Photo: Mos.ru
Rio 2016 medallists Yana Kudryavtseva (Russia) and Anna Rizatdinova (Ukraine) are in the center of the latest ‘star wars’ on social media after Rizatdinova once again hinted in an interview that Yana shouldn’t have won the Olympic silver because of a mistake in her clubs routine. The Ukrainian, who placed 3rd in Rio, says in the video „She had a drop, but still placed second. If I, God forbid, had a drop, at best I would’ve finished 6th or 7th.“
This time, however, 13-time World champion Kudryavtsteva responded on Instagram, saying Rizatdinova was never beloved by the fans. Yana wrote on Instagram:
„I’ve always treated the gymnasts I competed against with respect and have never allowed myself to comment on them in a negative or inappropriate way. But Anya [Rizatdinova]’s words about the 2016 Olympics and about me in particular, not being worthy of an Olympic silver medal, astounded me. I’ve never reacted in any way to something like this, but after this interview, my DMs blew up. I won’t comment much on this subject. To me, the biggest reward has always been that after my performances, spectators from different countries gave me standing ovations. And that’s something you’ve unfortunately never felt and you’ll never know what it’s like. I’m very proud of my Olympic silver medal and I’d advise you to also be proud of your bronze because it was the limit of your potential.
P.S. I’d advise young, novice gymnasts to always treat their rivals with respect and to accept both the victories and the defeats with grace.“
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