Skip to main content

Viktoria Komova to miss European Championships, confirms Andrei Rodienenko

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'.

Comments

  1. 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. 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

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Dmitri Andreev - we are building towards long term goals

  Dmitri Andreev, Russia’s gymnastics leader now that Andrei Rodionenko has stepped into an advisory capacity, is a long standing national coach and well respected international judge.  Now, as gymnastics in Russia steps forward onto the international arena once more, (via its neutral athletes, coaches and officials), it’s up to Andreev and his team to support and structure the growth and development of gymnastics.   Russia’s first big goal as neutral athletes is to qualify for the Olympics at the October World Championships.  Many of the gymnasts have limited experience on the big stage.  The necessary placements are therefore a big ask - especially emotionally and psychologically.   Here is how Andreev sees things working. 1. Transition Phase: Building Toward Major Goals The Russian team is in a deliberate rebuilding and preparation phase. Early-season competitions like the Russian Cup serve more as evaluation tools than peak performances. The primary o...

Nelli Kim - 'Russian gymnastics has closed in on itself' - Lupita translates

Lupita has translated this ITAR-TASS interview with Nelli Kim.  It's controversial, to say the least. Ed's note : much of the initial response to this interview - both here and in the wider gymternet -  has focussed on the detail of Kim's words and especially her comments about Viktoria Komova, and smiling.  But I think these have to be taken in context, and not too literally. Don't forget that just a day ago Andrei Rodionenko complained bitterly about the judging in Antwerp, calling Kim's behaviour 'aggressive'. Kim is responding to this here, and to the wider current context of Russian gymnastics.  What she is essentially saying to the Russian coach is 'get your own house in order, produce confident, disciplined, well trained gymnasts - stop complaining, do your job, and I will do mine.'   She goes about saying this in a somewhat long winded way and says some things along the way that seem contradictory, unfair, inappropriate even for th...

Andrei Rodionenko explains Russia's performance at Worlds - Lupitatranslates

Rodionenko with European Champion David Belyavski  Courtesy RGF/Elena Mikhailova This is the interview that many people on the internet have already commented on, regarding Andrei Rodionenko's alleged racism.  The original, Russian language version, appears on VTB Bank's website (VTB are sponsors of Russian gymnastics).  It takes cleverer people than me to decide what is racism, what is deliberately perjorative, and what is inferred in an interviewer's question.  For now, I will not comment on this, therefore, but I would ask you to read Lupita's translation carefully before you form your own opinion.   I am providing some links below which might help you to decide where you stand. Definition of racism Definition of sexism BBC Sport article by Matthew Syed : Is it wrong to note that 100m winners are always black?            Updated 24/10 CSKA Moscow: UEFA opens racist chants case         ...

RRG Archive - scroll by date, from 2024 to 2010

Show more