Longines has announced three young talented gymnasts as brand ambassadresses of elegance at the 2005 European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships, held in Moscow’s Olympic Complex recently.
Dinara Gimatova of Azerbaijan, Olga Kapranova of Russia and Aliya Yussupova of Kazakhstan will be successors to Alina Kabaeva, as ambassadresses of elegance.
Longines President Walter von Känel and celebrated rhythmic gymnastics coach Irina Viner were both present at the announcement that signaled a new chapter in Longines’ close and fruitful relationship with gymnastics.
Olga Kapranova, 17, is the youngest of the trio and competes for Russia. She began training with Irina Viner in 2002 and first competed internationally in 2003. She won her first world championship title in team competition as a member of the Russian gymnastics squad the same year.
Aliya Yussupova, 21, began competing for Kazakhstan in 2000 is unbeaten in general and national competitions. Her two silver medals at the Asian Games staged in Busan, South Korea, in 2002, confirmed her athletic credentials as one of the world’s best. She also ranked fourth in the multiple individual competition at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens.
19-year-old Dinara Gimatova, entered the world of gymnastics at the tender of age of six, joining the Russian junior national team four years later. She won her first gold medal at the 2000 Junior World Championships. In 2003 and 2004 she ranked among the top ten at the European and World Championship competitions, and at World Cup Series events.
The venue provided Longines with an opportunity to introduce automatic timekeeping, a novel technique that centered around the company’s newly developed electromechanical ‘broken wire’ system.
Longines has cultivated a strong relationship with the world of gymnastics for over a century. The first instance of Longines’ involvement with the sport goes back to 1912 and the Swiss Federal Gymnastics Meet in Basle. Today, Longines is the proud partner of both the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) and the European Gymnastics Union (UEG).
Longines list of brand ambassadors includes the likes of Audrey Hepburn, Humphrey Bogart and Aishwarya Rai from performing arts, and Jane Richard and Markus Fuchs from equestrian sports.
Longines is a member of Swatch Group Ltd, the world’s leading watch manufacturer and marketer, with no fewer than 158 production sites in Switzerland.
