Tobin 4 Life.

Alexis. ☮ Gymnastics & Soccer fan.
Tobin Heath inspires me a lot.

“But Khorkina is Khorkina and I am Mustafina.” - Aliya Mustafina

"God didn't create you to be like everyone else. Be you." - Tobin Heath

☮ n' ♥

For the damn record:

This girl just won Olympic gold in the uneven bars final at the 2012 Olympics. Here is the list competitors who she beat:

- He Kexin, reigning Olympic gold medalist on uneven bars (who also technically beat Nastia Liukin on bars, just for reference)

- Beth Tweddle, two-time World gold medalist on uneven bars

- Viktoria Komova, reigning World gold medalist on uneven bars

- Gabby Douglas, 2012 Olympic all-around champion and team gold medalist

- Yao Jinnan, 2011 Worlds bronze all-around medalist

- Koko Tsurumi, 2009 Worlds silver medalist on uneven bars

- and Elisabeth Seitz, 2011 European silver all-around medalist.

Pardon me, but if YOU beat an ENTIRE field THAT deep at the OLYMPIC GAMES, I think you have the right to celebrate.

Aliya Mustafina will be known as a hero to her country for these Olympics. She has brought Russia their first Olympic women’s gymnastics gold since 2000. That’s twelve years the historically great Russian program went without an Olympic gold. Their last were Svetlana Khorkina and Yelena Zamolodchikova, two of Russia’s greatest gymnasts.

So yes, I think Mustafina deserves to enjoy her title. She has brought her nation not only Olympic individual gold, but silver in the team and bronze in the all-around. Mustafina is one of the members who helped Russia end their medal drought.

Aliya is a gymnast who few can match in terms of difficulty, execution, determination, and sportsmanship. This is the Mustafina who qualified for EVERY event final at the 2010 World championships and brought home FIVE world medals in ONE worlds. This is the Mustafina who won the all-around in 2010 by a full point margin. The Mustafina who led Russia to it’s FIRST EVER team GOLD at a world championships.

The Mustafina who practically ripped her knee apart in April of 2011, tearing both her ACL and MCL on an Amanar vault.

Most athletes take years to fully recover from this devastating injury. Some never get back to the original form they once knew.

But Mustafina fought. She fought and she fought. She trained silently, steadily, as others surpassed her. Mustafina’s name began to fade and Komova’s began to rise. Anna Dementyeva won gold at the European championships in her absence. Even Afanasyeva, long known for missing in event finals, became world champion on her signature event.

Mustafina who?

And then 2012 was finally upon us, and Musty was back out in full force. A few wobbles here, a few steps there, but she was back and she was gunning for that Olympic team. She had new connections that worked in her favor and when she missed a skill, she’d get back up and do it again. She’d fight for her skills with every ounce of energy she had. She moved forward.

And she made that Olympic team, right next to the silver all-around medalist and world bars champion, the world champion on floor, Russia’s best vault specialist, and an extremely talented junior who’d won a slew of European golds and silvers the year prior.

Mustafina has worked harder than anyone to get to this point. She’s had to fight pain, naysayers, and time to get to these games as strong as she is. She’s earned herself a bronze, silver, and now a gold.

You know what’s the best part? This isn’t even the best she can do.

When you look at her sheer drive, talent, and perseverance, Aliya Mustafina is nothing short of phenomenal. Her gymnastics speaks of the olden days, where artistry was key and where fine details made the difference. Her mentality speaks of a warrior, a soldier who won’t give up without a fight, and will keep on training till she wins. And her sportsmanship speaks of someone who knows the training and dedication needed for this sport and respects the gymnastics of all her competitors.

So yes, go ahead and call Aliya Mustafina a bitch, a sore loser, a diva, a crybaby. But I’m just going to tell you something right now: you are dead wrong. You believe so much of what the media tells you and can’t stop to think individually for one second and realize that to Russia right now, Aliya Mustafina is legendary.

You don’t get to thirteen world cup, European, World, and Olympic medals on sheer luck.

Aliya Mustafina was under immense pressure today to perform for herself and for her country. After Russia’s slew of silver and bronze throughout this year’s Olympics, everyone knew she was capable of winning their first gold, if she could handle that pressure.

But as they say, pressure makes diamonds. And this diamond will keep on shining, no matter who stands in her way.

I’m legit crying :,) PLEASE GUYS READ THIS, if you don’t know Aliya Mustafina’s story!