Skip to main content

Russia's great and good comment on WAG qualifications

After yesterday's qualification hiccups, Russia's great and good have been putting in their oars and saying what they think.  Read Valentina Rodionenko's comments on The Couch Gymnast.  There is also a press statement by Leonid Arkayev, long time head coach of the Soviet Union and Russia, which I will reproduce word for word below :

Leonid Arkayev, merited coach of Russia:

The Romanians were strong, both of them.  They did make some mistake, Iordache on uneven bars, for example, however, overall they left quite a pleasant impression.  Frankly, I hoped that one of the members of the Russian trio would be able to 'upset' them, by either beating them or finishing between them, but it was not to be.  Grishina's mistakes in subdivision 1 on beam and bars were followed by Afanasyeva's mistake on bars, and then by Afanasyeva and Mustafina's ones on beam (this apparatus was a cursed one for our girls that day), and the Russians finished third, fourth and fifth in all-around qualification.  It is not a big deal for the all around, because Grishina and Mustafina will start anew tomorrow, but we lost a place in the Final on one of the apparatuses, but we will catch up in the remaining three.  As for gymnasts from other countries, I would like to compliment the Ukrainians, but not all of them.  The Spanish are slowly advancing, as do gymnasts from Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, but overall the level of rivalry in women's gymnastics is not as strong as in men event. 

Comments

  1. "I would like to compliment the Ukrainians, but not all of them." Hilarious!!!!

    Other than that little gem, fairly accurate and levelheaded. Unlike Rodionenko. I'd love to see Grishina as beam champion just so Rodionenko has to eat her words. Also, Nastia is lovely on beam.

    ReplyDelete
  2. VR is insane...or just hilarious!!!!

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

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...

Aliya Mustafina - 'I'm just trying to stay healthy'

A brief interview with the World and Olympic Champion from All Sport is summarised below. Russian national gymnastics continues to prepare for the World Championships, which will be held October 3-12 in Nanning (China). Olympic champion Aliya Mustafina told Mary Staroverova about her health and about preparations for the competition. - In June, I went to Germany to solve the problem with my ankle.  I had a small operation to clean the joints of a build-up of bone particles.  Nothing serious was evident, and the operation went well.  Now I have to tumble.  But there is still some discomfort, a slight pain at full load, and I can not tumble at full force.  For the time being, I try to go easy on my legs.  After the Russia Cup I will have to fully prepare for Worlds. That is just one month.   Even if I'm not tumbling, I will keep myself in good shape, and that should suffice (smiles). - I can't say if it is a different pain to before Europeans, because at...

'Mustafina is no longer in pain' - Valentina Rodionenko

Picture of Aliya Mustafina, courtesy of RGF Valentina Rodionenko has provided some updates on the Russian teams and how their preparation for Worlds (Nanning, China, 3 to 12 October) is progressing, via Allsports (http://www.allsportinfo.ru/index.php?id=84328) - The teams are now at camp in Italy, in two small towns close to Milan, by the sea, where the girls travelled on 29th June and the men on 1 July.  The athletes aren't only training, they can also relax. - Komova is working out at Round Lake, she didn't go to Italy.  We will see how she does at the Russia Cup, which will be held late August in Penza. Tatiana Nabiyeva is looking good in training and the other girls are also working.  Ksenia Afanasyeva won't have time to prepare for Worlds, and Anastasia Grishina's participation is also in doubt, we just don't know if she will qualify for the team.   We have hopes for Aliya Mustafina.  As always, she is our number one.  It would be great if there were t...

RRG Archive - scroll by date, from 2024 to 2010

Show more