Unless you have been hiding under a rock somewhere, you can't have failed to notice that Romania are now European Team Champions, with Britain in second place and Russia in third. Congratulations to everyone! These were well deserved medals.
I personally think that winning the bronze was a great achievement for this inexperienced team. Aliya Mustafina proved that, even at 50%, she is 100% boss. Kharenkova established herself as a real little scrapper who is now a leader in the team and even in world gymnastics. Even with the unpredictable Komova I doubt Russia would have done much better today; it comes down not so much to the errors that were made, as to the low difficulty rating of those floor exercises. The team needs its Olympians for good floor scores, but they just aren't available at present, nor perhaps in the future if I am reading Afanasyeva's rather damning account of the handling of her injury correctly.
I wonder if there will be any fall-out or consequences after this result? No blame should lay at the gymnasts' feet, they gave their all; only Anna Rodionova perhaps let the team down somewhat, but since when did a Russian team go error free in a team final? Spiridonova is forgiven her beam error as she did so well elsewhere in her first big assignment. Sosnitskaya, Mustafina and Kharenkova couldn't have done much more, and I think Mustafina and Kharenkova will both be going all out for gold in tomorrow's event finals.
I hope that tomorrow's press will not be full of Valentina making recriminations about this result. The girls deserve some recognition for the difficult time through which they have mostly prevailed. But the Russians are the Russians and faces say more than words. A lot of thought lies ahead for many of those shown in these pictures.
Head coach Rodionenko - will there be fall-out or consequences?
Tumbling and vault coach, Vasily Ivanov
Coach to Afanasyeva, Marina Nazarova (presumably here in a team coaching capacity)
Head coach Evgeny Grebyonkin in an apparently rather glum exchange with Anna Rodionova
A quiet moment
Coach Olga Sagina's protégée Maria Kharenkova is carving a spot for herself as a leader
Even in disappointment Aliya finds the time for a photograph
What do you mean ... ?
Pictures courtesy of RGF
I really enjoyed this team final. Romania was very good on Vault and very impressive on Beam and Floor as always. Great Britain looked great on Vault and were VERY impressive on the Uneven Bars! As for Russia, I hoped they would have made the move to silver but what hurt them was floor and Rodionova. Mustafina's Beam and Bars were definitely impressive along with Daria's Bars and Alla's Floor and vault. Of course, Maria stood out as she preformed very well given her level of experience as a senior and I think made a statement to the Russian couches about her consistency and essence to this team.
ReplyDeleteI was impressed with the GB team: rock solid on the floor and amazing and difficult routines on UB. I also hoped that Russia could get the silver medal. But the routines floor hadn´t enough difficulty and many avoidable mistakes. Adding this to Rodionna, the team went down to the deep ocean.....
DeleteCongrats on the bronze!, I never got to see the team final live, but I will watch the replay. Good for them for getting 3rd. This team did well, esp since this is for some their first big tournament. Romania were the favourites and I am happy they did well, esp Larissa, as I am a fan of hers. Good on Britain, they have a great up and coming team. Congrats for Germany as well for that 4th place.
ReplyDeleteNot sure why Russia needed to use Aliya on vault, as based on the scores, silver seemed out of their reach but whatever. She did really great on her injured ankle. That drive and determination she has, is really something else.
Great experience for this young team, and hope they get to have more.
I do think that the Britts and Romanians overscored on UB and FX, and the Russians underscored on the same apparatuses ...
ReplyDeleteJohn
I came across some asinine remarks made by Valentina (in Russian), OMG
ReplyDeleteShe is an embarrassment to the Russian people, and the gymnastics community.
Never mind judging - this is old news.
She openly criticizes Seda (how old is the girl?), talks about the physique of the British girls vs "our thing cute ones', and so on. I
Marina
are you a native speaker in russian? google translate leaves much to be desired...
DeleteYes, I am. The stupidity of that woman....
DeleteThank you! I thought I was the only one who was THIS outraged. Among the news of a steady performance of this weakened team, here came the post of 'mighty' Valentina's poor calculation skills (even without the two falls the Russians wouldn't have won!!!) followed by the parade of stupid, vapid remarks towards other teams, judges and even individual gymnasts. What a humiliation.
DeleteYes I believe I can read Russian better than Google can translate. Probably others here can check or improve. (In the original, she seems to refer to Seda not being ethnic Russian, but it is lost in translation.)
