Alina Kabaeva

Alina Maratovna Kabaeva is a Russian politician, media manager, and retired individual rhythmic gymnast, who has been designated Honoured Master of Sports by the Russian government.
Kabaeva is one of the most decorated gymnasts in rhythmic gymnastic history, with 2 Olympic medals, 14 World Championship medals, and 21 European Championship medals. She is reportedly the longtime partner of Russian president Vladimir Putin.
From 2007 to 2014, Kabaeva was a State Duma deputy from United Russia. In September 2014, Kabaeva became the chairwoman of the board of directors of the National Media Group.

Early life and family

Kabaeva was born on 12 May 1983 in Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union, the daughter of Lyubov Kabaeva and Marat Kabayev, a professional football player. Her father is a Muslim Tatar and her mother is Russian. Her younger sister, Leysan Kabaeva, is the general director of a real estate agency and in 2016 was appointed as a judge of the Almetyevsk City Court in Tatarstan by Russian president Vladimir Putin. Due to Marat's career, the family often travelled to different places in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Russia.

Rhythmic gymnastics career

Early career

Kabaeva started rhythmic gymnastics at age three with coach Margarita Samuilovna. At age seven, her mother took her to a club in Tashkent, where she was turned away for being too heavy. In 1993, she represented Kazakhstan at an international competition in Japan.
At age 12, Kabaeva moved to Moscow, where her mother took her to the Russian head coach, Irina Viner. Viner initially thought she was too short and overweight for gymnastics, but she decided to accept her after watching her practice and seeing her flexibility and jumps. However, she insisted that Kabaeva lose weight immediately; Kabaeva was only allowed to have water for three days, and she was put on a strict diet while training intensively. Kabaeva later said that she begged Viner for food. Kabaeva's mother initially returned to Tashkent, though she called and visited frequently until she moved to Moscow with Kabaeva's younger sister.

1996–1999

Kabaeva made her international debut representing Russia in 1996 and won two silver all-around medals, both behind Yulia Raskina. The next year, she won every junior event she competed in and placed 4th in the senior category at the Russian Championships.
In 1998, her first year as an international senior, the 15-year-old Kabaeva won the 1998 European Championships in Portugal. At the time, she was the youngest member of the Russian squad, competing alongside internationally recognized teammates Amina Zaripova and Yana Batyrshina as well as Irina Tchachina. Later in the year, she won the World Youth Games, held in Moscow, and won the all-around and three of the four event finals at the 1998 Goodwill Games.
Kabaeva then became the 1999 European Champion in Hungary and won the 1999 World title in Osaka, Japan. Kabaeva went on to win a total of 5 all-around titles at the European Championships.
At the 2000 Sydney Olympics, in Australia, Kabaeva was expected to claim the gold medal in the all-around; however, due to an error in an otherwise clean performance—she dropped her hoop, and ran to retrieve it outside of the competition area—Kabaeva won the bronze medal, with the final score of 39.466. Belarus's Yulia Raskina took the silver medal, while fellow Russian teammate, Yulia Barsukova, won the Olympic gold medal.

2001–2004

At the 2001 World Championships in Madrid, Spain, Kabaeva won the gold medal for the Ball, Clubs, Hoop, Rope, the Individual All-Around, and the Team competitions. At the 2001 Goodwill Games in Brisbane, Australia, Kabaeva won the gold medal for the Ball, Clubs, and Rope competitions, and the Silver in the Individual All-Around, and Hoop. However, Kabaeva and her teammate, Irina Tchachina, tested positive to a banned diuretic, and were stripped of their medals.
Viner, the Russian head coach, who also served as the Vice President of the FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics Technical Committee at the time, said her gymnasts had been taking a food supplement called "Hyper", that contained mild diuretics, which, according to Viner, the gymnasts were taking for premenstrual syndrome. When the supply ran out shortly before the Goodwill Games, the team physiotherapist restocked at a local pharmacy. According to Viner, the supplement sold there was fake and contained furosemide. The Committee requested that the Goodwill Games Organizing Committee nullify Kabaeva and Tchachina's results. The FIG also nullified their results from the World Championships in Madrid, causing Ukraine's Tamara Yerofeeva to be declared the 2001 world champion. Kabaeva was not allowed to participate in competitions from August 2001 to August 2002. Her first international competition after the ban was the 2002 European Championships, where she took first place in the individual all-around.
Kabaeva gained the 2003 World Title in Budapest, Hungary. Kabaeva won the All-Around Gold Medal at the 2003 World Championships, as well as the event final in Ribbon and Ball ahead of Anna Bessonova from Ukraine.
In 2004, Kabaeva won the All-Around Gold at the 2004 European Championships in Kyiv, Ukraine. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Greece, Kabaeva won the gold medal in the Individual All-Around for Rhythmic Gymnastics, with a score of 108.400, the Silver Medal went to her teammate, Irina Tchachina.

