The Averina twins are ready to end their careers before the 2024 Olympics. They want to do their own show and can become deputies

Irina Viner believes that they will succeed.

A little over a year ago, the closing ceremony of the Olympics took place in Tokyo. For Russian gymnastics, the Japanese Games were a real blow - for the first time in 25 years, Russians did not win either the individual all-around or the team. 

This is how Dina recalled last year's events, writing an open letter to the head coach of the national team Irina Viner .

- Hello, Irina Alexandrovna! How quickly time flies, a year has passed since the Olympics! Honestly, it's still hard to remember it all. I still remember your words in front of the ribbon, then you told me, “Dina, you have a chance, show real rhythmic gymnastics, all of Russia is with you, I am with you. Come on, beauty."

And I made the tape in a way that I never did, and most importantly, that I entered the stream and did it so easily that I didn’t even realize that I had already performed. Now I understand what it means to “enter the stream”.

But then what happened happened. And when you called me, I felt so uncomfortable in front of you, in front of the whole country, that I let everyone down.

But if not for you, I would probably have gone through everything even more difficult. Thank you so much for everything you have done and are doing for me. I am very grateful to you! I love you and kiss you.

While I was writing this, I was crying.

There was a lot of talk that after Tokyo, Dina and her sister Arina would finish the sport, but the result of the Games forced these plans to be rethought. After some thought, the sisters went to the World Championships in Kitakyushu and collected another pile of awards. It became clear that the girls set their sights on Olympic Paris. But then February 24th happened.

No one knows what the situation will be like in a year and a half. Today, the reality is that access to international competitions is closed for most Russian athletes. IOC President Thomas Bach is asked at every opportunity (and not very) about the lifting of sanctions - the official is not going to change his position yet. And if the mood of Bach does not change, we will never see more sisters in the fight for international titles.

Dina and Arina are not yet very definite about their plans after completion, but we already know: inspired by the examples of Alexei Nemov and Svetlana Khorkina , the Averins want to make their own gymnastic show. By the way, both Khorkina and Nemov at one time went into politics. Can the Averins also follow this route? Irina Viner is sure that the sisters will succeed.

“After the end of their career, the Averina twins can become good deputies. They are very motivated, educated, smart and well-mannered girls. They will succeed, ” Wiener said.