Anya was born the 29th of July in 1984. Her father Vladimir Bessonov was an important Ukrainian soccer player and now he works as a coach. Her mother Viktoria Serikh integrated the world champion Rhythmic gymnastics group. Her brother is a tennis player, he studied in Spagne, Anya doesn't see him very often,they have busy lifes.
I knew from my earliest childhood that I will be a gymnast., but my parents didn't want it.They brought me to the ballet club and I did ballet,but I was always asking my mom when I start gymnastics,so she could not do nothing and bring me to Albina.At that time there was no age group for me and so Albina told my mom to make a group and teach me but I had nothing when I came to RG,I had to work everything out!!!.
1996 I was in junior group... we went on European Championships then to Norway (we competed with balls) . I was very proud because I was always in the centre.
1997 I was still in junior group..then it was clubs,also we had a big competition with Toma for Aeon Cup, but she went
1998 I got to take part for first time of Aeon Cup.
1999 I became a senior and there were many conflicts in Ukraine with Serebrianskaya at that time,we had 2 gymnastics federation.I remember that 1 gymnastics federation (head Albina Deruigina) said that 3 gymnasts go to Osaka (Elena, Toma and me),and another one said that 4 gymnasts will go (Vitri, Toma, me and Tkachenko). Me and Tkachenko had to divide routines...I think I had to do ribbon and ball and Lena rope and hoop.Finally went the team was representated by Yerofeyeva,Vitrichenko and Me.Japan was wonderful!!!,I liked this country really a lot. Especially the dishes! Well, I go there every year on Aeon Cup. But anyway I was suprised that they all rode bikes there.We got a high places mostly thanks to Lena Vitrichenko,I competed injury but I was happy because it was my first experience.
2000 there was another scandal,Deruigins wanted me to go to Olimpics.We had European Championships in Zaragoza,I really loved it. Such a wonderful place! Zaragoza and Madrid are my favourite cities.I competed with 2 routines - hoop and ribbon and got the same marks 9,950, but there were loads of gymnasts who received the same scores.I qualified only in the final with ribbon and was 4th in the final. I thought my ribbon was worth a medal, but the judging was terrible in Zaragoza.I still had a chance to be on Olimpics. Deruigins told me on every trainig that I will go there,but then there was that judging scandal and Deruigins was forbidden to judge for a year and so she had to miss Olimpics,only Deruigins and Nina Vitrichenko had such a level of a judge to judge at Olimpics and so Nina had to go to Olimpiics.anyway, I thought that Lena deserved that Olimpics much more than I did..Anyway till the very last moment I didn't know who is going to compete. But there was a meeting of NOC of Ukraine, where the candidature of Vitrichenko was set
In 2000 I also went for a World Cup tournament in Scotland, but didn't have a big success in it. I only remember that the scores were very low.After,we received the new copy as a Christmas present. Deruigins went to different FIG and UEG sessions to get all the points of the COP, but anyway it was impossible,we didn't know what we were doing. It was difficult to learn all the new jumps and pivots, l was always very tired.I was thinking of a retirement, but Deruigins didn't let me. Toma was very tired too
2001 Our first competition was Deruigina Cup. Everybody made mistakes.Then there were many other competition, BUT the Europeans 2001 in Geneve had a new schedule...and as Vitrichenko refused to compete in all-round in Zaragoza, only 1 gymnast from Ukraine could compete.Deruigins send letters to various authorities, but they refused to allow 2nd gymnasts.So and Toma and me trained alone always...Deruigina had a thick note book where she wrote all our errors and they had to decide who'll go. It was a difficult time for both me and Toma, because then we were competiting not against each other on the carpet, but also in the training gym, what was qute difficult. I went to Geneve, but I got pain in my back before the competition and that's why automatically Toma competed.I was signed as group gymnast, even tthough I had no idea about the group routines.I was cheering the girls from the tribunes. Ukrainian group was far the best then, but in all-round they made many errors, but in clubs final they got silver and I was very happy for them. I loved their routines the most.After that we knew that Vienna refused to host World Championships. There were rumours that Russia will host it and we feared it really a lot, but Madrid caught the thread and organized it.Madrid was the competition I will always remember.we came there some days before. I lost my earring and we decided not to search for it, thinking that it will bring us luck, but in the beginning it didn't.After the 1st day we had such ridiculous scores, nobody could understand them. Ukraine was 4th in team event, I think I was aroun 8th in all-round.Well, I think 2001 was not my year yet, judges always put me on 5th place and I was expecting nothing more than it in the all-round.But I was happy with my performance,in the qualification I did my best in ball,I remember I kissed my ball when I finished.
