Andrei Rodionenko's 8th July announcement shows the rapidly changing fortunes of the Russian women's team, who left the 2008 Beijing Olympics empty handed. Only floor specialist Ksenia Afanasyeva, who turns 21 this September, has survived the last four years at the highest level. Of the remaining gymnasts one - Aliya Mustafina - made her senior debut in 2010, while Viktoria Komova debuted at last autumn's World Championships. Newcomers Anastasia Grishina and Maria Paseka have no previous experience of major world level competition. Yet all five gymnasts promise something unique and exciting. This is a risky team, but the Russians will not win in London by playing safe.
Score predictions show the Americans as the overwhelming favourites for the team title in London. But these calculations are based on home judging and in London marks will be awarded on level terms for all the teams. Predictions can also never take into account the effects - positive and negative - of adrenalin. Russia has a good chance of competing for gold if they can only capitalise fully on their rare combination of grace and power by avoiding major mistakes. Romania look the likely compromise winners if Russia and America show any degree of human frailty on the day of the team final. One thing is certain - whoever wins will need the strongest nerves.
Ksenia Dimitriyevna Afanasyeva
13th September 1991
Khimki, Tula
N S Nabakova, M V Nazarova, S O Gaidorov
World Floor Champion Afanasyeva goes to London as a leader of the Russian team, her maturity, concentration and determination marking her out as ideal for this role.
Afanasyeva missed European Championships with an ankle injury, but managed to place fourth all around at the Russian Cup and is still amongst the team's strongest performers on beam and floor. Her fearsome athleticism and artistry remains untainted and she is expected to contribute strongly in London.
Afanasyeva remains the Russians' fourth all arounder in this team configuration - but may be replaced by Paseka on vault if the latter is regularly landing her difficult Amanar vault.
Anastasia Nikolayevna Grishina
16th January 1996
Moscow
O E Sikorro, S B Zelikson, R M Ganina
Grishina is the youngest, least experienced member of this team - but her competitive edge has been tempered by appearances at the Olympic Test Event and European Championships. A minor leg injury kept her out of the Russian Cup competition, but her selection for the Olympics seems unequivocal.
Strong, solid and graceful, Grishina has that special edge that enables her to improve at every new performance. Her bars talent is well known, but watch out for her as a dark horse in London, particularly in the all around and on the beam.
Viktoria Alexandrovna Komova
30th January 1995
Voronezh
G B Elfimov, O M Bulgakova, V V Kolesnikova, N Y Fedina
17 year old Komova - daughter of 1985 World Championships gymnast Vera Kolesnikova - has yet to show her full potential at senior level. The fact that she is 2011 World Vice Champion all around, and 2011 World Bars Champion. speaks volumes for that potential.
Komova's strengths are her power and grace - the one quality belying the other as she makes her ultra difficult routines look easy. She also really, really hates finishing in second place.
Aliya Fargatovna Mustafina
30th September 1994
Moscow
Brigada, A S Alexandrov, R M Ganina
Since tearing her ACL at the 2011 European Championships, Mustafina has been promising a legendary comeback at the London Olympics. The first daughter of a 1976 Olympic medal winning Greco-Roman wrestler has inherited some of her father' grit and spirit - and then added some more of her own.
A concentration on bars training during the early months of her rehabilitation means that 2010 World Champion Mustafina has recreated herself as a world-leading bars specialist - and now returns as a super-motivated all arounder. Mustafina's post-recovery routines may not so far show the polish or difficulty of her pre-injury gymnastics - but her ambition has only grown. Somehow, somewhere, Tsarina Aliya will find a way to deliver something very special at the Games.
Maria Valeriyevna Paseka
born 19th July 1995
Moscow
M G Ulyankina, V N Ulyankin, I A Savosina
Paseka made her senior international debut at this spring's European Championships, where she contributed on vault to the team's silver medal behind the resurgent Romanians. Her even temperament could make her a useful addition to an otherwise potentially fiery mix of personalities in the likely cauldron of emotions in the North Greenwich Arena.
Paseka's start value on vault, where she competes the rare Amanar, makes her extremely valuable in the team final, and she may perform as fourth gymnast on uneven bars during qualifications.
Pictures of Afanasyeva, Grishina, Mustafina and Komova were drawn from an online picture gallery of the July 6th and 7th control competition at Penza, courtesy of the Burtasy School of Gymnastics.
The picture of Maria Paseka is courtesy of the Russian Gymnastics Federation.
