11. Oktober 2004  
Tokyo / Moscow  
Rhythmic Gymnastics

Olympic rhythmic gymnastics champion Kabaeva retires

Alina Kabaeva (RUS)

Russia's rhythmic gymnastics star Alina Kabaeva announced her retirement from the sport. The Athens Olympic individual gold medallist said she had decided to end her career after winning the ION Cup - the world club championships - in Tokyo. 'It was my last competition,' 21-year-old Kabaeva told the ITAR-TASS news agency. 'I've won all possible titles in gymnastics and have done everything I could for Russia,' added the two-time world all-around champion.
So she don’t take part in the competitions with the medalists from Athens of Berlin Masters – Grand Prix – next weekend, although she had confirmed her participation in the last weeks.
For the first meeting of the World's best gymnasts after the Olympic Games in Athens the following gymnasts have confirmed their participation: The Olympic silver medalist Irina Tchatchina (RUS), the Olympic bronze medalist Anna Bessonova (UKR), and also Alya Jusupova (KAZ), fourth-ranked at the Olympic Games and Natalia Godunko (UKR), fifth-ranked at the Olympic Games.
On top of this, tournament director Jens-Uwe Kunze could also confirm the participation of the Groups Olympic Champion from Russia.
From the 10 finalists of the Olympic Games also Inna Zhukova (7th) and Svetlana Rudalova (10th ) from Belarus have confirmed their participation.