Skip to main content

Russian gymnastics competitors at the Cottbus Turnier der Meister, 13th to 16th March 2014

Image
By
First year senior Maria Kharenkova is being considered for this year's European Championships


The provisional roster for March's Cottbus Turnier der Meister has now been published, including significant teams for both MAG and WAG from the Russian Federation.

For the women, it is an opportunity to give the developing gymnasts some competition practice before the big events of the year - Europeans, and World Championships.  Of particular interest is the inclusion of first year senior Maria Kharenkova, who is expected to fight for a place on the European Championships team.  Kharenkova has particular talents on beam and on floor and is considered by many to be an exciting prospect.  This year will prove whether she has the potential to become an 'A' lister for the Russian national team.

The Russians have slated teams 'in force' for this competition, including some of the top tried and tested gymnasts on the men's side.  As ever, it remains to be seen who will finally compete.  The names of the contingents from Romania, Germany and the USA have yet to be confirmed, but of further interest is the selection of former Russian national Yulia Inshina, now competing for Azerbaijan.

This competition takes place just prior to the Russian national championships, which are scheduled from the 31st March..  These early small competitions will provide part of the pathway for qualification for the first major competition of this year, the European Championships, which begin in early May.

The provisional listings of the Russian team are as follows:

WAG

Anna Rodionova
Daria Spiridinova
Maria Kharenkova
Polina Fyodorova

MAG

Alexander Balandin
Denis Ablyazin
Dmitri Stolyarov
Matvei Petrov
Nikita Ignatyev
Nikolai Kuksenkov
Labels:

Comments

  1. Mahesh19 February 2014 at 15:18

    Are all those girls seniors now? Is Bondareva still a Junior? Looking forward to see how they perform on floor with all the new rules. Is Shelgunova a contender for euros?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lauren C19 February 2014 at 19:55

      Bondareva will turn senior in 2015 (b. 1999). Shelgunova's chances for Euros, as ever, depend on the health and preparedness of pretty much everyone else. I can't see her making the team over any of the following: Mustafina, Komova, Afanasyeva, Grishina, Kharenkova, Paseka, Kuzmina, Kramarenko, Rodionova. I would probably even send Spiridonova before Shelgunova. But if the team is having serious health problems like last year, who knows?

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Who really won the WAG All Around?

By
You will find a link to the FIG's newly published book of results at the Olympic Games here .  This year, they have broken down the judge's execution scores so you can see exactly how each judge evaluated the gymnasts' performances.  It makes for interesting reading - if only I had more time to analyse each judge's marking.  A skim reading already highlights multiple inconsistencies in individual judges' marks and makes you wonder why they bother with the jury at all. I have taken the time to look at the reference judges' scores for the top four in the women's all around.  The FIG explains here what their role is, and how they are selected.  I even used my calculator, which is a risky thing in my hands.  My, how I wish we could have seen a similar document for the Tokyo World Championships. I wonder if anyone can explain how, if the FIG's Code of Points is so objective and fair, it is possible to come up with two different results using two differ...
70 comments
Read more

Aliya Mustafina - 'each medal is very special'

By
'I'm very happy that everything turned out well today  ... Each medal is very special.  The UK team made mistakes, so there was a wide margin [of victory]... But naturally, [what I did] is not enough for the Olympics.  I prepared well for beam and bars but I am not ready for floor, I stepped up to help the team. ... To be honest, I did not look at the scores [when asked how the team reacted to the 6.5 gap before the final apparatus].  Gelya (Melnikova) is a good girl, she did everything and did not falter ... Seda fell on quite a complex element.  There is more work to do, but everything else went well.' [About a protest taken by the coaches on her beam score]. 'I am used to my protests being rejected, everything is normal!' Via vk.com I n other news , the UEG has confirmed that Spiridonova will replace Melnikova in tomorrow's bars final. No reason is given, but it is generally considered that Dasha has a better chance of gold.  This decision also means tha...
63 comments
Read more

Why on earth do I keep this blog?

By
I had to ask myself this question, this morning, after receiving a pretty nasty comment on my post about yesterday's floor final.  I usually make it a rule not to publish rude, poorly argued, unpleasant or profane comments; I went against that principle.  I trust that whoever 'wrote' that comment is highly embarrassed.  I can't imagine that she or he would speak like that to anyone in person. It is an unfortunate fact of life that the wider internet - social media - encourages the covert, cowardly bullying that is often disguised as argument and opinion on the various gym forums.  Some of the people posting there just don't know how to regulate their behaviour, and moderation can only work retrospectively.  I wish people would think before they post ... would YOU like to read something so rude?  Disagreements are allowed, and you don't have to like someone's writing style, but good manners cost nothing and are at the heart of a civilised society. ...
30 comments
Read more

RRG Archive - scroll by date, from 2024 to 2010

Show more