Skip to main content

'Mustafina will fight for gold, Nabiyeva is very beautiful' - Valentina Rodionenko

By
Tatiana Nabiyeva at the recent Universiade, where she won a gold medal with her team
Lupita has been translating for us, the words of Valentina Rodionenko on the forthcoming worlds.

Aliya will fight for the AA gold. I think that her rival is Larisa Iordache from Romania, who has a very strong beam. Her technique is very original. On floor Aliya and Larissa are at the same level. Aliya is better on vault and, of course, bars. Her routine is more difficult than the one she performed at the London Olympics. For instance, she does the Shaposhnikova with a 360º twist. Very few gymnasts have performed this element we will see in Antwerp. So lets’ hope…

On Nabiyeva, Valentina has also said : 'she has become thinner now, she is a 'krasavitsa' right now (beautiful woman).


Labels:

Comments

  1. Susana20 September 2013 at 12:39

    Even when she tries to compliment her gymnasts she sounds awful.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Unknown20 September 2013 at 13:31

      Really, Rodionenko? Mustafina is a very talented fighter who will challenge for the gold and Nabiyeva is "very thin"? Someone please fire this idiot.

      Delete
    2. Queen Elizabeth21 September 2013 at 14:15

      Please note the altered totranslation above .. apparently she said that Tanya had 'become thinner', not that she was 'very thin' ... a small difference and the same meaning but altered out of fairness to Valentina.

      Delete
  2. Unknown20 September 2013 at 14:56

    Love how she completely ignores Biles and Yao who will most likely beat Mustafina if that's the case.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous21 September 2013 at 16:30

    Uh no, Valentina. Aliya's greatest rival is definitely Biles! I don't think Iordache will be able to challenge solely due to her bars weakness. Biles, on the other hand, has a strong and consistent Amanar, and if she can manage to be consistent on her other events (like she was at National Championships) she would have a great shot at AA gold. That said, I'm still rooting for Aliya! However, I hope she only debuts the TTY if she really is ready for it because I don't want to see another ACL tear.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Nelli Kim - 'Russian gymnastics has closed in on itself' - Lupita translates

By
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...
30 comments
Read more

'Mustafina is no longer in pain' - Valentina Rodionenko

By
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...
30 comments
Read more

The sad demise of artistic gymnastics

By
This picture, of 1985 Soviet World Championships team member Irina Baraksanova, is a symbol of what is now lost to gymnastics as a whole, and Russia in particular.  Black and white, the picture was taken at another time when imagery came at a premium, technology was simple and memory and emotion played an important part in documenting sports history.  A similar picture taken today might be more colourful and have a sharper focus, but lack the nostalgic significance, the scope to challenge the imagination.  For all its lack of precision and technical sophistication, this box brownie snap captures the feeling of a unique moment.  Baraksanova, in common with many of her team mates, used floor exercise to tell an enigmatic and gentle story built on line, air and just a little bit of acrobatic magic.  The position of the head, the asymmetry of the position, the downcast eyes, all speak to me.  She combined grace and power, innovation and tradition to make the ...
32 comments
Read more

RRG Archive - scroll by date, from 2024 to 2010

Show more