# Polina Berezina

Polina Berezina Ksenofontova (born 5 December 1997) is an individual rhythmic gymnast. Born in Russia, she represents Spain internationally. She has competed at seven Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships and won a bronze medal with the Spanish team in 2022. She is a five-time (2017, 2018, 2020, 2021, 2022) Spanish national all-around champion at the senior level. She competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics in women's rhythmic individual all-around and placed 15th, cutoff from the finals.

## Early life

Berezina was born in Moscow, Russia, and has lived in Alicante, Spain, since 2001. At the age of 7, she took up rhythmic gymnastics in Guardamar del Segura and, at the age of 8, entered a Rhythmic Gymnastics Club in Torrevieja, where she trained under Mónica Ferrández until 2016. By 2008, her father's work led her to live again in Moscow, and she began to combine her training sessions between Spain, with Mónica Ferrández, and Russia, with Oksana Skaldina.

## Career

Berezina received her Spanish citizenship in 2013, enabling her to compete for the Spanish national team in international competitions. She made her international debut at the 2013 Gymnasiade and won a bronze medal in the hoop final.

### 2015-16

Berezina finished 26th in the all-around at the 2015 Lisbon World Cup. She then finished 25th in the all-around at the Bucharest World Cup and 19th at the Tashkent World Cup. At the Budapest World Cup, she dropped one of her clubs during her routine and placed 28th in the all-around. She then finished 29th all-around at the Kazan World Cup. She made her World Championships debut in 2015 and was selected to perform in the ribbon event. On her last throw, her ribbon went out of bounds, so she did not advance to the event final. The Spanish team of Berezina, Natalia García, Sara Llana, and Carolina Rodríguez finished 10th.
Berezina began the season at the 2016 Espoo World Cup, finishing 25th in the all-around. Then at the Pesaro World Cup, she finished 40th in the all-around, and she finished 25th at the Kazan World Cup.

### 2017

Berezina began the season with a 39th-place finish at the Pesaro World Cup. She then finished 23rd at the Tashkent World Cup. At the Portimão World Challenge Cup, she finished 12th in the all-around and qualified for the clubs final where she finished seventh. She competed with the ribbon at the European Championships and helped the Spanish team finish 12th. In June, she won her first Spanish national all-around title. She finished 18th in the all-around at the Minsk World Challenge Cup and 31st at the Kazan World Challenge Cup. She finished 34th in the all-around during the qualification round of the World Championships, missing out on the all-around final.

### 2018

Berezina placed 19th in the all-around at the Sofia World Cup thanks to consistent performances. She then finished 26th at the Pesaro World Cup and 23rd at the Baku World Cup. Then at the Guadalajara World Challenge Cup, she finished 16th in the all-around. In June, she competed at the European Championships and qualified for the all-around final, where she finished 20th. Later that month, she successfully defended her Spanish national all-around title. She then competed at the Mediterranean Games and placed fourth in the all-around final. She finished 25th in the all-around at the Minsk World Challenge Cup and then 16th at the Kazan World Challenge Cup. At the World Championships, she finished 37th in the all-around during the qualification round, and the Spanish team finished 17th.

### 2019

Berezina finished 30th in the all-around at the Pesaro World Cup. Then at the Guadalajara World Challenge Cup, she finished 13th in the all-around. She finished 7th with the Spanish team at the European Championships. She then competed at the Minsk World Challenge Cup, finishing 21st in the all-around. At the Portimão World Challenge Cup, she finished 12th in the all-around and qualified for the clubs and ribbon finals, finishing sixth in both. Berezina competed at the World Championships and qualified for her first World all-around final and finished 22nd. Because she did not place in the top 16, Spain did not earn a berth for the 2020 Olympic Games.

### 2020-21

Berezina did not compete in 2020 until the Spanish Championships in December due to the COVID-19 pandemic. There, she won her third national all-around title. She competed at all four events on the 2021 World Cup series to earn points for Olympic qualification. In Sofia, she finished 14th in the all-around. Then in Tashkent, she finished 19th in the all-around and eighth in the clubs final. At the Baku and Pesaro World Cups, she placed 26th in the all-around. Only the top three eligible gymnasts earned berths for the Olympic Games, and Berezina did not earn enough points to be in the top three.
Berezina competed at the 2021 European Championships, her final chance to earn an Olympic berth. She finished 15th in the all-around and did not obtain the one available Olympic berth. In July 2021, Berezina won her fourth Spanish all-around title. She then competed at the World Championships and finished 25th in the qualification round.

