Ksenia Afanasyeva


Ksenia Dmitrievna Afanasyeva is a retired Russian artistic gymnast who competed at the 2008 and 2012 Summer Olympics. She is the 2011 world champion on floor exercise, the 2013 and 2015 European floor champion, and the 2013 Universiade vault and floor champion. Widely regarded as one of the most original and artistic gymnasts of all time, she retired from elite gymnastics in July 2016 due to kidney disease, a month away from the 2016 Summer Olympics, for which she was the Russian team's first alternate.

Junior career

2005

Afanasyeva competed at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Lignano Sabbiadoro, Italy, in July 2005. She won the bronze medal in the all-around competition with a total score of 36.550, behind Vanessa Ferrari of Italy and fellow Russian Karina Myasnikova. In event finals, she placed fourth on vault and won bronze medals on balance beam and floor exercise. She also helped Russia win the team competition.

2006

In April, Afanasyeva competed at the European Championships in Volos, Greece, where Russia won the junior team competition. She performed on vault, uneven bars and beam.

Senior career

2007–08

In 2007, Afanasyeva placed second on balance beam at the World Cup event in Paris, scoring 15.175.
In April 2008, she competed at the European Championships in Clermont-Ferrand, France, contributing scores of 14.575 on vault and 14.100 on floor toward the Russian team's second-place finish. The following month, at the World Cup event in Tianjin, China, she placed second on vault, scoring 14.350; third on uneven bars, scoring 15.075; and fifth on balance beam, scoring 15.275.
At the end of May, she competed at the World Cup event in Moscow. She placed seventh on vault, scoring 13.887, and second on floor, scoring 14.775.

Beijing Olympics

Afanasyeva was a member of the Russian team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, along with Ludmilla Ezhova, Svetlana Kliukina, Ekaterina Kramarenko, Anna Pavlova, and Ksenia Semyonova. In qualifications, she placed sixth in the all-around with a score of 60.800 but did not advance to the final due to the two-per-country rule. In the team final, she contributed scores of 15.075 on vault, 14.925 on uneven bars, and 14.375 on floor toward the Russian team's fourth-place finish. In the balance beam final, she placed seventh with a score of 14.825.

2009

In April, Afanasyeva competed at the European Championships in Milan, Italy. She placed second in the all-around final with a score of 57.600 and fourth in the uneven bars final, scoring 14.650.
She was named to Russia's four-gymnast delegation for the 2009 World Championships in London, but was unable to compete because of a back injury.

2010

Afanasyeva competed at the Pacific Rim Championships in Melbourne, Australia, in April and placed third in the all-around competition with a score of 57.450. In event finals, she placed third on uneven bars, scoring 14.250; fourth on balance beam, scoring 14.525; and sixth on floor, scoring 13.675.
The following month, she competed at the World Cup event in Moscow, where she placed third on balance beam, scoring 13.500. In July, she won the all-around competition at the Japan Cup in Tokyo with a score of 58.350.
In October, at the World Championships in Rotterdam, she contributed a score of 14.800 on floor toward the Russian team's first-place finish. In the floor final, she placed eighth with a score of 12.700.

2011

In May, Afanasyeva competed at the World Cup event in Moscow. She placed second on balance beam, scoring 14.200, and second on floor, scoring 14.200.
At the World Championships in Tokyo in October, she contributed scores of 14.800 on vault and 14.633 on floor toward Russia's second-place finish in the team final. She placed seventh in the all-around competition with a score of 56.732 and first on floor with a score of 15.133.

2012

In March, Afanasyeva competed at the Russian National Championships in Penza and placed second in the all-around with a score of 58.387. In event finals, she placed first on balance beam, scoring 14.980, and second on floor, scoring 14.180. She sustained a small leg injury but was able to return to competition in June at the Russian Cup, where she placed fourth in the all-around with a score of 56.067.

London Olympics

At the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Afanasyeva was the captain of the Russian team, which consisted of her, Anastasia Grishina, Viktoria Komova, Aliya Mustafina, and Maria Paseka. She described herself as more nervous than the rest of the team, but said, "Gymnastics is about beauty and grace. We are strong and beautiful. Our rivals may have upgraded their routines before us, yet we represent beauty. My girls didn’t surprise me at the European Championships because I see them every day. I know what they are capable of doing."
Afanasyeva scored 15.066 on balance beam and 14.833 on floor during qualifications on 29 July. In the team final on 31 July, she contributed scores of 14.833 on balance beam and 14.333 on floor toward the Russian team's second-place finish. In event finals on 7 August, she placed fifth on balance beam, scoring 14.583, and sixth on floor after stepping out of bounds twice and scoring 14.566.

