Associacao de Ginastica da Praia [Cape Verde]

Elena Atmacheva, RUS (expressodasilhas.sapo.cv, 29 May 2016)

She injured her knee in training at the 2014 World Championships in Izmir, Turkey, and could not compete. (fig-gymnastics.com, 10 Sep 2015)

She began training at age six. (fig-gymnastics.com, 10 Sep 2015)

Her grandmother brought her to the gym. (fig-gymnastics.com, 10 Sep 2015)

General
ANXIOUS START
She recalls being frightened by her first training session at the gym founded by coach Elena Atmacheva, a former gymnast from Russia whose husband was stationed on Cape Verde's airbase. She started crying as soon as she entered the gym, because she saw how flexible the gymnasts were and thought she would be twisted into flexibility. She spent the training session watching the other gymnasts practice. "Everything was new to me, and it was terrifying. But I began to like the sport, and have continued." (fig-gymnastics.com, 10 Sep 2015; expressodasilhas.sapo.cv, 29 May 2016

GRANDMOTHER KNOWS BEST
She credits her grandmother, who brought her to the gym as a child, for providing her with a path to success. "Grandmom says, 'Imagine if I hadn't done that for you, where would you be?'" (fig-gymnastics.com, 10 Sep 2015)