Alan Alexander Milne  /ˈmɪln/ (18 January 1882 – 31 January 1956) was an English author, best known for his books about the teddy bear Winnie-the-Pooh and for various children's poems. Milne was a noted writer, primarily as a playwright, before the huge success of Pooh overshadowed all his previous work.

Biography[link]

A. A. Milne was born in Kilburn, London, to parents Vince Milne, who was Scottish, and Sarah Marie Milne (née Heginbotham) and grew up at Henley House School, 6/7 Mortimer Road (now Crescent), Kilburn, a small public school run by his father.^[1] One of his teachers was H. G. Wells who taught there in 1889–90.^[2] Milne attended Westminster School and Trinity College, Cambridge,^[3] where he studied on a mathematics scholarship. While there, he edited and wrote for Granta, a student magazine.^[1] He collaborated with his brother Kenneth and their articles appeared over the initials AKM. Milne's work came to the attention of the leading British humour magazine Punch, where Milne was to become a contributor and later an assistant editor.

Milne joined the British Army in World War I and served as an officer in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment and later, after a debilitating illness, the Royal Corps of Signals. He was discharged on February 14, 1919.^[4]

After the war, he wrote a denunciation of war titled Peace with Honour (1934), which he retracted somewhat with 1940's War with Honour.^[1][5] During World War II, Milne was one of the most prominent critics of English writer P. G. Wodehouse, who was captured at his country home in France by the Nazis and imprisoned for a year. Wodehouse made radio broadcasts about his internment, which were broadcast from Berlin. Although the light-hearted broadcasts made fun of the Germans, Milne accused Wodehouse of committing an act of near treason by cooperating with his country's enemy. Wodehouse got some revenge on his former friend by creating fatuous parodies of the Christopher Robin poems in some of his later stories, and claiming that Milne "was probably jealous of all other writers.... But I loved his stuff."^[6]

He married Dorothy "Daphne" de Sélincourt in 1913, and their only son, Christopher Robin Milne, was born in 1920. In 1925, A. A. Milne bought a country home, Cotchford Farm, in Hartfield, East Sussex.^[7] During World War II, A. A. Milne was Captain of the Home Guard in Hartfield & Forest Row, insisting on being plain 'Mr. Milne' to the members of his platoon. He retired to the farm after a stroke and brain surgery in 1952 left him an invalid, and by August 1953 "he seemed very old and disenchanted".^[8] Milne died in January 1956, aged 74.

Literary career[link]

1903 to 1925[link]

After graduating from Cambridge in 1903, A. A. Milne contributed humorous verse and whimsical essays to Punch,^[9][10] joining the staff in 1906 and becoming an assistant editor.^[11]

During this period he published 18 plays and 3 novels, including the murder mystery The Red House Mystery (1922). His son was born in August 1920 and in 1924 Milne produced a collection of children's poems When We Were Very Young, which were illustrated by Punch staff cartoonist E. H. Shepard. A collection of short stories for children Gallery of Children, and other stories that became part of the Winnie-the-Pooh books, were first published in 1925.

Milne was an early screenwriter for the nascent British film industry, writing four stories filmed in 1920 for the company Minerva Films (founded in 1920 by the actor Leslie Howard and his friend and story editor Adrian Brunel). These were The Bump, starring Aubrey Smith; Twice Two; Five Pound Reward; and Bookworms^[12] Some of these films survive in the archives of the British Film Institute. Milne had met Howard when the actor starred in Milne’s play Mr Pim Passes By in London.^[13]

Looking back on this period (in 1926) Milne observed that when he told his agent that he was going to write a detective story, he was told that what the country wanted from a "Punch humorist" was a humorous story; when two years later he said he was writing nursery rhymes, his agent and publisher were convinced he should write another detective story; and after another two years he was being told that writing a detective story would be in the worst of taste given the demand for children's books. He concluded that "the only excuse which I have yet discovered for writing anything is that I want to write it; and I should be as proud to be delivered of a Telephone Directory con amore as I should be ashamed to create a Blank Verse Tragedy at the bidding of others."^[14]

1926 to 1928[link]

The real stuffed toys owned by Christopher Robin Milne and featured in the Winnie-the-Pooh stories. They are on display in the Stephen A. Schwarzman Building (formerly the New York Public Library Main Branch) in New York.

Milne is most famous for his two Pooh books about a boy named Christopher Robin after his son, Christopher Robin Milne, and various characters inspired by his son's stuffed animals, most notably the bear named Winnie-the-Pooh. Christopher Robin Milne's stuffed bear, originally named "Edward",^[15] was renamed "Winnie-the-Pooh" after a Canadian black bear named Winnie (after Winnipeg), which was used as a military mascot in World War I, and left to London Zoo during the war. "The pooh" comes from a swan called "Pooh". E. H. Shepard illustrated the original Pooh books, using his own son's teddy, Growler ("a magnificent bear"), as the model. Other notable characters created by Milne include the bouncy Tigger and gloomy Eeyore.^[16] Christopher Robin Milne's own toys are now under glass in New York.