2013

Afanasyeva began her year by performing at a gala called "From London to Rio", along with Paseka, Pavlova, Sandra Izbașa, Cătălina Ponor, and other gymnasts.
In March, she competed at the Russian National Championships in Penza and placed fourth in the all-around with a score of 56.850. She also contributed scores of 15.000 on vault, 12.750 on balance beam, and 14.450 on floor toward the Central team's first-place finish. In event finals, she placed third on balance beam, scoring 13.775, and first on floor, scoring 13.600.
Later in March, Afanasyeva competed at the 19th French International in La Roche-sur-Yon. She placed fourth on balance beam with a score of 13.066, and won gold on the floor exercise with a score of 14.633.
At the European Championships in Moscow in April, she placed fifth in the all-around in qualifications with a score of 55.099 but did not advance to the final due to the two-per-country rule. She won the gold medal in the floor final with a score of 15.166.
In July, she helped Russia finish first at the 2013 Summer Universiade with scores of 15.000 on vault, 12.550 on uneven bars, 14.250 on balance beam, and 14.750 on floor exercise. In doing so, she also qualified second to the all-around final behind Mustafina, fourth to the vault final, and first to the floor final. She went on to win the all-around silver medal, with Mustafina taking the gold. During the vault final, she debuted an Amanar and, in an upset over teammate Paseka, tied for first place with North Korean gymnast Hong Un-Jong with a score of 15.125. She also won the floor final.
In August, Afanasyeva was named to the Russian team for the World Championships, and did not compete at the Russian Cup to rest for Worlds. However, at the end of August, she underwent surgery for an ankle injury, and missed the World Championships as a result.
In October she appeared at the Gala de Estrellas de las Gimnasias in Mexico, a charity gala, performing her floor routine and dancing on the beam to "I Will Survive", alongside gymnasts such as Izbașa, Andreea Răducan, and Diego Hypólito.

2014

In January Afanasyeva underwent a second ankle surgery, as the previous one had not improved her condition. In April she competed at the Russian Championships, where she performed only on the vault and the floor. She helped her team to the gold medal, but withdrew from the vault final after a fall during the team final exacerbated her ankle injury. She underwent yet another surgery, which required her to miss the World Championships for the second consecutive year.
Afanasyeva returned to international competition in late November at the Stuttgart World Cup. She debuted a new floor routine and performed a solid double-twisting Yurchenko vault, helping her team to a silver medal.
In December, she competed at the Voronin Cup, winning gold on floor and silver on vault.

2015

Afanasyeva competed at the Russian Championships in March, winning team and floor exercise gold, and placing fourth on vault.
April saw a return to her pre-injury form, when she travelled to France for the European Championships and was crowned floor champion with a score of 14.733, as well as picking up a bronze medal on the vault after competing an Amanar and a Lopez and scoring 14.866. She admitted in an interview afterward that she had only successfully performed the Amanar vault twice in her life: once when she won the vault title at the 2013 Summer Universiade, and the second time in Montpellier. "If I didn't dare to try it, I would have had no chance," she said. "Either I'd win the bronze medal or I'd fall, but nothing ventured, nothing gained." She was officially congratulated by Vladimir Gruzdev, the governor of Afanasyeva's home region, Tula Oblast, who said, "The gold medal in the floor exercise was the result of hard work, perseverance, and determination. Your countrymen are proud of your achievements. I am confident that a strong character and skill will continue to serve as collateral for your athletic success."
In August, she competed at the Batumi International.
In September she competed at the Russian Cup in preparation for the World Championships. She performed well, helping her team to the silver medal, and individually winning gold on floor, silver on beam and bronze on vault. Following this meet, she was named to the nominative list for the 2015 World Championships.
Afanasyeva looked weak in podium training in Glasgow, and revealed that she was suffering from kidney stones and had spent a week in hospital. The Russian team performed well in qualifications, with Afanasyeva posting a 14.866 on vault and a 14.633 on floor, qualifying fourth individually into the floor final, and helping the team to qualify in second position to the team final. In the team final, the Russians started strongly on vault, with Afanasyeva improving on her qualifying score with a 15.066 for her double-twisting Yurchenko. However, with one fall on bars and three falls on beam, the Russians finished in fourth place and out of the medals, despite Afanasyeva's score of 14.500 on floor. Her final performance at the 2015 World Championships came in the floor final, where she upgraded her difficulty to a 6.4 and scored 15.100 to win the silver medal behind the USA's Simone Biles.
In December she competed at the Toyota International Cup in Japan, along with teammates Komova, Paseka, and Daria Spiridonova. She finished fifth on vault and won the floor final with a score of 14.500, ahead of Japan's Sae Miyakawa, who scored 14.450.

