Skip to main content

Skrypnik, Melnikova take gold in Junior European Event Finals


Bars gold medallist Daria Skrypnik in Tuesday's qualification competition

Russia continued their dominance of Europe's junior championships today by making a 1, 2 on uneven bars (Skrypnik, Melnikova) and a first place on beam (Melnikova).  Britain took the remaining two medals in the power pieces of vault and floor. 

Tiny Seda Tutkhalyan (1999 born) gave her all here but was unlucky enough to have errors and miss out on medals.  Her full twisting back somersault on beam is excellent and throughout the competition she showed real spirit, good technique and good difficulty.  Hopefully she will get a chance to show her real mettle at the Youth Olympics later this year.  Anastasia Dmitrieva performed nicely enough on floor, but just didn't have the big skills necessary to medal at this level under this Code.

Melnikova and Skrypnik, both 2000 born, will just be old enough to be eligible for Rio assuming they transition to senior level safely and well.  Melnikova, who has a look of Zamolodchikova about her, trains in the same Voronezh gym as Viktoria Komova and Yulia Inshina.  She will therefore be well known to head junior coach Olga Bulgakova, who worked in Voronezh before coming to Round Lake.  Apparently a willowy type, Melnikova's body is deceptively strong and powerful, and she seems to have a tiger's eye during competition.  Hopefully that will continue.  Skrypnik, who looks about 6 feet tall but in fact is miniature compared to the British girls, is a magnificent bars worker of great skill and talent.  She comes from Krasnodar.

Vault result http://www.longinestiming.com/File/Download?id=00000D0000010002FFFFFFFFFFFFFF10

Bars result. http://www.longinestiming.com/File/Download?id=00000D0000010002FFFFFFFFFFFFFF20

Beam result. http://www.longinestiming.com/File/Download?id=00000D0000010002FFFFFFFFFFFFFF30

Floor result. http://www.longinestiming.com/File/Download?id=00000D0000010002FFFFFFFFFFFFFF40

There have been two interviews with Valentina Rodionenko about the Russian teams and I am so unhappy with their content I want to remind people what Alexandrov said about her :

' ... Any coach who does not repeat what she says and kiss her behind becomes an enemy.  Valentina is used to being the boss, and likes flattery very much. She completely destroys her enemies.'

Valentina says that 14 year old Tutkhalyan is a disappointment, calls out Rodionova and Spiridonova for their mistakes, acknowledges that the British did well but criticises them for their lack of aesthetic on grounds of their size.  She criticises the judging and fails to praise Mustafina to the skies for her determined and dedicated contribution to world gymnastics.

There are reasons behind what Valentina says about the judging and the aesthetic of the sport and they could be argued, but the manner in which they are said makes them indefensible and, therefore, counter productive.  I would never describe a gymnast as a 'disappointment' when what they do every day is so difficult and I just hope that this experience helps all the girls to develop an extremely thick skin.  

Perhaps the words come across in Russian more softly than they do in this admittedly short summary, that leaves out some of the more positive things she said - about Britain's improvement, for example.

'Valentina has not actually coached a day in her life'.

Mustafina is a better spokesperson for the Russian team and I hope she will be head coach one day.  Coaching is in her blood, it shows.





Comments

  1. I am really disppointed about what Valentina has said about her team and other teams. The Britains, though lack the grace and perhaps artistry, have the guts and creativity to find ways to make themselves suit the CoP. Their spirit is very good, and though I personally may not totally agree to their styles, I respect and admire them 100% for the effort to excel and how humble and happy they are.
    And don't blame on others for things you cannot succeed. Surely there must be a reason. Instead of blaming and moaning, why not use that effort to think how to become even better? I am sure there is always room for improvement.
    As for the Russians, its Seda's first meet, and she has huge difficulty. Of course the risk is much higher. As a first time European competitor, she has done pretty well. For the senior team, yes its disappointing that there are mistakes, but what's the root of them? Ask herself, is her plan really good, did she give those young seniors enough chances to compete, is she as good and encouraging as Alexandrov.
    Aliya is practically the head coach. She has filled up what Valentina fails to do. I hope Valentina will realise some day that she could have done better for the team. I believe this day is near, and I hope she can fix it before Rio.
    I pity the Russian team. They could have done much better without Valentina. But well, sport is not just sport. It is always filled with conspiracy, jealousy, evilness..... Whatever they do, the ones who are affected are the athletes.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Lack of artistry???? Have you seen the British floor and bars lately? They are fantastic! Unique, every one.

      Delete
    2. I agree. An opinion I have noticed often is that anything by a Russian is just assumed to be artistic. I find a scrappy but original, energetic and engaged performance by Harrold, Tinkler or Fragapane to be much more artistic than that by a Russian who waves her arms and points her toes beautifully but looks bored out of her mind. Of course there are fantastically artistic Russians and spectacularly unartistic Brits, but I find the idea that 'Brits lack artistry' is simply untenable nowadays.

      Please note that this comment was not meant as an attack on the original commenter (Anon 18 May 11:33). They make a balanced and fair statement, it just prompted we to make my comment.

      Delete
  2. In your honest opinion do you think they'll send her to YOG now? I say Bondareva has been given a blessing.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hahaha well said! According to Valentina's history I think Seda will become another victim....

      Delete
    2. I'm sorry to say this, but Seda f***d up 3 routines out of 4 in the AA and also all the event finals.. If that isn't a disappointment, then what it is? I agree that Valentina can be harsh, and she doesn't like Seda way before this disaster because of her armenian appearance. But I think we can all agree that Seda underperformed big time and it's completely understandable if they decide not to send her to YOG. But I hope they do. Bondareva is too weak and Dmitrieva is going dooown lately. It's a shame Melnikova can't go. She is the best.