The fictional Hundred Acre Wood of the Pooh stories derives from Five Hundred Acre Wood in Ashdown Forest in East Sussex, South East England, where the Pooh stories were set. Milne lived on the northern edge of the Forest and took his son walking there. E. H. Shepard drew on the landscapes of Ashdown Forest as inspiration for many of the illustrations he provided for the Pooh books. The adult Christopher Robin commented: "Pooh's Forest and Ashdown Forest are identical".^[16] The wooden Pooh Bridge in Ashdown Forest, where Pooh and Piglet invented Poohsticks, is a tourist attraction.^[17]

Winnie-the-Pooh was published in 1926, followed by The House at Pooh Corner in 1928. A second collection of nursery rhymes, Now We Are Six, was published in 1927. All three books were illustrated by E. H. Shepard. Milne also published four plays in this period. He also "gallantly stepped forward" to contribute a quarter of the costs of dramatising P. G. Wodehouse's A Damsel in Distress.^[18] His book The World of Pooh won the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award in 1958.

1929 onwards[link]

The success of his children's books was to become a source of considerable annoyance to Milne, whose self-avowed aim was to write whatever he pleased and who had, until then, found a ready audience for each change of direction: he had freed pre-war Punch from its ponderous facetiousness; he had made a considerable reputation as a playwright (like his idol J. M. Barrie) on both sides of the Atlantic; he had produced a witty piece of detective writing in The Red House Mystery (although this was severely criticised by Raymond Chandler for the implausibility of its plot). But once Milne had, in his own words, "said goodbye to all that in 70,000 words" (the approximate length of his four principal children's books), he had no intention of producing any reworkings lacking in originality, given that one of the sources of inspiration, his son, was growing older.

His reception remained warmer in America than Britain, and he continued to publish novels and short stories, but by the late 1930s the audience for Milne's grown-up writing had largely vanished: he observed bitterly in his autobiography that a critic had said that the hero of his latest play ("God help it") was simply "Christopher Robin grown up...what an obsession with me children are become!".

Even his old literary home, Punch, where the When We Were Very Young verses had first appeared, was ultimately to reject him, as Christopher Milne details in his autobiography The Enchanted Places, although Methuen continued to publish whatever Milne wrote, including the long poem 'The Norman Church' and an assembly of articles entitled Year In, Year Out (which Milne likened to a benefit night for the author).

A. A. Milne memorial plaque at Ashdown Forest, East Sussex, England, the setting for Winnie the Pooh

He also adapted Kenneth Grahame's novel The Wind in the Willows for the stage as Toad of Toad Hall. The title was an implicit admission that such chapters as Chapter 7, "The Piper at the Gates of Dawn", could not survive translation to the theatre. A special introduction written by Milne is included in some editions of Grahame's novel.

Several of Milne's children's poems were set to music by the composer Harold Fraser-Simson. His poems have been parodied many times, including with the books When We Were Rather Older and Now We Are Sixty.

The rights to the Pooh books were left to four beneficiaries: his family, the Royal Literary Fund, Westminster School and the Garrick Club.^[19] After Milne's death in 1956, his widow sold her rights to the Pooh characters to the Walt Disney Company, which has made many Pooh cartoon movies, a Disney Channel television show, as well as Pooh-related merchandise. In 2001, the other beneficiaries sold their interest in the estate to the Disney Corporation for $350m. Previously Disney had been paying twice-yearly royalties to these beneficiaries. The estate of EH Shepard also received a sum in the deal. The copyright on Pooh expires in 2026.^[20]

A memorial plaque in Ashdown Forest, unveiled by Christopher Robin in 1979, commemorates the work of A. A. Milne and Shepard in creating the world of Pooh.^[16] Milne once wrote of Ashdown Forest: "In that enchanted place on the top of the forest a little boy and his bear will always be playing".^[16]

Religious views[link]

Milne did not speak out much on the subject of religion, although he used religious terms to explain his decision, while remaining a pacifist, to join the army: "In fighting Hitler", he wrote, "we are truly fighting the Devil, the Anti-Christ ... Hitler was a crusader against God."^[21] His best known comment on the subject was recalled on his death:

"The Old Testament is responsible for more atheism, agnosticism, disbelief—call it what you will—than any book ever written; it has emptied more churches than all the counter-attractions of cinema, motor bicycle and golf course."^[22]

He also wrote:

Elizabeth Ann

Said to her Nan “Please will you tell me how God began? Somebody must have made Him. So

Who could it be, 'cos I want to know?”