2016

Ksenia Afanasyeva's health problems continued, and in January it was announced that she was undergoing ankle surgery in Munich for the fourth time.
In April she competed at the Russian Championships. Having suffered a rip on the bottom of her foot a few days prior to the competition, she competed only a watered-down floor routine in qualifications and missed the team competition, which Russia won. She came back in event finals with an improved floor routine to share the floor title with Angelina Melnikova, and was announced as part of the Russian team for the European Championships.
Afanasyeva originally intended to compete on vault, beam and floor for the Russians in Bern, but an exacerbation of her ankle injury a few days before the beginning of podium training put paid to her plans. Seda Tutkhalyan was brought in to cover the team on beam and floor, and in the absence of vault superstar Paseka, Afanasyeva competed two vaults in the qualifying round and qualified third into the vault event final. She competed on vault in the team final, helping Russia to the gold medal ahead of Great Britain and France, and then performed again in the vault event final, winning an individual bronze medal to add to Russia's haul.
Another ankle operation beckoned, and in June Afanasyeva found herself once again in Munich. Having originally been announced as part of the Russian team for the Olympic Games in Rio, she was announced as an alternate, with Tutkhalyan taking her place on the team.

Floor music

2005–2006: "Dancing With the Muse"

2007–2008: "Isadora" and "L for Love"

2009: "Ballet" and "Nuclear"

2010–2011: "The Color of the Night"

2011: "Tango in the Night"/"Infiltrado"

2012–2013: "Pulmon", "Ironside" and "Grand Guignol"

2014: "El Tango de Roxane" - José Feliciano, Ewan McGregor, Jacek Koman

2015: "Halo Theme " - Lindsey Stirling and William Joseph

2015 Worlds: "Puddit" by Al Jarreau

Competitive history

Afanasyeva's gymnastics include strong technique, difficult skills, and consistency. She excels especially on floor where she displays both difficult tumbling elements and difficult dance elements.
YearEventTeamAAVTUBBBFX
2005European Youth Olympic Festival
2006European Championships
2007Paris World Cup
2008National Championships464
2008European Championships
2008Moscow World Cup7
2008Tianjin World Cup5
2008Russian Cup
2008Swiss Cup
2008Olympic Games47
2008Arthur Gander Memorial58
2009National Championships66
2009European Championships4
2009Russian Cup8
2010Pacific Rim Championships46
2010Japan Cup
2010Russian Cup5
2010Holland Invitational
2010World Championships8
2010Elite Gym Massilia
2011Russian Cup477
2011Dinamo International66
2011World Championships7
2011Mexican Open
2012National Championships
2012Russian Cup478
2012Olympic Games56
2013National Championships4
2013La Roche-sur-Yon World Cup4
2013European Championships
2013Universiade
2014National Championships
2014Stuttgart World Cup
2014Voronin Cup
2015National Championships4
2015European Championships
2015Russian Cup
2015World Championships4
2015Toyota International Cup5
2016National Championships
2016European Championships

YearCompetition DescriptionLocationApparatusRank-FinalScore-FinalRank-QualifyingScore-Qualifying
2008European ChampionshipsClermont-FerrandTeam2179.4752176.425
2008European ChampionshipsClermont-FerrandBalance Beam1414.700
2008European ChampionshipsClermont-FerrandFloor Exercise2014.225
2008Olympic GamesBeijingTeam4180.6253244.400
2008Olympic GamesBeijingAll-Around660.800
2008Olympic GamesBeijingUneven Bars2114.825
2008Olympic GamesBeijingBalance Beam714.825715.775
2008Olympic GamesBeijingFloor Exercise915.025
2009European ChampionshipsMilanAll-Around257.6002054.575
2009European ChampionshipsMilanUneven Bars414.650314.825
2009European ChampionshipsMilanBalance Beam5012.025
2009European ChampionshipsMilanFloor Exercise3013.250
2010World ChampionshipsRotterdamTeam1175.3971234.521
2010World ChampionshipsRotterdamAll-Around1755.465
2010World ChampionshipsRotterdamUneven Bars10711.866
2010World ChampionshipsRotterdamBalance Beam914.533
2010World ChampionshipsRotterdamFloor Exercise812.700214.766
2011World ChampionshipsTokyoTeam2175.3292231.062
2011World ChampionshipsTokyoAll-Around756.732656.941
2011World ChampionshipsTokyoUneven Bars2114.083
2011World ChampionshipsTokyoBalance Beam2814.100
2011World ChampionshipsTokyoFloor Exercise115.1331014.325
2012Olympic GamesLondonTeam2178.5302180.429
2012Olympic GamesLondonBalance Beam514.583715.066
2012Olympic GamesLondonFloor Exercise614.566414.833
2013European ChampionshipsMoscowAll-Around555.099
2013European ChampionshipsMoscowUneven Bars3012.466
2013European ChampionshipsMoscowBalance Beam1513.100
2013European ChampionshipsMoscowFloor Exercise115.166114.633
2015European ChampionshipsMontpellierVault314.866314.533
2015European ChampionshipsMontpellierFloor Exercise114.733214.266
2015World ChampionshipsGlasgowTeam4171.9642231.437
2015World ChampionshipsGlasgowFloor Exercise215.100414.633
2016European ChampionshipsBernTeam1175.2122173.261
2016European ChampionshipsBernVault314.699314.753