      Delete
    3. BAD STATEMENT: You're a disappointment
      WHY? because it goes beyond the individual's unsatisfying actions and implies that this person's very existence is inadequate.

      GOOD STATEMENT: We were disappointed with Seda's performances/ We are disappointed Seda didn't manage to keep up her qualifying scores/ Seda had a disappointing competition but she has time to improve for the next one
      WHY: because it speaks specifically to what you're let down about and nothing more.

      Delete
  3. For once they have a powerful gymnast, she makes mistakes!!!

    ReplyDelete
  4. I didn´t like the bronze medal of course , but considering the inexperience of this team, any medal is a victory . But what left me happiest is that the final result was fair . The Romanian were clean , the routines were a combination of great difficulty and they were rock solid . The British were rock solid and routines with difficulty . The Russian team made ​​avoidable mistakes . Considering the inexperience of the young gymnasts , errors were not a surprise . Of course nobody wants to errors in the final of a championship , but it happens . However , I want to highlight that I had never seen the Russian team with so much talent potential : Sosnitskaya , Kharenkova , Spiridinova , Melnikova , Seda, and Skypnik ... How Alexandrov says they need a lot of work yet to become champions. But all of them have an incredible potential . I think the VK Bank is beginning to reap the fruits of their investments , and Russia 's Yeltsin was leaving behind. I do not know what Valentina expects with these destructive and envious statements . Alyia gave their health to save this team . Excuse me, but I still think the Rodienkos should take pleasure in sinking the Russian team and the confidence of their gymnasts .

    ReplyDelete
  5. Of course she throws them under the bus, no surprise. For some, it is their first big meet, they did really well to get on the podium, yes there were mistakes but sorry even the veterans were prone to mistakes esp in the finals or did she forget about 2010 World Championship, which they won but there were falls same with 2011 Championship etc, where others fell as well.

    This experience will help these young gymnasts and they don't need their head coach throwing them under the bus.No need to be so harsh with them esp Seda who is young, they are doing well. It is a new cycle she can't expect them to just win gold. She should support the gymnasts.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. By the way, what was the positive she did say?

      Delete
  6. Valentina is that stupid to realise that if it hadn't been for Aliya, they wouldn't have been on the podium at all? Aliya encouraged the girls and was besides them all the time.

    Maybe it's too soon for me to say, but the main coach ( I know his name, but don't know how to spell it) isn't doing a good job. He is an excellent UB coach, but per all, I haven't seen major changes in the girls' other routines. The vaults are meh. The balance beam is ok, but only Aliya and Maria are doing great, and only when they hit. The floor is too weak.

    These new juniors are good, but so were Kuzmina, Baturina and other gymnasts. But only Maria is left of that junior team from 2012. I don't have high hopes tbh.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. The 2012 team wasn't that great. Only one of those girls had DTYs - this team has three. (Skrypnik has foot issues right now and didn't vault.) Kharenkova was the only one able to break 56 in 2012. Tutkhalyan got above 56 with a fall, and Melnikova got 57. I'm sure Skrypnik will be up there soon, too.

      I can see not having high hopes for Bondareva and Dmitrieva, but the other three are miles ahead of the entire 2012 team.

      Delete
    2. I believe in a team with Skrypnik, Melnikova, Seda, Kharenkova, Sipiridinova, Sosnitskaya, but they will need Alyia Mustafina for a long time. Valentina must kiss Alyia´s feet.

      Delete
  7. Congratulation to the russian junior team they have got four of the six gold medals available in Sofia ... well done.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Vladimir Zaglada - coach, author, friend, father

It is with great sadness that I report here the sudden and completely unexpected death, on 5th October, of our friend Vladimir Zaglada.  I send my love and condolences to his daughter, Olesya.  My thoughts are with the whole family.   Vladimir was born in Lvov, Ukraine, in November 1944.  His father was a progressive lawyer of great courage who was known to defend those who challenged the Soviet authorities.  Vladimir trained as a sports acrobat under the developing Soviet sports system, working in the same club as Olympic champion Viktor Chukarin.  After moving to Moscow, he became a leading coach of women's gymnastics, supporting the development of high level acrobatics.  He worked particularly closely with the up and coming young gymnasts of the early 1980s - you can see him at work in the video 'You in Gymnastics'.  At the national training centre, Lake Krugloye, he worked with Filatova, Mostepanova, Yurchenko, Arzhannikova, Mukhina and more.   Around the mid 1980s Vlad

Who really won the WAG All Around?

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

Simone Biles - 'on her way to Olympic gold' in the opinion of Russia

Prosport is carrying the following article about Simone Biles, who they tip as a favourite for Olympic gold.  I thought I would share it here (Google translate in italics) as it gives an interesting perspective on where the Russians feel the sport is heading.  Elena Zamolidchikova and Alexander Alexandrov are both extensively quoted. Atypical American. Simon Biles on the way to Olympic gold Simone Biles, American gymnast, turned 18 on March 14, 2015. Shortly before this, the first in US history absolute Olympic gymnastics champion Mary Lou Retton called Biles perhaps the most gifted athlete in the history of the sport. In 2014, Simon became the first gymnast for 40 years to win four gold at a World Championships. But Biles is not only talent. This is the first gymnast in recent years from the United States, who is not going to earn on its potential Olympic success. Text: Alexander Vladimirov March 15, 2015 9:35 The article on Prosport/Photo: Lintao Zhang / Getty Images / Fotobank.ru Th

RRG Archive - scroll by date, from 2024 to 2010

Show more