SUCCESS TO THE FULLEST: THE STORY OF DANIELA CHEBOTAROVA
Daniela Chebotarova is a student of the SEI ‘Prydniprovska State Academy of Physical Culture and Sports’ of the Ukrainian State University of Science and Technologies, as well as an athlete who has lived in the world of rhythmic gymnastics since the age of five.
Her achievements include dozens of championships, medals of various levels, and international competition experience in Japan, Hungary, Poland, Greece, and Germany. ‘Daniela and I have come a long and challenging way from a little girl to a serious athlete. Today she is a determined and strong personality. This is mostly due to sports and to her parents’ timely decision to involve their daughter in rhythmic gymnastics’, said her coach Svitlana Perezhohina.
Her achievements include dozens of championships, medals of various levels, and international competition experience in Japan, Hungary, Poland, Greece, and Germany. ‘Daniela and I have come a long and challenging way from a little girl to a serious athlete. Today she is a determined and strong personality. This is mostly due to sports and to her parents’ timely decision to involve their daughter in rhythmic gymnastics’, said her coach Svitlana Perezhohina.
Daniela’s mother, a graduate of the Dnipro Academy of Physical Culture and Sports and an athlete herself, left no doubt about where her daughter would pursue higher education.
It is sport that has shaped Daniela’s character. She has learned discipline, endurance, and honesty with herself. Her life motto is simple – ‘Even if the coach isn’t watching, work for yourself with mind and conscience’.
Daniela’s schedule is a true example of dedication: six days a week, she trains for 4 to 8 hours daily, while studying at the faculty of Physical Culture and Sports of the SEI ‘Prydniprovska State Academy of Physical Culture and Sports’.
In addition, Daniela is also studying Philology at Dnipro National University and majoring in English and French as a student of extra-mural department.
For students like her, USUST provides all necessary conditions to successfully combine studies and sports: an electronic repository for independent work, personal online courses on the Moodle platform, consultations with lecturers, and modern sports facilities. ‘Daniela is one of our best students, a scholarship holder of the Verkhovna Rada of Ukraine and an outstanding athlete’, emphasized Professor Serhii Afanasiev, deputy director of the SEI ‘Prydniprovska State Academy of Physical Culture and Sports’.
Throughout her career, Daniela has earned 12 medals at the Ukrainian Championships, as well as gold, silver, and bronze at international competitions. However, she considers her greatest victory is not the medals, but the ability to overcome fear. ‘In competitions where girls with Olympic titles performed, I managed to pull myself together and perform even better. It was my inner breakthrough’, shared the athlete.
Today, Daniela’s dream has already come true – she has won gold at the World University Games. Yet a new goal is ahead – to become a coach, to share her experience with children and train future champions. ‘It’s important for me to see my students grow and witness the results of their work. That’s what true success means to me – when my parents, my coach, and my athletes are proud of me’, says Daniela.
Her advice for young athletes is simple but effective:
- listen to your coach and build a relationship of trust;
- never give up, even if things don’t work out at first;
- and remember that a competitor on the mat is not always an enemy in life.
At just 19 years old, Daniela Chebotarova has already proven that success is no coincidence – it is daily work on oneself.
Every step she takes in sports and education is truly a step to the maximum.