Biography of Lyaysan Utyasheva
Laysan Utyasheva (born 28 June 1985, Zilair, Bashkortostan) is a Russian athlete, television presenter, actress and mother, whose story is an example of incredible resilience and strength of spirit. From the age of five, she practised rhythmic gymnastics under the guidance of Irina Viner. Between 2000 and 2004, she won five gold medals at the European and World Championships, three golds at the Russian Championships, and was crowned the overall European champion in 2002. In 2004, following a back injury (a fractured vertebra), she ended her career at the age of 19. After retiring from sport, Laysan quickly found her niche in television: she presented *Arena* on NTV, *The Grand Ballet* on *Kultura*, *Dancing with the Stars* on *Rossiya-1*, and *Formula 1* on *Match TV*. She appeared in the films *Champions*, *Times Don’t Choose You* and *Vysotsky: Thank You for Being Alive*, and performed in the theatre. In 2012, she married Pavel Volya and gave birth to two sons — Robert (2013) and Michael (2015). In 2022, the couple officially confirmed their divorce but remained on friendly terms for the sake of their children. She is active on Instagram (@utiasheva, over 4 million followers), where she shares her workouts, yoga routines, recipes, parenting tips and motivational posts. Between 2023 and 2025, she published books on health and motherhood and launched online fitness and yoga courses. She is 168 cm tall, and her perfect figure is the result of daily exercise. Laysan Utyasheva is a symbol of female strength: from an Olympic gymnast to a mother of many children, a successful presenter and entrepreneur who inspires millions to get active, accept themselves and believe in their own strength, even after facing difficult trials.
