Polina Berezina Ksenofontova (born December 5, 1997) is a Russian-born

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

individual

rhythmic gymnast Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform on a floor with an apparatus: hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon. The sport combines elements of gymnastics, dance and calisthenics; gymnasts must be strong, flexible, agile, dexterous and coordi ...

. She is a five-time (2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022) all-around champion at the Spanish Rhythmic Gymnastic Championships.

Personal life

She received her Spanish citizenship in 2014, enabling her to compete for the Spanish national team. Berezina studies Audiovisual Communication at the

Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia The Universidad Católica San Antonio ("Saint Anthony Catholic University"), also known as the Universidad Católica de Murcia (UCAM), is a private university located in Murcia in south-eastern Spain. Founded in 1996 by José Luis Mendoza Pé ...

Murcia Murcia (, , ) is a city in south-eastern Spain, the capital and most populous city of the autonomous community of the Region of Murcia, and the seventh largest city in the country. It has a population of 460,349 inhabitants in 2021 (about one ...

as of 2022. Her goal is to become a film director. She is fluent in Russian, Spanish, and English. She has one older sister who works in film and music in Moscow. Through her Instagram account, she condemned the 2022 Russian Invasion of Ukraine. She resides in

Benicarló Benicarló () is a city and municipality in the north of the province of Castelló, part of the Valencian Community, in the Mediterranean Coast between the cities of Vinaròs and Peníscola, not too far south from the Ebre River. Tourism, ag ...

as of 2022, making the move from Valencia during the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

Career

Although she was born in

Moscow Moscow ( , US chiefly ; rus, links=no, Москва, r=Moskva, p=mɐskˈva, a=Москва.ogg) is the capital and largest city of Russia. The city stands on the Moskva River in Central Russia, with a population estimated at 13.0 million ...

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and North Asia, Northern Asia. It is the List of countries and dependencies by area, largest country in the ...

, she had lived in

Alicante Alicante ( ca-valencia, Alacant) is a city and municipality in the Valencian Community, Spain. It is the capital of the province of Alicante and a historic Mediterranean port. The population of the city was 337,482 , the second-largest in t ...

since 2001. At the age of 7 she took up

rhythmic gymnastics Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform on a floor with an apparatus: hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon. The sport combines elements of gymnastics, dance and calisthenics; gymnasts must be strong, flexible, agile, dexterous and coord ...

Guardamar del Segura Guardamar del Segura () or briefly Guardamar is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality of the Alicante (province), province of Alicante located at the mouth of the river Segura in southern Valencia (autonomous community), Spain. It is a Mediterra ...

and, at the age of 8, entered a Rhythmic Gymnastics Club in

Torrevieja Torrevieja (; ca-valencia, Torrevella ) is a seaside city and municipality located on the Costa Blanca in the province of Alicante, in the southern part of the Valencian Community, on the southeastern Mediterranean coast of Spain. Torrevieja l ...

(

), where she trained under

Mónica Ferrández Mónica Ferrández Arenas (born 25 October 1974) is a Spanish rhythmic gymnast and trainer. She's a European and World medalist. Career Mónica took up the port at age 6 as an extracurricular activity, after a few months she started training ...

until 2016. By 2008, her father's work led her to live again in

and she began to combine her training sessions between

Spain , image_flag = Bandera de España.svg , image_coat = Escudo de España (mazonado).svg , national_motto = ''Plus ultra'' (Latin)(English: "Further Beyond") , national_anthem = (English: "Royal March") , i ...

, with

, and

, with

Oksana Skaldina Oksana Valentinovna Skaldina ( uk, Оксана Валентинівна Скалдіна; russian: Оксана Валентиновна Скалдина) is a retired Ukrainian individual rhythmic gymnast and current coach. She is the 1992 Oly ...

Senior

She made her

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

debut in 2015, at the age of 18. It was held in

Stuttgart Stuttgart (; Swabian: ; ) is the capital and largest city of the German state of Baden-Württemberg. It is located on the Neckar river in a fertile valley known as the ''Stuttgarter Kessel'' (Stuttgart Cauldron) and lies an hour from the ...

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

and she performed with Ribbon, finishing on 80th place in Qualifications. Together with

Carolina Rodriguez Carolina may refer to: Geography * The Carolinas, the U.S. states of North and South Carolina ** North Carolina, a U.S. state ** South Carolina, a U.S. state * Province of Carolina, a British province until 1712 * Carolina, Alabama, a town in ...

, Sara Llana Garcia and Natalia Garcia she placed 10th in Team competition. At the 2022 Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships, she was part of the Spanish delegation that won the bronze medal in the team event, making the award Berezina’s first world team title at the World Championships.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Berezina, Polina Living people 1997 births Spanish rhythmic gymnasts Sportspeople from Valencia Medalists at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships