Ayelen Tarabini

Ayelén Tarabini (born 11 June 1992) is an Argentine artistic gymnast who represents Kyrgyzstan in international competition. She is the 2008 Pan American Championships bronze medalist on vault and the 2017 South American Championships gold medalist on floor exercise. She competed at five World Championships, but never participated at the Olympics in part due to injuries. Tarabini was a member of the Argentinian national gymnastics team from 2006 until 2020, when she retired from the sport.

Gymnastics career Junior: 1995–2007 Tarabini began gymnastics at age three at Club Quilmes in Mar de Plata, Argentina. She became a national team member in 2006.

In 2011, she ruptured her left Achilles tendon, which meant she could not compete for eight months. Tarabini competed at the 2014 Pan American Sports Festival, winning balance beam gold, silver in all-around and floor exercise, and uneven bars bronze. At the Pan American Championships, held from 25 August to 1 September, she advanced to the balance beam event finals.

2017–2020 At the 2017 Argentinian Championships held from 28 June to 1 July, Tarabini won gold on vault and floor exercise, as well as silver on uneven bars and balance beam. She was the all-around champion. She competed at the Argentinian Championships at the end of August,

In April 2020, Tarabini announced her retirement from gymnastics through a post on her social media. She claimed that she had been mistreated by national team staff, specifically head coach Roger Medina who had been appointed in 2019. She alleged that to keep her team membership, she was forced to train unsafely, with no regard for her prior injuries and the possibility of reinjuring her Achilles. She also said that after an argument with Medina, he took her off the team for the 2019 Pan American Games, and he said that he wanted a "young team"; and at the World Championships that year, the equipment she was training on was deliberately maladjusted by team coaches.

2023–present: Switching allegiance to Kyrgyzstan In November 2022, it was reported that Tarabini would switch allegiance to represent Kyrgyzstan in international competitions. This nationality change was finalised by the International Gymnastics Federation in May 2023.