Skip to main content

Valentina Rodionenko - it's Aliya's decision to compete


In an interview with Sovietski Sport today, Valentina Rodionenko confirmed that the injured Aliya Mustafina is acting on her own volition in participating in the coming week's European Championships.  'Her injury is painful, but not fatal', said the head coach, 'Aliya is very clever, she is trying very hard.'  

Directly after Sofia, Aliya will travel to Munich, to the same clinic where she, Komova, Afanasyeva and Grishina have been treated, for an assessment of her ankle injury.  The ankle is very painful and at the moment Aliya can't tumble or dismount at all, and can only vault into a pit.  In an earlier interview Mustafina has explained that she is saving her ankle for competition, and Andrei Rodionenko has said her participation is subject to the 'state of her feet'.

There are also some brief details of the other injured gymnasts, including Komova, whose injury record Sovietski Sport questioned, suggesting that her recurrent injuries might make her unlikely to make the Rio Olympics. Viktoria slipped on some ice at a bus stop and injured her ankle in the spring, says Valentina here (elsewhere it is said that Viktoria injured herself in training, but that might have been another injury ...).  The operation in Germany was to strengthen her ankle ligaments.  

Afanasyeva has a long standing injury that now needs time to heal, following the operation in Germany. It is important that she is back at full strength in time for the Rio Olympics as she contributes on floor and vault, where she is Russia's only gymnast with an Amanar.  

Grishina's case is more difficult.  Thankfully, she hasn't a complete tear of the ACL as Mustafina had.  Nevertheless, she still hadn't recovered all her Olympic difficulty prior to the injury.

Comments

  1. Best wishes to all these girls in their recoveries.

    Does anyone else believe that these announcements are just warning salvos so we are not all totally devastated if Mustafina does not compete in Sofia? Her loss for team finals really sinks Russia. However, in a positive way, I hope Mustafina is suddenly replaced by Paseka for Euros. I know Paseka is not well liked by the Rodios recently, but there is a beautiful video of her training bars that made it's way to youtube and she could get a DTY to her feet without the same risk for personal injury that Mustafina intends to take (and the Rodios are allowing her to take). Anyway, I hope everyone knows that I mean I hope Mustafina is replaced for the good of her health and longevity in sport. I will have all of my fingers crossed that she doesn't suffer greater injury in competition.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Every time I think it's a tremendous irresponsibility of Rodienkos and medical staff allow Alyia go compete in Euros.

      Only remains for me to believe in God, who at the last moment Mustafina will be replaced or that their injuries do not worsen with stress championship.

      I sincerely would like to see Mustafina competing until the next Olympics.

      If I could, I would send for some Alexandrov judgment in Alyia and Russian coaches.

      No matter, who would be replace Mustafina in this moment.

      Every time I think it's a tremendous irresponsibility of Rodienkos and medical staff allow Alyia go compete in Euros.

      Only remains for me to believe in God, who at the last moment Mustafina will be replaced or that their injuries do not worsen with stress championship.

      I sincerely would like to see Mustafina competing until the next Olympics.

      If I could, I would send for some Alexandrov judgment in Alyia and Russian coaches.

      No matter who will replace Alya. But now, as Queen Elizabeth, I think we can only cross our fingers and ask for an intervention of God. So irresponbilidade.

      We can only pray and ask God save Alyia and her health,and God continue to bless her.(google translator)

      Delete
  2. Paseka is not being considered for these Championships (either a back injury or form issues) - see earlier post.

    My opinion is that Mustafina will compete - but only in the team competition; unless she is doing well on bars, in which case we may see her in that final.

    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