Shooting skills
The Shooting Club surprised by dominating the national rhythmic gymnastics championships and also presented a promising eight-year-old. Inas Mazhar reports
The reputation of the Shooting Club, known more for its upper class members than world class sporting achievements, might soon change after the club dominated the national rhythmic gymnastics championships.
In the overall result, the club won four of the six age group competitions but the truly outstanding achievement was in the under- eight category in which the club won the first three places in the individual competition, an unprecedented achievement for any club in the history of rhythmic gymnastics. In the apparatus -- which includes rope, ribbon, clubs, hoop and ball -- the team won two places in almost every event. "We could have won the three places in the apparatus but according to the rules, each club is allowed only two players in the finals of every apparatus," said Amr El-Haddad, a gymnastics committee official in Shooting.
During the nationals, Shooting showed off a young talent who according to officials could make history for Egypt in the sport. Heba El-Bourini, eight, a fourth grader in the Modern English School, captured four gold medals in the all-individual U-8 championships. El-Bourini surpassed 48 players in her weight category on her way to the medals. Next year will not be any easier when she jumps to the U-10 event.
Louba, as El-Bourini is dubbed by her mother and friends, started practising artistic gymnastics when she was four. She was encouraged by her mother, Bossaina, a former local gymnastic champion. Emilia, El-Bourini's Bulgarian coach at the time, liked her style and predicted a star but in rhythmic gymnastics, a sport she believed better suited the tot.
"Louba follows all the news about rhythmic gymnastics," says her mother. "She watches the world championships and European events. She knows all the game's champions."
"I like Alina Kabaieva, [the Russian world champion], Irina Thachina, Anna Bassanova and Bulgaria's Simona Petcheva," El- Bourini said, rattling off the names as if they were classmates.
Despite her age, El-Bourini plays the piano, listens to concerts and the music of Tchaikovsky and Strauss. Their works have been used by her in her routines. She also loves reading.
According to her present head coach, Russian Elena Lazareva, El-Bourini has stamina, determination and power. Lazareva lists El-Bourini's attributes: a hard worker, good looking features, very good figure, strong muscles and character. "She has the same qualities like European and world champions," said Lazareva who took over as coach for all rhythmic gymnastics teams last June and was in part responsible for the club's recent success. She added that one of El-Bourini's best qualities was that she does not panic when performing. "She has a quick mind and can take on any problem calmly. In the last championship she changed the finish of her routine in a flash when she felt that it might extend longer than the music."
Lazareva was a 10-time Russian champion. She competed in European club competitions but never took part in world championships or Olympics. After retiring nine years ago, she studied physical education before coming to Egypt where, after spending 11 months, she sees rhythmic gymnastics progressing rapidly "In Russia the sport is more than 70 years old. For me, Egyptian rhythmic gymnasts is a very big surprise. They are promising."
Lazareva compares El-Bourini to Kabaieva in technique, Thachina in apparatus, Bassanova in good looking features and to Petcheva in character. She believes she has the makings of a world champion. "But before that she has to be a national champion, then an African champion. It should come step by step," added Lazareva, predicting that her charger will become the first Egyptian to claim the world title.
Bossaina also believes her daughter has a bright future. "Though she is young, she knows her duties towards the game and is obedient. She is not like other children. She eats more fruits, vegetables, chicken and milk than children her age. I don't need to monitor her because she knows what is good for her."
She believes that her daughter's success comes because she enjoys taut muscles for the sport. "She got it from ballet. The muscles of rhythmic gymnasts should be long, should stretch and should have natural flexibility," explained Bossaina.