— A.A. Milne's poem "Explained"^[23]

Works[link]

Novels[link]

• Lovers in London

(1905) (Some consider this more of a short story collection; Milne didn't like it and considered The Day's Play as his first book.)

• Once on a Time (1917)
• Mr. Pim (1921) (A novelisation of his play Mr. Pim Passes By (1919))
• The Red House Mystery (1922)
• Two People (1931) (Inside jacket claims this is Milne's first attempt at a novel.)
• Four Days' Wonder (1933)
• Chloe Marr (1946)

Non-fiction[link]

• Peace With Honour (1934)
• It's Too Late Now: The Autobiography of a Writer (1939)
• War With Honour (1940)
• Year In, Year Out (1952) (illustrated by E. H. Shepard)

[edit] Punch articles

• The Day's Play (1910)
• Once A Week (book) (1914)
• The Holiday Round (1912)
• The Sunny Side (1921)
• Those Were the Days (1929) [The four volumes above, compiled]

Newspaper articles and book introductions[link]

• The Chronicles of Clovis by "Saki" (1911) [Introduction to]
• Not That It Matters (1920)
• By Way of Introduction (1929)

Story collections for children[link]

• Gallery of Children (1925)
• Winnie-the-Pooh (1926) (illustrated by Ernest H. Shepard)
• The House at Pooh Corner (1928) (illustrated by E. H. Shepard)
• Short Stories

Poetry Collections for Children[link]

• When We Were Very Young
• Now We Are Six

Story collections[link]

• The Birthday Party (1948)
• A Table Near the Band (1950)

Poetry[link]

• For the Luncheon Interval [poems from Punch]
• When We Were Very Young (1924) (illustrated by E. H. Shepard)
• Now We Are Six (1927) (illustrated by E. H. Shepard)
• Behind the Lines (1940)
• The Norman Church (1948)

Screenplays[link]

Milne wrote 4 stories filmed in 1920 for Minerva Films:

• The Bump (starring Aubrey Smith)
• Twice Two
• Five Pound Reward
• Bookworms

Plays[link]

Milne wrote over 30 plays, including:

• Wurzel-Flummery (1917)
• Belinda (1918)
• The Boy Comes Home (1918)
• Make-Believe (1918) (children's play)
• The Camberley Triangle (1919)
• Mr. Pim Passes By (1919)
• The Red Feathers (1920)
• The Romantic Age (1920)
• The Stepmother (1920)
• The Truth about Blayds (1920)
• The Dover Road (1921)
• The Great Broxopp (1921)
• The Lucky One (1922)
• The Artist: A Duologue (1923)
• Give Me Yesterday (1923) (a.k.a. Success in the UK)
• Ariadne (1924)
• The Man in the Bowler Hat: A Terribly Exciting Affair (1924)
• To Have the Honour (1924)
• Portrait of a Gentleman in Slippers (1926)
• Success (1926)
• Miss Marlow at Play (1927)
• The Fourth Wall or The Perfect Alibi (1928)
• The Ivory Door (1929)
• Toad of Toad Hall (1929) (adaptation of The Wind in the Willows)
• Michael and Mary (1930)
• Other People's Lives (1933) (a.k.a. They Don't Mean Any Harm)
• Miss Elizabeth Bennet (1936) [based on Pride and Prejudice]
• Sarah Simple (1937)
• Gentleman Unknown (1938)
• The General Takes Off His Helmet (1939) in The Queen's Book of the Red Cross
• The Ugly Duckling (1941)
• Before the Flood (1951)

Films[link]

Michael and Mary was adapted to cinema in 1931.

The 1963 film The King's Breakfast was based on Milne's poem of the same name.

References[link]

External links[link]

Wikisource has original works written by or about: A. A. Milne

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: A. A. Milne

• Works by A. A. Milne at Project Gutenberg
• Portraits of A. A. Milne in the National Portrait Gallery.
• Essays by Milne at Quotidiana.org
• Milne extract in the Guardian
• Works by or about A. A. Milne in libraries (WorldCat catalog)
• A. A. Milne's profile at Just-Pooh.com
• Obituary for Alan Alexander Milne (German)

Miss Pooja
Miss Pooja at Canada's Wonderland (2009)
Background information
Birth name	Gurinder Kaur Kainth
Born	(1980-12-04) December 4, 1980 (age 31)
Genres	Bhangra, Folk, Religious, Hip Hop
Occupations	Singer, Actress
Years active	2006-present
Associated acts	Geeta Zaildar, Manjit Rupowalia, Preet Brar, Rai Jujhar, Roshan Prince
Website	http://www.misspooja.org

Miss Pooja is an Indian singer. She was born on 4 December 1980 as Gurinder Kaur Kainth. Before she embarked on her professional singing career, she received a Master's degree in music and worked as a music teacher in Patel Public School in Rajpura, India. She chose Miss Pooja as her professional name because "Pooja" was her childhood nickname.