### 2022

Berezina finished 13th in the all-around at the Pesaro World Cup and also qualified for the ball final, finishing eighth. In June, she competed at the European Championships and placed 23rd in the all-around final. Later that month, she successfully defended her Spanish national all-around title. At the Portimão World Challenge Cup, she finished 10th in the all-around and fourth in the ball final. Then at the Cluj Napoca World Challenge Cup, she finished 11th in the all-around and eighth in the clubs final. At the World Championships, she was part of the Spanish delegation that won the bronze medal in the team event.

### 2023

Berezina won her first FIG World Cup medal at the 2023 Athens World Cup in the hoop final behind Sofia Raffaeli and Fanni Pigniczki. Then at the Thiais Grand Prix, she won a bronze medal with the hoop and a gold medal with the ball. At the Baku World Cup, she placed 15th in the all-around and seventh in the hoop final. She finished eighth in the all-around at the European Championships, and she also qualified for her first European apparatus final, finishing eighth with the hoop. She then finished second to Alba Bautista at the Spanish Championships. She finished 14th in the all-around at the 2023 World Championships and qualified for the 2024 Olympic Games.

### 2024

Berezina finished 11th in the all-around at the Portimão World Challenge Cup and seventh in the hoop final. Then at the European Championships, she finished 13th in the all-around final. She then placed 13th in the all-around at the Cluj Napoca World Challenge Cup and eighth in the ball final. In August, Berezina competed at the 2024 Summer Olympics. She ended the qualification round in 15th place and did not advance to the final.

## Personal life

Berezina studies audiovisual communication at the Universidad Católica San Antonio de Murcia in Murcia, as of 2024. 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.

## Competitive history

| Year | Event | Team | AA | HP | BA | CL | RB |
| Junior ||||||||
| 2013 | Gymnasiade | | | | | | |
| Senior: Nationals ||||||||
| 2017 | Spanish Championships | | | | | | |
| 2018 | Spanish Championships | | | | | | |
| 2020 | Spanish Championships | | | | | | |
| 2021 | Spanish Championships | | | | | | |
| 2022 | Spanish Championships | | | | | | |
| 2023 | Spanish Championships | | | | | | |
| Senior: International ||||||||
| 2015 | Lisbon World Cup | | 26 | | | | |
| 2015 | Bucharest World Cup | | 25 | | | | |
| 2015 | Tashkent World Cup | | 19 | | | | |
| 2015 | Budapest World Cup | | 28 | | | | |
| 2015 | Kazan World Cup | | 29 | | | | |
| 2015 | World Championships | 10 | | | | | |
| 2016 | Espoo World Cup | | 25 | | | | |
| 2016 | Pesaro World Cup | | 40 | | | | |
| 2016 | Kazan World Cup | | 25 | | | | |
| 2017 | Pesaro World Cup | | 39 | | | | |
| 2017 | Tashkent World Cup | | 23 | | | | |
| 2017 | Portimão World Challenge Cup | | 12 | | | 7 | |
| 2017 | European Championships | 12 | | | | | |
| 2017 | Minsk World Challenge Cup | | 18 | | | | |
| 2017 | Kazan World Challenge Cup | | 31 | | | | |
| 2017 | World Championships | | 34 | | | | |
| 2018 | Sofia World Cup | | 19 | | | | |
| 2018 | Pesaro World Cup | | 26 | | | | |
| 2018 | Baku World Cup | | 23 | | | | |
| 2018 | Guadalajara World Challenge Cup | | 16 | | | | |
| 2018 | European Championships | | 20 | | | | |
| 2018 | Mediterranean Games | | 4 | | | | |
| 2018 | Minsk World Challenge Cup | | 25 | | | | |
| 2018 | Kazan World Challenge Cup | | 16 | | | | |
| 2018 | World Championships | 17 | 37 | | | | |
| 2019 | Pesaro World Cup | | 30 | | | | |
| 2019 | Guadalajara World Challenge Cup | | 13 | | | | |
| 2019 | European Championships | 7 | 16 | | | | |
| 2019 | Minsk World Challenge Cup | | 21 | | | | |
| 2019 | Portimão World Challenge Cup | | 12 | | | 6 | 6 |
| 2019 | World Championships | 11 | 22 | | | | |
| 2021 | Sofia World Cup | | 14 | | | | |
| 2021 | Tashkent World Cup | | 19 | | | 8 | |
| 2021 | Baku World Cup | | 26 | | | | |
| 2021 | Pesaro World Cup | | 26 | | | | |
| 2021 | European Championships | 8 | 15 | | | | |
| 2021 | World Championships | 10 | 25 | | | | |
| 2022 | Pesaro World Cup | | 13 | | 8 | | |
| 2022 | European Championships | 6 | 23 | | | | |
| 2022 | Portimão World Challenge Cup | | 10 | | 4 | | |
| 2022 | Cluj Napoca World Challenge Cup | | 11 | | | 8 | |
| 2022 | World Championships | | 20 | | | | |
| 2023 | Athens World Cup | | 8 | | | 8 | |
| 2023 | Thiais Grand Prix | | | | | | |
| 2023 | Baku World Cup | | 15 | 7 | | | |
| 2023 | European Championships | 6 | 8 | 8 | | | |
| 2023 | World Championships | 5 | 14 | | | 5 | |
| 2024 | Portimão World Challenge Cup | | 11 | 7 | | | |
| 2024 | European Championships | 5 | 13 | | | | |
| 2024 | Cluj Napoca World Challenge Cup | | 12 | | 8 | | |
| 2024 | Olympic Games | | 15 | | | | |

