Alina Kabaeva

Alina Maratovna Kabaeva (Russian: Али́на Мара́товна Каба́ева; Tatar: Älinä Marat qızı Qabayeva; born May 12, 1983[1] to Tatar father and Russian mother.) is a rhythmic gymnast from Russia. Kabaeva is known for her extreme natural flexibility. She stands at 1.63m (5'4'')[2] and weighs 48kg (106lbs). She is Russia's most successful rhythmic gymnast to date, and is also one of the most decorated gymnasts in the history of rhythmic gymnastics.

Kabaeva was born in Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union[1] and started rhythmic gymnastics there in 1987 at an age of 4. Her first coach was A. Malkina. Her father was a professional football (soccer) player and the family was constantly following him to different places in Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Russia. At first, many coaches did not like Alina because they considered her "too heavy" and "ugly" to be a rhythmic gymnast, none of them seemed to consider her a gymnast of any particular talent. In her young teens she moved to Russia, where her mother took her to the Russian head coach Irina Viner, who liked her from the start.

"I could not believe my eyes, when I first saw her. The girl has the rare combination of two qualities crucial in Rhythmic Gymnastics - flexibility and agility."

Irina Viner[3]