She is widely regarded as having revived Punjabi duet songs. During the late 1980s to the early 21st century, Punjabi duet songs were often given second place by DJs. However, Miss Pooja's duets often get played at the top of the party. She has become the largest-selling female bhangra artist in India and overseas. A partial reason for her success is the rapid increase in the number of songs that she continues to record. She has released duets with more than 70 different male singers.

Career[link]

Miss Pooja started her career with Darshan Khella and released the album Jaan to Piyari; it was released in January 2006. Since then she has recorded duets with other artists on over 2,000 songs and released over 350 albums.^[1]

Miss Pooja toured the United States in 2006. In 2007 a Miss Pooja live session was broadcast in the UK on BBC Asian Network. In 2008 she toured the United Kingdom with Canadian bhangra singer Jazzy B.

In 2009 Miss Pooja won Best International Act at the UK Asian Music Awards.^[2]

In 2010 she won Best International Album for her album Romantic Jatt.^[3]

In 2011 she was nominated for Tanveer Dhami's International Act and Best International Album (for Panjaban)^[4] and ended up winning Best International Act.

Discography (Solo)[link]

Duo Collaboration[link]

Religious[link]

Filmography[link]

See also[link]

• List of Punjabi singers
• Music of Punjab

References[link]

This Indian music-related biographical article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. v t e

This biographical article needs additional citations for verification. Please help by adding reliable sources. Contentious material about living persons that is unsourced or poorly sourced must be removed immediately, especially if potentially libelous or harmful. (September 2009)

Atif Aslam
Background information
Also known as	Aatif, Aadee
Born	Wazir abad, Pakistan (1983-03-12) 12 March 1983 (age 29)
Origin	Lahore, Pakistan
Genres	Rock, pop
Occupations	Singer, actor
Instruments	Vocals
Years active	2001-present
Labels	Fire, Tips
Associated acts	Strings, Jal, Hadiqa Kiani, Shreya Ghoshal, Alka Yagnik, Sachin Gupta, Pritam, Alisha Chinoy, Sunidhi Chauhan
Website	www.aadeez.com

Atif Aslam (Urdu: عاطف اسلم, born Mohammad Atif Aslam; 12 March 1983 in Wazirabad, (Pakistan) is a Pakistani pop singer and film actor. He debuted in the film Bol and has given several hit songs^[1] .He is known for his vocal belting technique.^[2] In 2008, he was awarded the Tamgha-e-Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan. .Atif Aslam has done his Bachleors in Computer Sciences from Punjab Institute Of Computer Sciences (PICS).

Music career[link]

Solo career (2004 onwards)[link]

After leaving Pakistani pop band Jal, Atif released his first solo album, Jal Pari, on 19 July 2004, under Sound Master and IC records. His work has gradually also become became popular in India. His is second album, Doorie, was released on 22 December 2006.

His first major concert was at Al Hamra Hall, Mall Road Lahore where he performed during the break of a stage drama Moulin Rouge. On 14 April 2007, Atif headlined in the Flex FX Dhamaka^[3] alongside Jay Sean at Royal Albert Hall. His first international concert was at W. StarDreamz Entertainment Group during his tour of USA and Canada with RDB and Annie. He recently performed in London's O2 Arena on 22nd April 2012 at the Flex FX Production's Dhamaka^[4] Bollywood Concert with Naz Choudhury^[5] and his Bolly Flex team to promote love, peace & unity among India and Pakistan becoming first Pakistani pop singer to perform on The O2 Arena stage.

Atif also mentioned in a press conference held in Karachi that he will be working on an international project titled The Dreamer Awakes, alongside members of American rock band Guns N' Roses.^{[citation needed]}

There were rumors circulating online that his new album was titled Shabnam. This was denied by Atif. “Right now, my entire focus is on this project (The Dreamer Awakes). I may be singing with Chris Martin or John Mayer… we’re trying to bring a lot of people together.”^[6] He has been greatly influenced by the singer Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Kishore Kumar and K.K.

Sarmad Ghafoor, a guitarist and producer for Qayaas contacted Atif Aslam to collaborate with them for the Fifth Season of Coke Studio (Pakistan). Atif Aslam in collaboration with Qayaas performed a revived rendition of "Charkha Nolakha" by Ustaad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. The song and that entire episode received positive reviews from critics not only in Pakistan but also across the border in India.