2002 year came. I got stronger. On Deruigina Cup I was allowed to win 2 finals. I was expecting for my time. Toma still won all-round of Ukrainian Nationals and I had to win only apparatus finals. I was still understanding that I'm 2nd.2002 Then Thias was coming,Before it, I had a running nose and I bought some nose drops in the pharmacy, but I didn't show them to Deruigina, unfortunately. I took them with me to Thias. There we had an awful judging. Belarus judge told ours - You are with us or against us. Our judge refused to judge under someone's pressure and we got very low scores. After the first final with rope...I think I was 4th in it even though I did very clean.Albina Deruigina (Irina didn't come then) said that we must stop training and beging packing,but then I was asked to go on a doping control. I was confident, I had no idea that there was something in my nose drops. I had to fill a little glass, but I sat there for 2 hours before I managed to do it.Then ,in June we knew that I had doping Albina quickly signed the paper that I got 2-months suspension from Ukrainian Federation.
After the dopping scandal Deruigins put me and Toma in group. Toma took it fine, but I was dissapointed. Why can't they allow me to rest normally? I had to do balls/ropes and Toma did ribbons. Then 10 days before we set off to New Orleans, 1 group gymnast, Veronika Belayeva, started to behave abnormally, so Deruigins (as a punishment) took her away from group and put me in ribbons! I didn't know the routine and had to learn it very quickly.We won the gold!,we were really, really happy. We hoped to win a medal, but we didn't think judges will give us a gold medal!
Europeans were again in Spain, in Granada. I liked the atmosphere really a lot. Everybody was very hospitable! In all-round I did all routines very dirty, except rope.I wasn't satisfied with me, I thought I didn't win a medal. I didn't know about a drop of Simona with hoop and mistakes of Gizikova with rope.
After Granada,We had another GP competition in Innsbruck and then we went to Stuttgart.The Grand Prix in final in Stutgart was my cleanest competition of the year. I had some tiny mistakes only with rope, but then my confidess grew and it was a good evening for me!
So that's how 2003 came...My best year so far. FIG added lots of difficulty for apparatus, it was again difficult to get used to the changes,but I knew that I could now be higher than Toma.We went to the competition to USA with Natasha. I confidently won it. We wanted to test how this new COP works. Albina made like a conference for USA coaches and made me show the elements for them...I think it was helpful for them, but I was very tired.I was expecting Deruigina Cup. I wondered which place I'd get...I had a good competition and I won. At first I thought it was just because Toma dropped her ball, but when I watched more carefully, I saw that all my scores were higher than Toma's.She wasn't particularly nice to me on the podium and didn't shake my hand. Well, I'm used to her character.The Europeans were very early this year, in Riesa. I was surprised by the results, really! I won 3 gold medals, same as Stuttgart and again sama as Stuttgart I was 2nd on ball.then in Corbeil I was 2nd after Ira. I won ribbon World Cup. On Sunday during my ribbon routine my stick fall away from the ribbon and I left the carpet. Deruigins told me it was a kind of black magic, but that was quite funny of them to tell..I won Ukrainian Nationals, while Toma won Ukrainian Games...so we shared. I didn't compete in the finals, Natasha won everything.
Now I'm looking forward to the World Championships in Budapest and I hope my coaches will be satisfied with me there...and there I will receive my World Champion 2001 title for team and also bronze for all-round as well as medals from the finals.
