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Viktoria Komova to miss European Championships, confirms Andrei Rodienenko

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Sports Express today carries a brief interview with Andrei Rodienenko in which the Russian Head Coach confirms that Viktoria Komova will not compete at April's European Championships.  Rodienenko emphasises the need to protect Viktoria's health in the long term at what is a difficult life stage for a gymnast.  It is no great drama; 'we have the Olympics', he concludes.

A link to the English language Google translate is here.

Edited 10.10. 

Further news is also available via Valentina Rodienenko at the IG website. The Russian team for Europeans is confirmed here as Mustafina, Nabieva, Dementieva and Belokobylskaya.  Men will be Golotsutskov,  Devyatovsky, Ignatyev, Balandin, Garibov and Ablyazin.  Although of course we await official confirmation of this in the nominative registrations due later this month.

Rodienenko makes brief reference to the America Cup where Mustafina lost to Jordyn Wieber.  'America is America', she says.  'We expected that they would spare no effort to win'.
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  1. Anonymous14 March 2011 at 22:48

    Valentina Rodionenko said (IG) "The question is whether to treat it conservatively or to operate. We are inclined to the first option. If she has surgery, then she'll be out for two months."
    :S Really? Are they considering surgery 3 months later? Give me a break!
    And I don't know if she was forced to compete in Russian Championships, because it was so obvious, she was still in pain. :(

    I seriously hope this rest helps her ankle to heal.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Queen Elizabeth15 March 2011 at 08:26

    Hey ho. Injuries happen in gymnastics all the time, and one of the tests of Vika's potential will be her ability, physical and psychological, to overcome this one. You have to feel every sympathy with her but I guess it's more likely than not that she'll be better by this time next year, which is the main thing.

    That may sound hard, but it is the reality at elite level whether you are shooting for a gold medal, or just want to make your national team.

    The Rodienenkos have both said that Vika has been in pain, but could you explain why you are saying it 'was so obvious she was still in pain'? Perhaps there is a video I haven't seen!

    ReplyDelete

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