As a kid, I played street hockey and basketball. I loved volleyball (still do!), climbing trees, ice skating, biking around the neighborhood and going swimming. I’m happy I had an active childhood, I was always moving, engaged in some kind of athletic sport. I even did ballet for a while! But, the one thing I really wanted to do or get more into, was gymnastics. I never really fully realized that interest (probably because I had my hands full doing other things!) but I often wonder what would have happened if I had pursued it!
I don’t know if I ever would have been even half as amazing as this little stunner, Ulyana Travkina, because wow, she is something else. I’m pretty sure her body is made of elastic!
Ulyana, from Russia, is only eight years old, but she’s taking the gymnastics world by storm. In this video, she emerges from the corner of the mat, in a pink tulle skirt. The audience is a little sparse, but they are captivated nonetheless. She works the floor like she’s done a million times, no doubt. Her practice has lead to the perfection of her routine, and it’s obvious she is a master at what she puts her mind to.
Her body is little, but mighty, able to stretch and bend in ways I’d assume a body can’t, but she proves me wrong. From the minute she starts her routine, she’s defying the law of gravity and what the human body is capable of doing. Ulyana’s routine is a mix of dance and gymnastics. She has no props, no partners, it’s just her and the floor – she dominates! Her bends and folds are impressive, to say the least, because she is able to really sink into a stretch or fold over like a contortionist.
The little girl has energy and drive, and if she keeps up her attitude, continuing to train long into her adolescence, there’s nothing she can’t do! It’s hard to keep your eyes off her, I mean, how does a body move like that?!
Click below to watch Ulyana rock the floor and steal the show because clearly, the natural laws of physics don’t apply to her!