Kanayeva is acclaimed as the best athlete to ever compete in rhythmic gymnastics, the offshoot of artistic gymnastics that fuses gymnastics, dance, and artsy Cirque du Soleil-style showmanship. Short routines are performed to music using one apparatus per routine – ball, hoop, clubs, and ribbon – and Kanayeva has mastered them all. Even as the youngest finalist, at 18, at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, she was the coolest under pressure in securing the individual all-around gold medal with the top score for each apparatus. A year later, at the world championships, she became the first rhythmic gymnast to ever sweep all six gold medals, taking golds in the individual and team all-around events as well as in each apparatus. She repeated the feat in 2011 and enters the London Olympics as the clear favorite during the Wembley Arena competition Aug. 9-12.
Kanayeva was born and grew up in Omsk, a rhythmic gymnastics hotbed in Siberia. Although her mother was a rhythmic gymnast, it was her grandmother, a fan of the sport, who cultivated her granddaughter’s athletic career. Today, Evgeniya loves to play to the audience and is known for trying out new elements and styles.
