Skip to main content

Russian ace Denis Ablyazin ... can he rival Kenzo Shirai?

By
Denis Ablyazin with coach Valeri Starkin at Lake Krugloye this week.  Courtesy RIA Novosti
More information on the Russian men's programme has been released after this week's press day at the national training centre, and much of it centres on opinions of the amazing Japanese floor specialist Kenzo Shirai.

European Champion David Belyavski and Universiade Champion Nikolai Kuksenkov have now both commented favourably on the Japan athlete's prowess on floor, and his astounding difficulty.   'Shirai can perform on the floor mat, what others cannot even do on a trampoline', says Kuksenkov.  In competition so far this has included a quadruple twisting somersault and a mountain of other superior twisting skills in combination, although we must be careful to note the absence - to date - of any double somersaults in his work.

Kuksenkov was quick to point out the relative ease with which a specialist on one piece can rise to the top of the sport, emphasising his admiration for such competitors as Alexei Nemov and Vitaly Scherbo, who worked at the very highest level on all six apparatus.  'Very few are willing to go that way, because it is so hard', he added.  So can the Russian men rival Japanese all arounder Kohei Uchimura? Belyavski replied that he believed Uchimura to be working on new routines but that as Uchimura's current competitive form was an unknown quantity, the all around final was likely to be very unpredictable.  Both Russian all arounders were quick to emphasise their readiness for the competition in Antwerp, playing down recent injuries (Belyavski - ankle, Kuksenkov - finger). 

With the focus back on floor, though, the big question for all followers of Russian men's gymnastics is, can Olympian Denis Ablyazin rival Shirai on the world stage?  MAG head coach Valery Alfosov warns against underestimating the 21 year old.  Denis is currently practicing a floor routine with a 7.3 D value, only .1 behind Shirai and has enough difficulty up his sleeve to be able to attempt a 7.4 routine, says Alfosov.


Labels:

Comments

  1. Jay Jaxon21 September 2013 at 17:27

    Who is Koichi Uchimura? Any relation to Kohei Uchimura? Just kidding.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Queen Elizabeth21 September 2013 at 18:54

      :-) My brain hurts ... to much blogging. Thanks!!

      Delete
    2. Jay Jaxon22 September 2013 at 20:19

      No problem :-). Love your blogs so keep them coming.

      Delete
  2. Anonymous21 September 2013 at 20:52

    Videos have surface of Kenzo training a triple double and double double layout. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jj49EgkZw3s http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2IPlZpNTdVI

    ReplyDelete
  3. LoveRGMusic1 October 2013 at 02:55

    now im crying because he didnt make finals :(

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Svetlana Boginskaya: I was always a bitch* in gymnastics

By
Svetlana Boginskaya, 15 years old, with her medals from the Seoul Olympics Nico translates the latest interview with gymnastics legend Svetlana Boginskaya, during a recent visit to her home country of Belarus. Svetlana Boginskaya: I was always a bitch* in gymnastics, so now I ask for forgiveness from everyone who came in contact with me. The National Olympic Committee of Belarus held a press conference with three-time Olympic Champion in artistic gymnastics, Svetlana Boginskaya. The meeting was devoted to the 25th anniversary of the Olympic Games in Seoul. In South Korea the Belarussian won two gold medals in the team competition and vault. As a gift to the Olympic Hall of fame, the famous gymnast, now living in the United States, donated one of her trophies that she won at the 1990 European Championships and a pennant for Best Female Athlete of the USSR in 1989. How happy we were when we could share with such stars as Boginskaya, Scherbo, and Ivankov,...
14 comments
Read more

Mustafina Interview 2 of 2 : 'I will only perform under the Russian flag'

By
Argumentyi i Fakti interview with Aliya Mustafina Translated by Marina Vulis ‘I have no fear’, says Aliya Mustafina.   ‘My father [Farhat Mustafin, the bronze medallist in Greco-Roman wrestling at the 1976 Olympics] took me to my first gymnastics class.   In his opinion children need to do sports, and he saw gymnastics as useful for my general development.   He had no goals – just to let us practice.’ It did not end with ‘just practice’ – she became the World Champion at 16, but then had an ACL injury the next year (2011) at the Europeans.   Even just returning to gymnastics is a feat; then she came back to win four medals at the 2012 Olympics. Aliya Mustafina – That injury.   I do not know why I was ashamed – so many people were watching me and I could not even walk.   My parents!   They saw everything on TV (the coach had to carry her from the podium).   Of course I was aware that anything could happen in gymnastics, but I di...
4 comments
Read more

Marinov planning a partial comeback at the Russian champs

By
 🎤 "Plans for August: work, work, and work some more!" — Daniil Marinov on the training camp in Sirius, summer, and preparation for the Russian Championship ❓ How productive was your time at the training camp in Sirius? "Personally, I viewed this training camp not only as a recovery camp, but also as a preparatory one. My teammates had just recently returned from competitions, and yes, they needed a rest. But I, on the contrary, needed to start working hard, because there wasn't much time left before the Russian Championship. At the training camp in Sirius, I was able to work hard, and at the same time swim in the sea, change the scenery. I'm glad I went with the whole team!" ❓ Did you manage to regain your physical fitness after shoulder surgery? "More or less, yes. I remembered many elements from my routine. But I still continue to treat and pump up my shoulder, in parallel with getting into shape." ❓ Are you already working on all the apparatus...
Post a Comment
Read more

RRG Archive - scroll by date, from 2024 to 2010

Show more