Aliya Mustafina, Team Russia




Aliya Mustafina is a part of the Russian National Team and will be representing Russia for the 2012 Olympics in London. She trains at Moscow's Central Sport Army Club (CSKA) with coaches Aleksandr Aleksandrov, Olga Sikorro and Sergei Zelikson. Mustafina's career took off in 2007 at the International Junior Competition where she took silver in the all-around, uneven bars, vault, balance beam and floor exercise. During 2009, Mustafina was named the all-around champion at Russia's national championships. She also took first on the beam, second on the uneven bars and third on the floor exercise.

Mustafina competed at the 2010 World Championships, where she qualified for the all-around competition as well as all four event finals. She continued on to win gold with her team as well as in the all-around and silver on vault, uneven bars and floor exercise. A fall on beam caused Mustafina to finish seventh in the event. She earned a total of five medals at the World competition. 

In 2011 Mustafina participated in the American Cup where she fell second to Jordyn Wieber in the all-around competition. At the 2011 European Championships, Mustafina's 2012 Olympic dreams came into question. She suffered an injury to her left knee, which was later diagnosed as an ACL tear. She was performing an Amanar vault and the injury occurred on the landing, causing her to withdraw from the competition. After undergoing surgery, she returned to competition at the 2011 Voronin Cup where she placed sixth all-around and won silver on the uneven bars. 

At the 2012 Olympics, she will serve as a team leader for Russia and will likely compete multiple events in team finals. 


Interesting Facts

• Since her injury Mustafina has come back the strongest on bars where she is capable of a routine with a 7.0 difficulty score. 
• Mustafina has two skills named after her: on the vault (a half-on, layout full off) and uneven bars (1 1/2 twisting double back dismount)
  
• Mustafina's younger sister, Naliya is also a Russian elite gymnast and a member of Russia's junior national team. 
• Her father, Farhat Mustafina, was a bronze medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal. 
• Mustafina's five medals at the 2010 World Championships made her the most successful gymnast at a World Championships since Andreea Raducan of Romania and Svetlana Khorkina at the 2001 World Championships.

Aliya Mustafina training beam at the 2010 World Championships

Watch more video of Aliya Mustafina on gymnastike.org