Proudly represent our country! Belarusian gymnasts home after 32nd World University Games
Minsk, 21 July. Belarusian gymnasts Alina Gornosko and Anastacia Salos came back home this morning after participating in 32nd world university games. The competition in Essen became an important stage for the Belarusian sports team, especially after a four-year break from this prestigious tournament.
Alina Gornosko, the leader of the Belarusian team, showed outstanding results at the international competition. She won four medals: gold medals in the most prestigious type of the program - the all-around and in the exercise with clubs, as well as silver medals in the programs with a ball and ribbon. These achievements confirm the high level of training of the athlete and her leadership position in rhythmic gymnastics.
Anastasia Salos did not disappoint the coaching staff and her fans as well. She won a bronze medal in clubs. This is an important contribution to the overall success of the Belarusian team.
The return of the athletes to their homeland was a significant event. When girls arrived at the central bus station, they were met by representatives of the Belarusian Association of Student Sports and the Republican Center for Physical Education and Sports of Pupils and Students. The director of the center, Vitaly Strigelsky, shared details of the preparations for participation in the Games: “Because of the suspension, we did not participate for four years. So an invitation in March was a pleasant surprise for us. We formed a team to participate in seven sports, but due to the large influx of athletes from all over the world, the organizing committee limited our quota to 10 athletes. As a result, we submitted an application to the International University Sports Federation, but for some reason the organizing committee did not send a corresponding letter to the German Embassy in Minsk and that is why our guys did not receive visas,” Strigelsky said. “Our rhythmic gymnastics team went to the Games because they had visas. Alina and Anastasia have already completed their studies at BSUPC, but you can take part in the Universiade within a year after graduation.”
Alina Gornosko shared her emotions from her first participation in such a large-scale tournament: “I would like to thank everyone who made our trip to the Games possible. Until the last moment, we didn’t know if we would go. Literally a few days before departure, we received the solid “yes”. I am very happy that for the first time in my career I took part in these competitions and even returned home with gold in the all-around. After the second day of the tournament, it seemed that my strength had already run out, but I still had enough for the Saturday finals. Four medals for me, the university and the country is an excellent result. The level of the competition was quite high, there were many strong competitors and we did well.”
Belarusian athletes proved that despite the difficulties and limitations, our country is capable of worthily representing its interests at the international stage. Their successes inspire the younger generation of gymnasts and confirm that Belarusian sports remain competitive at the global level.
The next major competition for Belarusian gymnasts will be the international tournament "Crystal Rose - Grand Prix Helena Valeri" to be held in Minsk in the Palace of Rhythmic Gymnastics from July 25 to 27. We are rooting for ours!