Vera Sessina

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Vera Sessina
Personal information
Full name	Vera Valeryevna Sessina
Alternative name(s)	Sesina
Country represented	Russia
Born	(1986-02-23) 23 February 1986 (age 38) Sverdlovsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Hometown	Moscow, Russia
Height	177 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight	57 kg (126 lb)
Discipline	Rhythmic gymnastics
Club	MGFSO
Head coach(es)	Irina Viner
Assistant coach(es)	Natalia Gorbulina
Choreographer	Veronica Shatkova
Retired	2009
Medal record Rhythmic Gymnastics Representing  Russia World Championships 2003 Budapest Team 2005 Baku Team 2005 Baku Ribbon 2007 Patras Team 2007 Patras Rope 2007 Patras Ribbon 2007 Patras All-around 2007 Patras Hoop 2007 Patras Clubs European Championships 2002 Granada Team 2005 Moscow Team 2006 Moscow All-around 2007 Baku Clubs 2007 Baku Team 2009 Baku Team 2007 Baku Rope 2009 Baku Rope 2009 Baku Hoop 2009 Baku Ribbon 2007 Baku Hoop 2007 Baku Ribbon World Cup Final 2006 Mie Ball 2006 Mie Clubs 2006 Mie Ribbon 2008 Benidorm Rope 2006 Mie Rope 2002 Stuttgart Rope 2008 Benidorm Ribbon Grand Prix Final 2003 Innsbruck Clubs 2003 Innsbruck Ball 2005 Berlin All-around 2006 Berlin All-around 2006 Berlin Rope 2006 Berlin Ball 2006 Berlin Clubs 2006 Berlin Ribbon 2007 Innsbruck Ribbon 2007 Innsbruck Rope 2008 Bratislava Hoop 2003 Innsbruck All-around 2003 Innsbruck Hoop 2005 Berlin Ball 2005 Berlin Clubs 2005 Berlin Ribbon 2007 Innsbruck All-around 2007 Innsbruck Hoop 2007 Innsbruck Clubs 2008 Bratislava All-around 2008 Bratislava Rope 2008 Bratislava Clubs 2008 Bratislava Ribbon 2003 Innsbruck Ribbon World Games 2005 Duisburg Ribbon 2005 Duisburg Rope 2005 Duisburg Ball Summer Universiade 2007 Bangkok Rope 2007 Bangkok Clubs 2007 Bangkok All-around 2007 Bangkok Ribbon

Vera Valeryevna Sessina (Russian: Вера Валерьевна Сесина, born 23 February 1986) is a Russian individual rhythmic gymnast. She is the 2007 World All-around silver medalist, the 2006 European All-around Champion, two time (2006, 2005) Grand Prix Final All-around champion and three time (2008, 2007, 2003) Grand Prix Final All-around silver medalist. She was known for her high releve during her pivot.

Sessina began training in rhythmic gymnastics in 1993 and eventually moved to the Russian training center in Novogorsk. At the 2002 European Championships in Granada, she performed only one routine, but was noticed because of her flexibility, stability and clean performance. The same year, she took part in an international event in Thiais (France) and won some medals on various apparatus. In 2003, she performed well on the Grand Prix circuit.

In 2005, Sessina competed at the 2005 World Championships. She placed fifth in all-around qualifications but did not advance into the finals because teammates Olga Kapranova and Irina Tchachina placed ahead of her. She was also sent to the 2005 European Championships.

In 2006, Sessina won the all-around competition at the 2006 European Championships in Moscow,^[1] beating teammate and Olympic champion Alina Kabaeva. She won the 2006 Grand Prix Final all-around in Innsbruck and won three events of the FIG World Cup Final in Mie, Japan.

Sessina continued to do well in 2007, winning the all-around silver medal at the World Cup series in Ljubljana as well as silver in all-around at the 2007 Grand Prix Final. At the 2007 European Championships in Baku, she won the gold medal in clubs, a silver for rope, a pair of bronze medals for ribbon and hoop for the individual event finals. At the 2007 World Championships, Sessina won the all-around silver medal behind Ukrainian Anna Bessonova and then took the all-around bronze medal at the 2007 Summer Universiade behind Bessonova and Kapranova.

Sessina competed for a spot at the 2008 Olympics but struggled due to injury and was beaten by compatriots Evgenia Kanaeva and Olga Kapranova. She won a gold medal in rope and bronze in hoop at the 2008 World Cup Final in Benidorm and ended her season with silver in the all-around at the 2008 Grand Prix Final.

Sessina won silver medals in All-around, rope, hoop and ribbon at the 2009 European Championships held in Baku, Azerbaijan. She retired from competition following the event.

After her retirement, Sessina was elected to the FIG Athletes Commission as a rhythmic gymnastics representative.^[2]

• Vera Sessina at the International Gymnastics Federation
• Vera Sessina at r-gymnastics.com at the Wayback Machine (archived 29 May 2012) (in Russian)