Watching videos of this weekend's competitions - the qualification and all around rounds of the Russian championships, medal winners from the American Cup - I am struck, more and more, by the huge difference between the American and Russian schools of gymnastics. It led me to ask the question : do artistry and acrobatics have to be mutually exclusive? (I am afraid that I think naming 'American' gymnastics a 'school' is perhaps lending an undeserved dignity to work which has become excessively obsessed with the difficult and the consistent, but I am using the word here so as not to label unfairly those individual gymnasts who are blameless in the direction of their training.) The FIG's vision for gymnastics is said to embrace more artistry; at least the publicity it has put about on the subject of its new Code makes that fairly plain. So perhaps the Russians, with their inconsistent brilliance and superior body carriage (Mustafina, Komova, Grishina, Afanasy...
Reporting and analysing Russian gymnastics since 2010. Includes original and exclusive interviews with leading coaches and gymnasts, and historical issues dating back to the Soviet Union. The first blog to report extensively on the sport using Russian language sources. I read, I argue, and I have opinions. Be warned.
Nice little interview. I always liked her.
ReplyDeleteHere is an interesting interview with Aliya and it seems her dad as well. If Lupita ever gets a chance to translate it that would be great :), even if it's only Musty's parts. From what I understand from google translate she had back pain from middle of february and all of March. Also seems she was to only do vault and UB. However, I am not sure.
ReplyDeleteHere is the link http://summer.sport-express.ru/gymnastics/reviews/24055/
Sad story to her as both her parents are dead and she is an only child but she has turned out really well, she's soo pretty. What an enjoyable gymnast she was to watch
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