Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

Happy 45th birthday to Elena Produnova, who rescued a silver medal for the Russian team at the 2000 Olympics.  Elena was competing with a broken foot and withdrew from the AA but could otherwise have been the Olympic AA champion!   Elena demonstrates how it’s possible to combine original and dynamic work with incredible musicality and great line and posture.  She was ahead of her time. https://youtu.be/vm5H31SN4Og

 A link -  http://youtube.com/post/UgkxGZUQG6X2sXvPmpRukI4ufFdQBV63tke7?si=DY3PREJ2Vgg8MX0H

World and European medallist Elena Eremina has relocated to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where she has taken up a long-term coaching appointment. Good luck, Elena!  

If I find a link to any live streaming, I will post on my Facebook.   This is good news for Viktoria, an Olympic and European champion who has been unable to compete at the highest level for more than two years because of the IOC ban on Russia, and because of injury.   Viktoria is one of the gymnasts who is applying for neutral status.  She will have been returned to the international testing bank for anti-doping, but I don’t know when there will be a final decision on her status. Both Viktoria and Angelina travelled to Italy in the last few weeks - they spent time with Russian/Italian coach Anton Stolyar - but Angelina has now returned to train at Round Lake.  Not sure if this has any significance.  But it is really great to have Viktoria back in competitions, and visible.  Good luck to her whatever her plans.   https://youtu.be/oUUnTNdNyDg?si=lpsAcjqpapX_6qng UPDATE - Photos of Vika Listunova with Kayla Nemours and her Italian team this week.  V...

Sports Express reports (Google translate) ‘Russian gymnasts whose applications were sent to the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) to obtain neutral status have begun receiving notifications about their transfer to the international registered testing pool, a source in the Russian national team told SE. Being in such a pool is a mandatory condition for obtaining neutral status. Of the 3,000 francs that must be paid for reviewing each athlete's application, 1,500 go to anti-doping tests, for which the athlete must be included in the international pool.’ https://www.sport-express.ru/artistic-gymnastics/news/rossiyskih-gimnastov-nachali-perevodit-v-mezhdunarodnyy-pul-testirovaniya-2293100/

Match TV reports on a conversation with the Russian head coach.  Seems a bit confused?  Google translate. ‘Some representatives of the Russian national team, primarily the athletes' personal coaches, have decided to refuse to apply for neutral status to participate in international competitions, Valentina Rodionenko, senior coach of the Russian national artistic gymnastics team, told Match TV. Russian gymnasts have the right to participate in competitions under the auspices of the FIG as neutrals from January 1, 2024. In early January, Vasily Titov, First Vice President of the Russian Gymnastics Federation (RGF), told Match TV that applications by Russian athletes to receive neutral status to participate in the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) tournaments were "in process". The information about the inclusion of athletes in the testing pool was commented on by Valentina Rodionenko, senior coach of the Russian national artistic gymnastics team. 💬 This is the firs...