Bollywood[link]

Atif has sung frequently for Bollywood films. His voice as a playback singer can be heard in Indian films such as "Pehli Nazar Mein", Race, "Tere Bin", Bas Ek Pal, "Bakhuda Tumhi Ho" in Kismat Konnection, "Leja tu mujhe",F.A.L.T.U, "Tera Hone Laga Hoon" and "Tu Jaane Na" in Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani, "Aa Bhi Ja Sanam", "O Mere Khuda", "Tere Liye" and "Kaun Hoon Main" in the film Prince.^[7] He sang two songs "Piya O Re Piya" and "Tu Mohabbat Hai" in Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya.

Hollywood[link]

Atif has three songs featured in Hollywood movies as well.^[8]

Acting career[link]

Atif made his acting debut in a Pakistani movie named Bol, 2011. He also made a special appearance in film songs like Tere Bin kaise jiya jai,Pehli Nazar mein,in the film Tere Bin,Pehli Nazar,Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya's song Tu Mohabbat Hai.

Discography[link]

Albums[link]

Bollywood/Lollywood songs[link]

Filmography[link]

• Bol - Mustafa, 2011
• Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya - Special Appearance in song Tu Mohabbat Hai

Awards[link]

References[link]

External links[link]

• Official website
• Atif Aslam at the Internet Movie Database
• Atif aslam news updates

Aliya Mustafina
Full name	Aliya Fargatovna Mustafina
Country represented	Russia
Born	(1994-09-30) 30 September 1994 (age 17)[1] Yegoryevsk
Hometown	Moscow
Height	160 centimetres (5 ft 3 in)
Weight	48 kilograms (110 lb)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior
Years on national team	2007 -
Club	CSKA Moscow
Gym	"Lake Krugloe"
Head coach(es)	Aleksandr Aleksandrov
Former coach(es)	Dina Kamalova
Choreographer	Olga Burova
Music	2009-2010: Hijo de la Luna
Eponymous skills	Mustafina (Uneven Bars)
Medal record Competitor for  Russia World Championships Gold 2010 Rotterdam Team Gold 2010 Rotterdam All-Around Silver 2010 Rotterdam Vault Silver 2010 Rotterdam Uneven Bars Silver 2010 Rotterdam Floor European Championships Gold 2010 Birmingham Team Silver 2010 Birmingham Uneven Bars Silver 2010 Birmingham Balance Beam Silver 2012 Brussels Team

Aliya Fargatovna Mustafina (Russian: Алия Фаргатовна Мустафина, Tatar: Алия Фәрхәт кызы Мостафина, Alia Ferhad kyzy Mustafina) (born 30 September 1994 in Yegorievsk, Russia) is a Russian artistic gymnast. In 2010, Aliya won a gold medal and was the all-around title winner at the World Gymnastics Championships in Rotterdam. She was the 2009 Russian national champion in the all around and on the balance beam.^[2]

Career[link]

2007[link]

Mustafina came to international prominence as a gymnast in her first major junior competition, the 2007 International Junior Competition. She won silver medals in the all-around, the uneven bars, the vault, the balance beam, and the floor exercise. Rebecca Bross won all five of those competitions. As a result of these championships, both Mustafina and Bross were predicted to be major forces in gymnastics in the years to come, a prediction that was borne out by subsequent results.^[3]

Later that year, Mustafina finished second in the all-around at the Gymnix International in Montreal. She also finished second with the Russian team in the Stella Zakharova Cup.

2008[link]

Mustafina competed at the 2008 Junior European Gymnastics Championships in Clermont-Ferrand. She was a gold medalist and finished second in the all-around to teammate Tatiana Nabieva.^[4]

Later in 2008, Mustafina competed in the Massilia Gym Cup in Marseille, finishing second in the floor exercise and seventh in the all-around.

2009[link]

Mustafina began the year by becoming all-around champion at the Russian national championships. She also won on the balance beam, finished second on the uneven bars, and placed third in the floor exercise.

In July 2009, Mustafina competed in the Japan Cup in Tokyo where the Russian team finished second. Mustafina also finished second in the all-around to China's Huang Qiushuang. She followed this up by winning the all-around in the Russia Cup and at the Doha Gymnasiade. At the latter, she also won a gold medal with the Russian team and finished first on the uneven bars, on the balance beam, and in the floor exercise.

2010[link]

In March, while warming up on the floor for the Russian nationals, Mustafina sustained an ankle injury. This prevented her from taking part in the national championships. Junior Viktoria Komova went on to take the all-around title in Mustafina's absence. Mustafina and Komova are widely regarded as Russia's two best hopes for individual gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London in the female gymnastics competitions.^[5] Mustafina quickly recovered from her injury to take part in the World Cup in Paris, where she finished second on the balance beam.

