CSKA's Maria Sharafetdinova Crowned Miss Cheerleader

The 4th-ever VTB United League Miss Cheerleader League of Beauty finals were held today in Moscow.

This year's competition featured 30 girls from each of the league's dance teams. Five preliminary round winners (determined by an online fan vote), as well as one wild card (Liga Saleniece), received invitations to the playoff finals.

In the end, Maria Sharafetdinova and Julia Khrunina (both CSKA), Anna Pakalina (Lokomotiv-Kuban), Polina Bezmogorychnaya (Krasny Oktyabr), Julia Skshinetskaya (Tsmoki-Minsk) and Liga Saleniece (VEF) took the court at the USH CSKA on Friday to decide who would be crowned the 2016 VTB United League Miss Cheerleader.

The entertainment began with a choreographed dance, featuring group and individual performances. But the contest didn't end there. The 2016 Miss Cheerleader would ultimately be decided based on basketball skill.

Each girl needed to score as quickly as possible, starting at halfcourt, with no traveling allowed. Maria Sharafetdinova of CSKA came out on top, getting to the hoop and scoring quicker than anyone else!

In addition to the title of Miss Cheerleader, Sharafetdinova received the official Miss Cheerleader crown.

The other finalists also received prizes from the league, while official VTB United League sponsor, Asteros, selected Julia Khrunina of CSKA as the Miss Fan Favorite.

- I'm very happy that I won the Miss Cheerleader title, - admitted Maria Sharafetdinova. - I expected everything to be decided on the court, so I prepared for the contest. The team practiced together a few times and took practice shots. I won't hide that it was important to me and Julia Khrunina from CSKA to win. In the end, CSKA got another title this season!