Aliya Yusupova: From champion to coach of the Kazakhstan national rhythmic gymnastics team

Aliya was born on May 15, 1984 in Shymkent, Kazakhstan. Her path to rhythmic gymnastics began at the age of 7, inspired by her father, who was an Honored Master of Sports in boxing in the USSR. Having honed her skills in Moscow for almost ten years, Aliya was faced with a choice: continue her career in Russia or return to her roots. She decided to bring her wealth of experience back to Kazakhstan.

Career

Aliya dominated the rhythmic gymnastics competitions in Kazakhstan, winning the title of national champion every year from 2000 to 2009. She also became a multiple Asian champion and won the Doha Asian Games in 2006, and finished second at the Busan Games in 2002.

At the 2005 World Games in Duisburg, Aliya earned silver in the clubs program and showed excellent results in the rope and ball exercises, finishing fifth, and in the ribbon routine, finishing sixth.

At the Universiade, Aliya also left a noticeable mark: in Izmir in 2005 she won bronze in the ball exercise, in Bangkok in 2007 - bronze in clubs, and in Belgrade in 2009 she took home two bronzes in the all-around and hoop exercise.

At the world championships since 2001, Aliya has always shown high results in the all-around, being one of the ten best gymnasts in the world. Her last World Championships in 2009 in Mia confirmed her strength, where she finished eleventh.

At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Aliya qualified fifth and finished fourth in the final. In 2008 in Beijing, she again proved her skill by finishing fifth in the all-around final.


After finishing her sports career, Aliya devoted herself to coaching, opening a rhythmic gymnastics school in Shymkent and leading the Kazakhstan national team in this sport. Since February 2021, she has been the president of the Kazakhstan Gymnastics Federation.


Table of awards for Yusupova Aliya

YearAchievement
2000Received the title “Master of Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan”
2001Started training in Moscow under the guidance of coach I.A. Wiener; Received the title “Master of Sports of International Class”
2002Silver medal at the Asian Games in Busan, South Korea
2004Fourth place at the Olympic Games in Athens
2005Bronze medal at the World Universiade in Turkey
2006Received the title “Honored Master of Sports of the Republic of Kazakhstan”; Absolute Asian champion in Surat, India; Overall champion at the Asian Games in Doha, Qatar
2007Bronze medal at the World Universiade in Bangkok, Thailand
2008Fifth place at the Olympic Games in Beijing, China
2009Bronze and silver medals at the World Universiade in Belgrade, Serbia; Absolute champion at the Asian Championships in Astana, Kazakhstan
2010Became a senior coach of the Republic of Kazakhstan; Appointed director of the KSU "ShG SDYUSSHOR No. 9 for rhythmic gymnastics"
2011Awarded the Order “Eren Enbegi Ushin” and the medal of the National Olympic Committee of Kazakhstan; Recognized as a "World Class Gymnast" by the World Gymnastics Federation

What is he doing in 2024?

Now Aliya Yusupova leads the Kazakhstan rhythmic gymnastics team as the head coach. In her hometown of Shymkent, she runs two schools: one private, where she promotes the physical and artistic development of all young enthusiasts, and one public, which employs a more rigorous training regime aimed at developing top-level gymnasts from an early age.

Her contributions to the sport have earned her prestigious recognition, including the title of Honored Coach of Kazakhstan in 2018. That same year, she also received the National Sports Award of Kazakhstan in the category “Best Summer Sports Coach,” highlighting her significant influence on the development of sports. rhythmic gymnastics in the country.

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