Deletehttp://www.allsportinfo.ru/index.php?id=83030
my translation:
Today, May 16, the individual all-around competition ended at the Junior European Championships in artistic
gymnastics in Sofia, Bulgaria. Russia's Angelina Melnikov won, receiving 57.107 points. Another Russian, Seda
Toutkhalian, was seventh ( 53.932 ) , despite being second was in qualifiers. Senior coach of the Russian ntional
gymnastics team Valentina Rodionenko discussed the details of the competition with special correspondent of the
sport information agency "All Sport" Mariya Staroverova.
"Angelina Melnikova was very worthy on all apparatuses," said Valentina Rodionenko. "But she practiclly had was no
competition. Our other girl Seda Toutkhalian performed very badly - made mistakes on practically every appartus.
She, on the other hand, failed her responsibility. At the end, she did not have the nervous system to stay. Seda
did well on the qualifer, placed second . But today she made many mistakes.
I want to note that English and Germans girls gained a lot. For the first time, the competition at the Junior
European Championship was so dense. Representatives of five or six teams are now quite able to fight for places on
the podium. In the past, there were only two or three such teams. Gymnasts arrive with good programs. Compared with
our girls , they are much larger, denser. So in jumps and the floor exercise and they are - just more robust. And
our girly are so slender and pretty. Sometimes lacking the strength. But, nevertheless, we still advocate the
classic beautiful gymnastics. This is our foundation.
There's also http://www.sovsport.ru/news/text-item/709864 if someone wants to try to translate.
someone said "i'm so happy for gb, they had a word class team and they earned their silver. russia had children and a babysitter"
ReplyDeletei'm worried about the errors spiridonova made, missing 2 requirements in 2 different days in 2 different apparatus (different direction of saltos in floor tq and dance connection in bb tf). the first one is kind of forgivable, since it was qualification round, but its not like missing the the 2 saltos connected from last quad that you were doomed from the first error and couldnt fix it. the second one happened in team finals, had 2 opportunities to do it and didnt fix it, and the dance one is the "easiest" to get. is a thing of experience, i know, but this simple mistake in beam was a huge cost... also she tried to connect all of those jumps to saltos (which im almost sure she failed every single one of them) and then when she didnt connect the turn to the leap, she probably run out options.
the depth situation finally cought russia, im wondering what would happen if they cant grishina, afanasyeva and komova back (almost sure they wont return), sending 2 new seniors to the olympics sounds risky (melnikova and skrypnik are the ones who show the most talent and "cool-heads") but i wouldnt be surprised if they end up with a team consisting of 2 or 3 girls borned in 2000.
I don't understand why people keep saying Komova won't return when she has been training since 2012! Yes, she had setbacks and haven't compete internationally but she look 100 times better than any of the new girls in this European team.
DeleteI always had high hopes on the russian team and they are always unpredictable, so now I just follow them and like them while they last and then when I see the first sign of too much injury or lack of determination I pay attention to other ones. They love to crash my dreams so my favourites change all the time. So, personally, I say that they won't come back (to a world level at least) just to ease the fall.
DeleteAnd yes, Komova looked better than say Spiridoz on beam, but her performances at nationals stay there, her scores are needed at Sofia/Glasgow not in Penza/Moscow.
I still believe that Komova will be back, I really do, and a really want Grishina and Afanasyeva to come back too. I'm a believer. About the result, it was what everyone expected.
ReplyDeleteMe too I believe she will come back and discredit all the critics and doubts
DeleteAbout Valentina's comments:
ReplyDeleteShe is too harsh on the gymnasts, blaming them directly after they have competed. She decides after a competition who is a fighter. She puts a label on every girl. Later it is difficult to prove they are good competitors.
Guys, Comrade Valentina is 82 years OLD. It is just age :) . We do care about the girls, the team and whole of russian gymnastics. Yet, obviously no one cares in russia. That's the reason for her being there, so take it easy
ReplyDeletemy thoughts and Opin...
ReplyDeleteAlla, need to do the amanar and clean her floor to be just those two AP. Specialist to be able to make the Russian Team, she can do it!!
Daria (only good on the uneven bars) no chance to make the team.
Anna (no chance to make the team if everybody is healthy)
Kharenko (WOW she was so adorable really impress)
Mustafina (Time to heald and put back her difficulty)
Romanians (yes they won, nice floors, good beam routines, but i think overscore on Uneven Bars and Vaults. at the world championships, their scores will not be near like europeans on Bars and Vault.)
Great B. ( sorry to say but very overscore, on bars and floor)
R