In May, Mustafina took part in her first major senior competition, the 2010 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships. Mustafina won the silver medal on both the uneven bars and the balance beam, as well as the gold medal with the Russian team. She also qualified for the floor final, finishing eighth.

Following the European Championships, Mustafina took part in the Japan Cup where she finished first with the Russian team and third in the all-around. She then took part in the Russian Cup where she finished first in the vault, uneven bars and floor exercise, and finished third on beam. She then competed at the Holland Invitational, finishing first with the Russian team and first in the all-around.

At the 2010 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Mustafina was the top qualifier for the all-around competition, and qualified to participate in all four of the event finals. She was the first gymnast to accomplish this feat since Svetlana Khorkina in 1997. She won gold with the Russian team, contributing the most points in Russia's first win at the World Championships as an independent nation. She improved upon her scores in qualification to go on to an all-around gold. In the event finals, however, she seemed almost exhausted ^[6] and her scores fell. She still won silver medals in the vault, on the uneven bars, and in the floor exercise. She fell on the beam to finish seventh in that final. Mustafina's five medals made her the most successful gymnast in a world championships since Andreea Raducan of Romania and Khorkina at the 2001 World Championships.

Andy Thornton from Universal Sports stated: "The story behind Aliya Mustafina's all-around gold today is that of a revived dynasty; the dominant Soviet women's team of the 1980's and early 1990's - whom many consider to represent the absolute epitome of artistic gymnastics - was dead and now reborn. In addition to leading her teammates to their country's first world title as an independent nation, Mustafina has delivered one of the great performances by a female gymnast ever - capturing the very same artistry, difficulty, and competitive composure that made her Soviet predecessors so beloved and revered. Mustafina's four-event arsenal is so well balanced it's hard to pick a favorite event to watch her on, and a win so convincing and undeniable as hers gives a satisfying sense of closure to a competition. She has established herself and her Russian teammates as the absolute gymnasts to watch over the next two years - and the gymnasts to beat."^[7]

On 13 November 2010, Mustafina competed in the "Freddy Cup" Italian Grand Prix (in which the women competed on beam and uneven bars, winning the balance beam competition. However, she missed some elements in her uneven bars routine and ended up fourth in that competition while Komova placed first.^[8]

In November 2010, an uneven bars element was named after Mustafina: Swing fwd to double salto bwd tucked with 1½ twist (540°) (Element Value = E 6.505).

Mustafina competed at the Toyota Cup in Japan in December 2010. She was again scheduled to compete with Komova, who was quickly becoming her primary rival.^[8] However, at the last minute, Komova was sent to the Voronin Memorial event instead, but Komova ultimately withdrew from that event due to injury. At the Toyota Cup, Mustafina won gold on the floor and on the vault. She also won silver on the beam, finishing second to Lauren Mitchell. In late December 2010, Mustafina entered the Voronin Memorial event as a surprise late entrant. She won the all-around competition and also won golds in the floor exercise and on the uneven bars.

Commenting on a highly successful 2010 in the Russian Artistic Gymnastics Federation magazine, Gimnastika,^[9] Mustafina stated: "What did I learn from the World Championships? That we can win, too! We can beat the Chinese and we can beat the Americans – there's nothing that difficult in it. We have to work and everything will be fine."

2011[link]

Mustafina was expected to begin the new gymnastics season by competing at Russian Nationals. However, she was switched to compete at the AT&T American Cup instead, which took place on 5 March 2011. Mustafina finished second in the all-around to America's Jordyn Wieber. Looking out of sorts in her first event of the new season, a touch down on the floor at the end of a tumbling pass in the floor exercise ultimately cost Mustafina the gold medal (albeit losing out by just 0.068 points).^[10][11]

Mustafina next competed at the Bercy World Cup (French International) from 19–20 March 2011. She competed on the beam, the uneven bars, and on the vault, winning gold in all three events.^[12] She did not compete in the floor exercise.^[12]

On 8 April 2011, Mustafina competed at the European Championships where she suffered an injury to her left knee during the first rotation in the all-around on the vault (on landing whilst performing a Yurchenko 2 1/2) and had to withdraw.^[13][14] Her compatriot, Anna Dementyeva went on to win the all-around competition.^[14]

Knee injury[link]

International Gymnast Magazine initially reported that the injury Mustafina suffered at the European Championships was a meniscus tear to her left knee.^[15][16][17] However, the magazine later retracted its report.^[17] On 9 April 2011, it was announced that Mustafina had torn her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and strained her medial collateral ligament, and would therefore miss the 2011 World Championships.^{[15][17][18][19][20]} Her coach Alexander Alexandrov stated: "She has torn cruciate ligaments in her left knee, meaning she'll definately [sic?] miss the world championships."^[19] Russian Squad Coordinator Valentina Rodionenko added: "It was thought to be an injured meniscus...The diagnosis was clarified through the imaging: rupture of the left anterior cruciate ligament. Aliya spent the night in the hospital and in the morning she was allowed to return to the hotel. They put on a tight bandage so there would be no swelling, because a lot of swelling causes problems for the surgery."^[21] The same type of injury was suffered by British gymnast and 2009 world all-around runner-up Daniel Keatings.

