Aliya Mustafina has officially announced her retirement at the 2021 Russian Cup in Novosibirsk. The federation honored Mustafina during the competition’s opening ceremony.
Mustafina stopped training in the summer of 2019, following a national team training camp in Japan. At first, she said she was taking a break from gymnastics to find motivation again, and still planned to come back for Tokyo. However, in January of 2021, she started working as the acting head coach of the junior national team, replacing Evgeny Grebyonkin. Even though it was quite clear Mustafina would not be able to do that job and continue training, she did not confirm her retirement then.
The ceremony in Novosibirsk officially marked the end of her career. Mustafina said in her speech:
“You know that in order to achieve great results, it’s not enough just to train well. Different factors need to come together for this. I thank my first and all the subsequent coaches, they are the only reason I was able to achieve something. I thank all the national team staff, each of them gave me something different and made me stronger. Physical therapists and doctors are our friends who help in the most difficult moments, many thanks to them.”
“I want to thank Andrey Fyodorovich Rodionenko for knowledge and support, for advice. Many thanks to the Artistic Gymnastics Federation, without its interest and help we would have never had such opportunities – to train in a modern gym, to hold high-level competitions, and just to recover. I want to give special thanks to Valentina Aleksandrovna Rodionenko. Rodionenko is the person who does everything and more than everything for our results, comfort, and convenience. And, of course, many thanks to all the fans. Your love and support helped me.”