2005–2007

In October 2004, Kabaeva announced her retirement from the sport. However, in June 2005, the Russian Head Coach Irina Viner announced a possible comeback. Kabaeva resumed her sport career at an Italy-Russia friendly competition in Genoa, on 10 September 2005. On 5 March 2006, Kabaeva won the Gazprom Moscow Grand Prix, with fellow Russians Vera Sessina and Olga Kapranova, taking the Second and Third places. Kabaeva won the silver medal in All-Around at the 2006 European Championships, behind teammate, Sessina.
At the 2007 European Championships in Baku, Azerbaijan; Kabaeva, Sessina, and Kapranova were chosen to represent Russia. However, on the eve of the competition, Kabaeva withdrew due to an injury. Viner selected rising upcoming gymnast Evgenia Kanaeva from Russia's National Team as the replacement. Kabaeva finished fourth in all-around qualifications at the 2007 World Championships but did not advance into the finals due to the two per country rule, with Vera Sessina and Olga Kapranova placing ahead of her. Kabaeva did qualify for the ribbon final where she won a bronze medal behind Sessina and Ukraine's Anna Bessonova.

2008 Beijing Olympics

The plans for Kabaeva's participation in the 2008 Olympics were repeatedly announced, but this did not happen.

Doping scandal

In 2001, Kabaeva and Irina Chashchina were convicted of using furosemide, as a result of which both were disqualified for two years. The athletes were stripped of all the awards of the 2001 Goodwill Games and World Cup. From August 2001 to August 2002, these gymnasts were not allowed to take part in any competitions. The second year of disqualification was given conditionally; that is, they were allowed to compete in official tournaments, but the strictest control was established over them.

Contributions to rhythmic gymnastics

Kabaeva revolutionized rhythmic gymnastics as one of the few gymnasts to have performed new skills and elements, including the back split pivot with hand help, the ring position with a slow full turn, and the backscale pivot that she first performed.

Rhythmic gymnastic achievements

Won the 1998 European Championships in the all-around in Porto, Portugal, at 15 years of age, the youngest ever to do so.
Leveled with Elena Karpukhina as one of the youngest Rhythmic Gymnast to win the All-Around World Championships in 1999 Osaka at 16 years old, until Yana Kudryavtseva of the Russian Federation broke the record winning the All-Around 2013 World Championships at 15 years old.
Performed the backscale pivot first.
Holds the record for the most European All-Around titles, in 1998, 1999, 2000, 2002, and 2004.
Won all Grand-slam titles, and is only one of the three rhythmic gymnasts ever to do so. The titles are: Olympics, World Championships, European Championships, World Cup Final, and Grand Prix Final.
Became a six time Russian National All-Around Champion, in 1999, 2000, 2001, 2004, 2006, and 2007.
Detailed Olympic results

Year	Competition Description	Location	Music	Apparatus	Score-Final	Score-Qualifying
2004	Olympics	Athens		All-around	108.400	105.875
2004	Olympics	Athens	Sphynx by Giampiero Ponte	Ribbon	27.100	26.100
2004	Olympics	Athens	Syrtaki by D. Moutsis	Ball	27.350	27.250
2004	Olympics	Athens	Carmen's entrance and Habanera by Georges Bizet	Hoop	26.800	26.050
2004	Olympics	Athens	Sphynx by Giampiero Ponte, Moran	Clubs	27.150	26.475
Year	Competition Description	Location	Music	Apparatus	Score-Final	Score-Qualifying
2000	Olympics	Sydney		All-around	39.466	39.691
2000	Olympics	Sydney	Dilorom / Yor Yor by Yulduz Usmanova and Shahzod	Ribbon	9.950	9.925
2000	Olympics	Sydney	Felicia by Luis Bravo	Ball	9.950	9.925
2000	Olympics	Sydney	Les Toreadors by Georges Bizet	Hoop	9.651	9.925
2000	Olympics	Sydney	Tsyganochka	Rope	9.925	9.916