Alexandrov stated that Mustafina's recovery and rehabilitation would likely take six to eight months and that the focus is on ensuring her readiness for in 2012 Olympics in London.^[15][18][22] Two other notable gymnasts, Annia Hatch and Justin Spring, have returned to medal in the Olympics after suffering ACL injuries about a year before.Annia Hatch- Gym Bio</ref>^[23][18] Alexandrov stated that the coaches did not quite understand how Mustafina had sustained her injury. He stated: "Maybe on landing one leg landed before the other and she got a twisted knee."^[24] Alexandrov also criticised the warm-up arrangements as being too short and believes that that may have been a factor behind the injury.^[15]

On 11 April 2011, arrangements were made for surgery at the sporthopaedicum Munich at the ATOS Private Clinic in Munich by Professor Michael J. Strobel, a specialist in knee joints.^[25][26] The clinic has treated Boris Becker, Oksana Chusovitina and members of the German national football team.^[15][21] Rodionenko said, "Aliya could have had surgery in Berlin. But local experts themselves insisted that it’s better to contact one of the clinics in Munich that specializes in knee joints." Chusovitina added that: "If she does surgery at the right place and has proper rehabilitation, trust me, she can vault. The doctor the Russians are going to operated on me. Same knee, but I had another problem. After Athens I could not vault, nor even really do anything. After eight months of looking for the cause, only this doctor figured out what was wrong. I had the surgery, and after two weeks I was walking without pain. Believe me, he’s really a professional of the highest class. For 30 years he’s been operating only on knees."^[21] Coach Alexandrov stated: "Doctors have promised that everything will be fine. It's just hard to get through the rehabilitation period, because the recovery from these surgeries is almost more important than the surgery itself. In any case, it is already clear that Mustafina will miss the world championships like she missed the European championships. But this is not so bad: before the Olympic Games there will be yet another Europeans. Getting competition experience again is so important once she has recovered."^[15]

Mustafina's surgery was postponed from 12 April 2011 ^[15] until the following day, as she had only arrived at the clinic on the evening of 11 April 2011 and spent most of 12 April 2011 undergoing tests.^[27] Alexandrov was also quoted as saying when announcing the postponement: "By the way, according to doctors, the survey revealed that Aliya is not the most difficult case for such injuries."^[28] Гимнастка Мустафина перенесла операцию в Германии - Другие - Чемпионат.com</ref>^[29]

The day after surgery, the first bandage was changed and other postoperative measures carried out.^[25] Asked how she was feeling after the surgery, Mustafina stated that the pain in the knee was subsiding and that she was keeping in touch with her friends via her laptop and skype, which helped her to pass the time.^[25] Mustafina returned to Russia on 16 April 2011.^[15][30] On 17 April 2011, Rodionenko stated: "So far so good. Last night, Aliya arrived in Moscow. Doctors said the operation went fine. Now we must wait, with four weeks of complete rest for the leg."^[30]

Mustafina returned to the ATOS Clinic on 15 May 2011 for two weeks for a post-surgery evaluation to ensure that her recovery was going as it should.^[15] She attended with Viktoria Komova, who was being evaluated for an injured ankle, and Komova's mother Vera Kolesnikova.^[15] A rehabilitation plan was drawn up by the clinic for Mustafina during her two-week stay and she returned to Russia on 30 May 2011.^[15]

Commenting on Mustafina's injury, Lee Ann Gschwind of Universal Sports stated: "For Mustafina, the apparent curse could prove to be a blessing. The last reigning world champion to win Olympic gold was Lilia Podkopayeva back in 1996...It could..relieve some pre-Games pressure. The Olympics are still more than 15 months away, a relatively forgiving time frame. If all goes according to plan, Mustafina should have ample time to recover and regain her form. She could even be back for the 2012 spring season and get in some competitive routines before London. But she will also need to be mindful not to rush her comeback. What's so impressive about Mustafina, apart from her ability, is her confidence and attack. What a shame it would be to see those traits diminished in her return."^[31] Former Soviet gymnast Lidia Ivanova added: "The possibilities of modern medicine are high. In my time, a meniscus injury was a huge disaster. Now, I believe that Aliya will recover."^[32]

