team T.N. Pokrovskaya and the head coach T.E. Danchenko.

Tatyana Nikolaevna switched to synchronized swimming from rhythmic gymnastics. A creative approach, a real gift to unite people around her so that they become a cohesive team, the ability to train strong athletes in a short time helped her to achieve the triumphant success of the team at the Olympics, world and European championships.

Tatyana Evgenievna is a synchronized swimmer in the past - champion of the USSR and Europe among juniors. Under her leadership, Russian athletes took gold medals in four consecutive Olympic Games, won 21 World Championships and 14 European Championships. Does not know losses and the junior team. For more than 20 years, it has led to victories in world competitions N.A. Mendygalieva - ZTR of Russia and master of sports in scuba diving. Synchronized swimming in Russia today

The Federation of Synchronized Swimming of the USSR was replaced by the FSPR with the president represented by A.V. Vlasenko is a member of FINA, LEN (European Swimming League) and Olympic Committee Russia - which is represented by the vice-president of the FSPR I.P. Kartashov and First Vice President O.A. Brusnikina. Synchronized swimming is intensively developing in 21 constituent entities of Russia and has 20 regional federations in regions, large cities, territories, autonomous regions and republics. 150 specialists work with 6000 athletes in dozens of youth sports schools, sports schools and sections, who continue the work of the leading coaches and directors of group compositions - Z.A. Barbier, M.N. Maksimov, O.I. Vasilchenko, T.N. Pokrovskaya, N.A. Mendygalieva, M.G. Terekhova.

Strict requirements for the technique of performance and high competition determine the complexity of the new tasks that synchronized swimmers face in front of the next Olympic Games. After all, it is necessary not only to seize the leadership once, but also to forge the next victories. A strict system of selection and training makes it possible to grow promising talented athletes - today's juniors and tomorrow's heroes of world competitions. The expansion of the staff and the growth of the professionalism of the coaching staff, the increase in the number of groups for initial training and the improvement of sportsmanship makes it possible to increase the level of performance, prepare a worthy replacement for the outgoing stars and maintain the status of a sports superpower.