Score predictions show the Americans as the overwhelming favourites for the team title in London. But these calculations are based on home judging and in London marks will be awarded on level terms for all the teams. Predictions can also never take into account the effects - positive and negative - of adrenalin. Russia has a good chance of competing for gold if they can only capitalise fully on their rare combination of grace and power by avoiding major mistakes. Romania look the likely compromise winners if Russia and America show any degree of human frailty on the day of the team final. One thing is certain - whoever wins will need the strongest nerves.
Ksenia Dimitriyevna Afanasyeva
13th September 1991
Khimki, Tula
N S Nabakova, M V Nazarova, S O Gaidorov
World Floor Champion Afanasyeva goes to London as a leader of the Russian team, her maturity, concentration and determination marking her out as ideal for this role.
Afanasyeva missed European Championships with an ankle injury, but managed to place fourth all around at the Russian Cup and is still amongst the team's strongest performers on beam and floor. Her fearsome athleticism and artistry remains untainted and she is expected to contribute strongly in London.
Afanasyeva remains the Russians' fourth all arounder in this team configuration - but may be replaced by Paseka on vault if the latter is regularly landing her difficult Amanar vault.
Anastasia Nikolayevna Grishina
16th January 1996
Moscow
O E Sikorro, S B Zelikson, R M Ganina
Grishina is the youngest, least experienced member of this team - but her competitive edge has been tempered by appearances at the Olympic Test Event and European Championships. A minor leg injury kept her out of the Russian Cup competition, but her selection for the Olympics seems unequivocal.
Strong, solid and graceful, Grishina has that special edge that enables her to improve at every new performance. Her bars talent is well known, but watch out for her as a dark horse in London, particularly in the all around and on the beam.
Viktoria Alexandrovna Komova
30th January 1995
Voronezh
G B Elfimov, O M Bulgakova, V V Kolesnikova, N Y Fedina
17 year old Komova - daughter of 1985 World Championships gymnast Vera Kolesnikova - has yet to show her full potential at senior level. The fact that she is 2011 World Vice Champion all around, and 2011 World Bars Champion. speaks volumes for that potential.
Komova's strengths are her power and grace - the one quality belying the other as she makes her ultra difficult routines look easy. She also really, really hates finishing in second place.
30th September 1994
Moscow
Brigada, A S Alexandrov, R M Ganina
Since tearing her ACL at the 2011 European Championships, Mustafina has been promising a legendary comeback at the London Olympics. The first daughter of a 1976 Olympic medal winning Greco-Roman wrestler has inherited some of her father' grit and spirit - and then added some more of her own.
A concentration on bars training during the early months of her rehabilitation means that 2010 World Champion Mustafina has recreated herself as a world-leading bars specialist - and now returns as a super-motivated all arounder. Mustafina's post-recovery routines may not so far show the polish or difficulty of her pre-injury gymnastics - but her ambition has only grown. Somehow, somewhere, Tsarina Aliya will find a way to deliver something very special at the Games.
Maria Valeriyevna Paseka
born 19th July 1995
Moscow
M G Ulyankina, V N Ulyankin, I A Savosina
Paseka made her senior international debut at this spring's European Championships, where she contributed on vault to the team's silver medal behind the resurgent Romanians. Her even temperament could make her a useful addition to an otherwise potentially fiery mix of personalities in the likely cauldron of emotions in the North Greenwich Arena.
Paseka's start value on vault, where she competes the rare Amanar, makes her extremely valuable in the team final, and she may perform as fourth gymnast on uneven bars during qualifications.
Pictures of Afanasyeva, Grishina, Mustafina and Komova were drawn from an online picture gallery of the July 6th and 7th control competition at Penza, courtesy of the Burtasy School of Gymnastics.
The picture of Maria Paseka is courtesy of the Russian Gymnastics Federation.
Rodionenko made the announcement on July 8th.
ReplyDeleteThanks for the info on the girls. Didn't realize they had so many other coaches as well.
I hope they will be able to hold their nerves and perform to the best of their abilities.
I agree, Romania, US and also China are their biggest rivals.
Btw - Was Mustafina born on Sept 30 or Oct 30th? so many places say September.
ReplyDeleteBingo! Two date errors in one post ... thank you for bringing these to my attention, M, have made the corrections.
ReplyDeleteI'm not sure where the Mustafina birth date error emanates from - I copied it from a post I made earlier this year but I do not want to point fingers at the source :-)
lol you're welcome.
ReplyDelete