## Routine music information

| Year | Apparatus | Music Title |
| 2016 | Hoop | Prophecy by Full Tilt (Dracula Untold Epic Trailer) |
| 2016 | Ball | Everything by Sean Christopher |
| 2016 | Clubs | March of the Magicians by Lorenzo Castellarin |
| 2016 | Ribbon | SOS New York by Borislav Slavnov (Crysis 2) |
| 2017-18 | Hoop | I Wanna Dance by Artem Uzunov |
| 2017-18 | Ball | Solo ESS3 by Edith Salazar |
| 2017-18 | Clubs | Act One: Trouble by DeeLee and Brenda |
| 2017-18 | Ribbon | Ghost of Sky (Epic Dub) by Steed Lord |
| 2019 | Hoop | The Earth's Fall by Peter Crowley |
| 2019 | Ball | Can't Hold Us (feat. Ray Dalton) by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis |
| 2019 | Clubs | Lijo by Alina Orlova |
| 2019 | Ribbon | March of the Magicians by Lorenzo Castellarin |
| 2020 | Hoop | Brothers in Arms (Extended Version) by Junkie XL |
| 2020 | Ball | Can't Hold Us (feat. Ray Dalton) by Macklemore & Ryan Lewis |
| 2020 | Clubs | Reel Around the Sun by Bill Whelan |
| 2020 | Ribbon | Hedwig's Theme / Buckbeak's Flight by John Williams |
| 2021 | Hoop | Brothers in Arms (Extended Version) by Junkie XL |
| 2021 | Ball | Charms by Abel Korzeniowski |
| 2021 | Clubs | Reel Around the Sun by Bill Whelan |
| 2021 | Ribbon | Hedwig's Theme / Buckbeak's Flight by John Williams |
| 2022 | Hoop | The Rise of Skywalker - Epic Version by Samuel Kim |
| 2022 | Ball | Shang-Chi Main Theme by Samuel Kim |
| 2022 | Clubs | Rock DJ by Robbie Williams |
| 2022 | Ribbon | To Build a Home by The Cinematic Orchestra |
| 2023 | Hoop | Time Will Catch Me First by Peter Crowley |
| 2023 | Ball | Shang-Chi Main Theme by Samuel Kim |
| 2023 | Clubs | Running Up That Hill (Stranger Things) by Kate Bush |
| 2023 | Ribbon | Flashdance... What a Feeling (Radio Edit) by Irene Cara |
| 2024 | Hoop | Time Will Catch Me First by Peter Crowley |
| 2024 | Ball | HOPE by NF |
| 2024 | Clubs | We Know What You Whisper (feat. Busiswa) / Waterfall Fight / Wakanda by Ludwig Göransson |
| 2024 | Ribbon | Pompeii MMXXIII by Bastille & Hans Zimmer |