She’s claimed medals across Europe, reached World Championship finals, and stood on Grand Prix podiums. One of her routines even outscored an Olympic silver medalist. But her road wasn’t always lined with glitter and gold. Her childhood wasn’t cushioned by privilege. There were no custom leotards, no chauffeurs for training, and no backup plans. Just a dream. A dream born in a home where even bread was sometimes a luxury. Her journey is stitched together—quite literally—by her mother’s hands, one sequin at a time. But she never stopped. Never. And now, in the scroll of a reel, she’s given the world a reason to pause and read again. What does she have to say?

“When I was little, my mom couldn’t afford expensive shoes or leotards… we just didn’t have that kind of money.” That’s how Lala Yusifova opened the reel that drew the attention of the gymnastics world on 22 May 2025. A former European medalist, a gymnastic prodigy, and now a mother of two, she peeled back years of struggle to show us the young girl behind the champion.

“She used to sew my leotards herself, until one day, my coach criticised her work… and she stopped,” she continued. “Sometimes we didn’t even have money for the bus… sometimes not enough to buy bread. It was everything I had dreamed of… but it wasn’t easy there either. A lot of people looked at me sideways… some even laughed behind my back. In the national team, they had new rules… a list of fines: for being late, not wearing the right uniform…”

To look back, despite all the challenges, Lala’s remarkable career began in 2009. She won silver in ball at the 2010 European Junior Championships, then bronze with the Azerbaijani group at the 2011 Europeans in Minsk. But at home, things were far from golden. Still, she fought on—commuting 3 hours daily to train, often on an empty stomach.

Despite that, she broke through in 2012, placing second to Olympic medalist Daria Dmitrieva at the Grand Prix Final in Brno. In 2013, she bagged bronzes at the Miss Valentine Cup and Irina Deleanu Cup, finishing 7th in clubs at the European Championships and 13th at the World Championships. But inside the national camp, she felt the cold.

Her worst fine? Not a rule-break, but personal dislike in gymnastics. “In my case, I simply didn’t please the choreographer. The fine was 100 manats.” That meant exclusion from ballet classes while still being a national athlete. “My mom couldn’t pay, and I wasn’t allowed into ballet class until the fine was paid.”

Time flies, and Lala has successfully outrun all these struggles, only for her to share this story with a brave heart with all her fans.

Lala Yusifova shares a pointed advice

In the same reel caption, former Azerbaijani rhythmic gymnast Lala Yusifova, now representing Great Britain, hasn’t just opened up, but she has tried to uplift. After years of competing at European and World Championships, she steps forward not with medals but with meaning. “But I’m not telling you this to make you feel sorry for me,” she begins. “I’m sharing it because I want this generation to hear something important.”

She’s speaking to every young athlete who’s ever felt small in designer shadows: “Don’t ever be ashamed of who you are or where you come from.” “Don’t compare yourself to others because of what they wear or what they have.” “You are not your brand of leotard, or your shoes, or your bag.”

That, she says, doesn’t measure grit. “None of that defines your talent… or how much you fight, how much you love what you do.” Her final words land softly but powerfully: “Be yourself. That’s already more than enough.”

Finally, Lala’s story is a gentle reminder that strength isn’t always loud, and dreams don’t need riches to come true.