Skip to main content

Anna Dementyeva - a hidden diamond

Image
By
 Picture of Anna, by permission of the Russian Gymnastics Federation.

Anna Dementyeva is a name that many overlook when considering possibilities for next year's Russian Olympics team.  This quiet, but feisty, gymnast is recognised by national team coach Alexander Alexandrov as the hardest worker on the Russian team.  Fans appreciate Anna for her balletic power and precision.  Dementyeva was an indispensable part of last year's Russian team gold medal at the Rotterdam World Championships.  She anchored the team with a confident performance on beam, and set the scene on floor with a routine that was unrivalled for its expression, line and amplitude.  Despite a below par competition at the Tokyo World Championships this autumn, Anna is also amongst the most decorated gymnasts on the Russian team, as reigning Russian, Russia Cup and European all around champion. 

Anna, born on the 28th December 1994, trains with her coach Elena Zhiganova in her hometown of Samara.  She recorded this Champion's Monologue for Sportbox in July.  Lupita's translation of Dementyeva's words provide a moving insight into this artistic gymnast's mentality. 


 A champion’s monologue

I was 4 years old when my mum took me to gymnastics. I enjoyed what the girls were doing. I turned to my mum and told her that I was going to become a gymnast. 


My first important competition was in 2008. I went to European championships. When I became team champion, I was 12-13 years old. It’s impossible for me to say what my favourite event is. I can say that beam is a difficult event. It’s 10 cm wide. It’s a difficult one. It’s worth it to fight to overcome fear little by little. 


When you come up on the podium, you’ve the feeling that everyone is watching only you. You may fall and fail, not perform well. But this instant is over.


You have support from your friends, your personal coach, the head coach, your family. All this helps to fight to overcome your nerves and your fear. I think you can overcome fear.


My hope is to make the Olympics in London and to win a medal in the team competition, even the gold medal. 

Many thanks to Lupita for all her hard work.






Video courtesy of Yoliss94 at Youtube.
Labels:

Comments

  1. Anonymous13 November 2011 at 22:14

    thanks so much for posting translations of the Russian features/articles!!

    Thank you Lupita for your translations

    Much appreciated!!

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous14 November 2011 at 01:40

    WOW. Thanks, had been hoping for this. Anna sounds so modest and sweet here. Many thanks to Lupita and Rewriting Russian Gymnastics.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous14 November 2011 at 04:29

    Thanks for this. Always nice to hear such insights from a gymnast that I really like. Thanks

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

UPDATE 23/9 - Russian WAG team for Nanning confirmed

By
Daria Spiridonova will compete at her first World Championships this autumn.  Picture : RGF Natalia Kalugina has confirmed the Russian team for Nanning : Aliya Mustafina, Maria Kharenkova, Tatiana Nabieva,Ekaterina Kramarenko, Alla Sosnitskaya, Daria Spiridonova.  Reserve : Polina Fyodorova Here is a paraphrased translation of a comment by Natalia Kalugina on her Facebook page : 'Aliya has confidence in competition and she is, kind of, a coach to this team.  In Europe she succeeded in this role and she has told the coaches that she even liked it. The main fighting force will be Kharenkova, Sosnitskaya and Spiridonova.  Accordingly, the strongest apparatus will be beam (Marina Bulashenko With God!).  The Chinese women, of course, have been known to win that apparatus, but if one falls, they all fall.   Alla Sosnitskaya could compete in the vault final, and - in theory - on the floor. On bars, of course, Russia will probably lose to the Chinese women, but the...
57 comments
Read more

Komova should have won!

By
It was a very tight battle in the North Greenwich arena today, with American Gabby Douglas beating out Viktoria Komova by a mere 0.259 points (see results below) and the legendary Aliya Mustafina sealing her comeback from that career-threatening injury with a well deserved bronze medal. Yes, she suffered a fall from beam after her Arabian somersault but elsewhere she was at her best, a real endorsement of the work of the Russian coaches in nursing her back to almost-top form since that fateful day in 2011. Komova had a faultless competition apart from a step on landing her Amanar vault. Frankly, she must feel utterly shattered after coming second once again by a very small margin to an American who was treated very generously by the judges. Komova soared and took every beam move to the max, rounding off with her rare double Arabian dismount in fine style; Douglas literally sidled along the beam, seeming frightened to take her feet off the apparatus for all but her somersaults. Kom...
45 comments
Read more

Judging Komova and Douglas - like comparing the Mariinsky Theatre ... and a Disco

By
  Lupita translates an article about the women's all around from today's Sovietski Sport. OLYMPICS OR LAS VEGAS CASINO? Aliya and Vika waited for Viktoria’s score for her floor, which closed the AA competition. Gabriella Douglas was completely alone, biting her lips. Douglas was not sure of anything, except that Aliya Mustafina, who stayed in gymnastics like a heroine, had won bronze and Komova…  In this instant it was decided to be, or not to be.  To be Olympic Champion, or not to be Olympic Champion. It’s over.  Vika drops her head on Aliya’s shoulder.  The judges have decided: Douglas! I choose the sentence "Douglas has been named Olympic AA champion".  I can explain when this happened.  It was not when Komova didn’t land her Amanar vault well. Her mistake on vault was not fatal.  It was still possible to make it up. They just didn’t allow her to do so. Douglas performed with pleasure and with luck.  She was overscored f...
35 comments
Read more

RRG Archive - scroll by date, from 2024 to 2010

Show more