First-year Belorussian senior Anastasia Alistratava had a spectacular performance at the last European Championships, finishing just outside the podium in the bars final. She qualified to the European Games as their sole WAG representative and hopes to win a medal in front of the home audience. Alistratava told SB.by that she expected to finish quite high at Euros due to her upgrades:
“Last year, I competed at the [junior] European Championships in Glasgow for the first time. I was seventh on bars. Over the past year, we’ve upgraded my routine and I realized that I could finish fifth or even higher. At this year’s European Championships in Szczecin, I made an extra step on my dismount. If not for that, I could’ve won bronze or even silver. But I’m not upset, everything’s still ahead of me.”
“Besides gymnastics and conditioning, we have choreography lessons. There are no small things in our sport. For example, on floor, during the routine, you have to point your toes and place your shoulders correctly and smile – the judges notice everything. I like floor but my favorite event is bars. Why? I love flying…”
Alistratava was 12 years old in 2015 when Belarus sent two US gymnasts with no ties to the country to the World Championships in hopes of qualifying a spot to the Rio Olympics. While she personally was not quite affected, she recalls that she was upset by this decision:
“It was upsetting when they were invited – it felt like our coaches don’t believe in us. I even discussed it with my parents that it was possible to prepare us [Belorussian gymnasts) instead of signing up gymnasts from other countries. Now, the situation is different, gymnasts of different ages are invited to the national team camps. So, there’s internal competition but it’s felt more at events than in the gym.”
Photo: SB.by
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