Three Novosibirsk Athletes Vie for Victory in New Titans Season

The fourth season of the show «Titans: Battle of the Seasons» will begin on the TNT channel — the strongest participants from past stages will return to the competition. More than a hundred athletes will compete for the title of absolute titan. Among them are three residents of Novosibirsk: two-time Olympic champion in Greco-Roman wrestling Roman Vlasov, MMA fighter Zemfira Aliyeva, and dancer Vera Bondareva.

The Best of the Best

Roman Vlasov shared that he has learned from past mistakes: he prepared thoroughly, worked on his weak points, and now intends to challenge the best of the best with renewed strength.

«This time I»m only going for victory! When I found out the full list of participants for this season, I realized that it is very competitive. It«s just mind-blowing! An overabundance of sports legends and the strongest people of our country. To be in such an atmosphere is incredibly honorable. It»s interesting to enter the struggle with these people, understanding that I am surrounded by the best of the best,« comments the athlete.

For MMA fighter Zemfira Aliyeva, participation in the show is a new chance and an attempt to prove herself, to pass as many trials as possible. Last season, the athlete failed to overcome the team competition — she hopes that this time she will be lucky. Zemfira is not afraid of trials and assures that she will do everything that depends on her.

«I am very glad to see the participants of my season. Moreover, I was fortunate to meet Roma Vlasov, I didn»t know he was from Novosibirsk, and I was ashamed of that. It is an honor for me to fight shoulder to shoulder with him. I like him very much both as a person and as an athlete,« says Zemfira Aliyeva.

Ballroom dancing champion Vera Bondareva is also glad to return to «Titans» because it is her favorite show.

«I watched all the seasons, rooted for every athlete, for every girl. From »Battle of the Seasons« I expect completely new trials with »old« players, athletes, and colleagues from the trade. I would very much like to go as far in the project as I did last time,» shared the dancer.

Vera takes participation in the project responsibly, so she prepares both mentally and physically: she trains her grip, works on speed and endurance.

The first episode of the fourth season of the show will air on January 25 on the TNT channel.

Dangerous Competitions

«Titans» is a tough reality show that requires a high level of preparation from participants. Athletes can sustain serious injuries during the trials. So, last year, one of the participants almost lost her leg — master of sports in bench press Lana Lamas attempted the «Wall Run» task but failed to complete it.

She started briskly, but in the middle of the vertical wall, the girl literally crashed into the water. She couldn«t get out on her own. When the athlete was pulled out of the pool, the other athletes were shocked. The girl»s foot at the ankle was literally dangling on the skin. And she herself was screaming in pain.

Unfortunately, the injuries did not end there. Arm wrestler Artem Grishin twisted his leg during the first attempt to overcome the vertical wall, but did not stop his performance. After the second attempt, his leg literally began to swell before our eyes. Medics rushed to help again.

Finally, the legendary boxer Alexander Povetkin was injured. He made a successful attempt to run along the wall and earned one point for his team, but then collapsed onto the mat. The athlete also injured his ankle.

Opinions of Viewers and Participants

Viewers watched the show «Titans» with bated breath in the fall of 2025 — the TNT channel broadcast the 3rd season. In the absence of a full-fledged Russian team at the Olympic Games, the reality show became a kind of Olympics substitute.

Recall that participants do not compete in the discipline to which they have dedicated their entire lives — they complete tasks invented by a neural network. Athletes either hang at a height, or run on vertical walls, or inflate giant balloons until they burst.

«In fact, this project involves a degree of risk — both physically and morally,» says one of the participants of the third season of the show «Titans», four-time Olympic champion and five-time world champion in artistic gymnastics Alexei Nemov. «When you enter the arena, you never know what awaits you, what trial will be offered. Physically, it requires tremendous effort — sometimes you have to stay in a state of readiness for 10–18 hours.»

Last season, in addition to athletes, media personalities also tested their strength — for example, the participation of Garik Kharlamov caused a lot of discontent among viewers.

«What the hell artists? What the heck, Kharlamov?» asks Vladimir Lukashov.

«What a sell-out show. They organize a casting that doesn»t actually exist,« says Sergey Nikulin, who applied to participate but received no feedback. »I sent an application three times, each time ignored. I asked a participant I know, he said he was invited himself. They write about casting, like all normal shows have it and anyone can participate, but in fact it«s all a deception.»

«I completely agree with you,» wrote Andrey Viktorovich, who did make it to the casting. «The selection there was tough. I looked, there were purely media people, and ordinary people were only 5-10. And none of them passed.»

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