Skip to main content

Afanasyeva!

By
Courtesy RGF


Wearing her Olympics leotard yesterday afternoon, Ksenia Afanasyeva faced off all doubts about her ability to manage pressure with a breathtaking performance on the floor.  Afanasyeva's artistry is now matched by her confidence and aggression in the all-important tumbling.  Her start value of 6.3 was the highest of the competition, her score of 15.166 superior to that earned in Tokyo two years ago when she took the world title on this apparatus. Short term, she has sacrificed some of the choreography from her Olympic floor routine to favour work on consistency, but a new routine is promised for this autumn's World Championships.

The pressure Afanasyeva faced came from many directions, most tangibly in the audience she faced who included many of the most influential people in sport in Russia.  Sports Minister Vitaly Mutko and senior representatives of sponsors VTB were there to check on and celebrate the results of their considerable investment.  History faced Afanasyeva in the form of Olympic champions Alexei Nemov and Larissa Latynina.  These were just four of the many dignitaries visible in the VIP tribune situated right in front of the floor area and who she faced as she took up her starting position

Afanasyeva asserted her right to a third major gold medal in her seven year long international career with a beautiful and feisty expression of her talent that has all but erased the bad memory of a flunked routine in London's team final last July.  At the end of her routine, the Russian who lays the greatest claim to Russia's classical tradition took a deep intake of breath before walking slowly away from the floor area, deep in thought, then running towards the tribune where family and friends congratulated here.  It was deeply moving to share her joy.




Labels:

Comments

  1. Unknown22 April 2013 at 07:30

    stunning!!! Great article!!! Afanasyeva is really a amazing gymnast!

    ReplyDelete
  2. cpt.Hook22 April 2013 at 12:52

    It was beautiful routine. Xenia (i like this transcription better) gave no chance to doubt who the champion is.
    Dear Queen Elizabeth, do you planning to write a travel notes about the trip to the championship? It would be interesting to read your impressions of Moscow, people and so on.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Queen Elizabeth22 April 2013 at 15:13

      Hi Cpt Hook, yes that is planned ... a few weeks' time. I loved Moscow!!

      Delete
  3. Unknown23 April 2013 at 03:34

    She's truly incredible on floor. She has a way of transcending so much power with her tumbling and yet it coombines well with her usual mature/classical dancing. Afansyeva for Gold FX 2016!

    ReplyDelete
  4. Lovenicky24 April 2013 at 03:57

    So beautiful yet so powerful! I was worried that she would want to retire after the London Olympics but yet she is still here at the highest level of gymnastics. I hope she continues to train and participate in her 3rd Olympics in 2016!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We are satisfied - Aliya Mustafina

By
Photo credit: RGF An Allsport interview today with Aliya Mustafina : http://www.allsportinfo.ru/index.php?id=83075 'I think that we are to be congratulated on this bronze medal, we are more satisfied than frustrated', said Aliya Mustafina. 'We were a new team, all the girls are young, and it's their first time in such a serious competition.  I think today we performed to the best of our ability.  Yes, we have had two falls today - on the uneven bars and balance beam.' 'The young girls failed  psychologically, but  the first time you compete on the senior podium - it's not very easy.  No  one is sad.  I  am very pleased with such a performance.  Everything  was fair enough, maybe not everywhere and in all things, but overall it was quite as expected, both our rivals, and the judging.' 'I began to experience more pain in the ankle - continued Aliya Mustafina. - To do the dismounts I had to muster all my strength and clench my teeth.  ...
21 comments
Read more

Elena Gerasimova retires, invited to coach junior national team

By
Valentina Rodionenko speaks to TASS.  Google translate - Tokyo Olympic participant Elena Gerasimova has decided to end her career in the Russian national artistic gymnastics team. This was reported to TASS by the senior coach of the national team Valentina Rodionenko. "Lena Gerasimova has decided to end her sports career, but she wants to continue competing in student competitions," Rodionenko said. "The athlete has been plagued by injuries in recent years, which made it very difficult for her to endure the training loads that the members of the national team experience. Gerasimova is a very honest and very responsible person. That's why she came and said that she wants to end her career and compete only in student competitions." "I know how responsible and hardworking this girl is, so we suggested that she think about becoming a coach of the youth team on one of the apparatuses in the future. We will count on her. And now she works as a coach at the Anton ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listunova interview

By
 Google translate from VK.com -  Match TV talked to Victoria Listunova about the Olympic summer without participating in the Games, recovery, and memories of Tokyo three years later. We are copying several fragments, and the full interview is available on the Match TV website ❓ Victoria, how are you feeling? How was your recovery from the injury? Was it an old problem or some kind of force majeure? 💬 The injury may have been cumulative, it was not immediately revealed, I am now trying to train in the same volume as before. I am restoring my program. It took a long time for rehabilitation. From April until mid-summer, I was completely without loads, so that the injury would heal and never bother me again. But it is not like I was resting all summer. I was constantly present at the training camps, went through all the recovery procedures. At first there was complete rest, then I trained as much as possible without pain. So there were trainings, but in a minimal mode. In the sum...
Post a Comment
Read more

RRG Archive - scroll by date, from 2024 to 2010

Show more