In an interview with Olga Yemolina from Moscow News in May 2011, Mustafina stated that while she would not be able to compete in the all-around competition at the 2011 World Championships, she still hoped to compete on the uneven bars and the beam at the championships. She stated: "First, I need that psychologically, so I don't lose my confidence. Second, if I can, I'll be ready. Why not?".^[33] Mustafina also confirmed that she was doing some light training in accordance with her rehabilitation plan.^[33] Asked whether it was odd being a spectator at gymnastics meets now, she said: "Of course it is. I really want to be out there competing. But no athlete is safe from injuries and you have to find the strength in yourself to not get absorbed by one. After what happened to me, I told myself that I could not get depressed, that I had to heal my knee and continue training"^[33]

Later in May 2011, Russian Squad Coordinator Valentina Rodionenko confirmed that Mustafina would definitely not be competing at the World Championships to avoid her being rushed back too soon. The plan was for her to return to competition at the 2012 Russian Championships and then for her to compete at the 2012 European Championships in Brussels from 9–13 May 2012.^[34][35]

Mustafina returned to the ATOS Clinic on 15 June 2011 for further post operative evaluation.^[36] Her official website reported on 18 June 2011 that the results of the evaluation were that her recovery was going very well and that she will be returning to Russia on 22 June 2011 to begin light training.^[37]

On 1 July 2011, Valentina Rodionenko stated that Mustafina may be able to compete as early as December 2011 in the Voronin Cup.^[38] Nevertheless, in an interview with R-Sport, Mustafina herself reaffirmed that she is still hopeful of competing on the uneven bars and on the beam at the 2011 World Championships. She stated: "Of course I’d like to return; I want to compete at world championships. There is a chance I can go and compete on two events, but we still don’t know how my leg will be and how quickly I can bring back my routines. But the most important thing for me is the Olympic Games. Even if I don’t go to Japan, that won’t be all that terrible. The main competition will be in London next summer. But if I can go [to worlds], then why not".^[38]

On 13 July 2011, however, Alexandrov stated that there was absolutely no chance of Mustafina competing at the 2011 World Championships. He told Russian Newspaper Sport-Express that: "The German doctors recommended completely avoiding any loading whatsoever on the leg she had the operation on, because in order for the knee to recover fully, it cannot be forced at all...So, Aliya is not doing any exercises that include jumping. First the leg has to be brought back into shape and the muscle functions need to be recovered. That is pretty dreary work."^[39] Hence, Mustafina's training at present remains confined to upper body conditioning and rehabilitation on the knee that was injured.^[39]

In early September 2011, Mustafina and Alexandrov announced in an interview with TV Channel, Rossiya 2, that Mustafina would be resuming a full training schedule in December 2011.^[40] In the meantime, Blythe Lawrence reported in the Gymnastics Examiner on 17 September 2011 that Mustafina is continuing with her upper body conditioning, with rehabilitation work on her knee, and she is now adding new skills to her repertoire which does not require the use of her injured knee, such as a Memmel turn on the beam.

Mustafina took part in her first competition after tearing her anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) and knee surgery at the 2011 Voronin Cup, she finished 6th in the all-around and won silver on uneven bars behind compatriot Viktoria Komova. In an interview, Mustafina said she was pleased with her comeback. "I am happy with the competition and my performance," she said. "I really wanted to compete because it's the first start after the April injury. Of course, there are still some limitations I encounter during training. We can say that my recovery is still ongoing."

Personal[link]

Mustafina's younger sister Nailya Mustafina is also a Russian elite gymnast and a member of Russia's junior team. Nailya won the silver medal in the floor exercise at the 2008 Pacific Rim Championships in San Jose). Her father, Farhad Mustafin, was a bronze medalist in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 1976 Olympic Games in Montreal.^[41][42] Mustafina trains at Moscow's Central Sport Army Club (CSKA) with coaches Aleksandr Aleksandrov, Olga Sikorro and Sergei Zelikson.

Mustafina has said that while she respects other gymnasts, she has no idol.^[43] However, she admires 2008 all-around Olympic champion, Nastia Liukin,^[44] saying of her that: "I adore her elegant and beautiful performances with difficult elements. I like especially her graceful uneven bars and balance beam." ^[44] Among Russian gymnasts, her main influence has been Ksenia Afanasyeva. She said of her: "I respect her strong and beautiful gymnastics."^[44]

Mustafina's principal career target overall is success at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. She recently stated that: "I think that the Olympics will coincide with the peak of my career, as long as I don't get injured. I will be almost 18 years old, have time to go through two world championships, and have much experience."^[45]

On 19 September 2011, Full Twist reported that Mustafina's official website had been taken down at the behest of the Russian Gymnastics Federation.^[46][47]

Routines[link]

In competition she performed:

Floor music[link]

• 2010 Hijo de la Luna
• 2011 Hood Jump

References[link]

External links[link]

• Aliya Mustafina at Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique

Gymnastics portal