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We want to win medals - Valery Alfosov

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Nikita Ignatyev competes this spring at Russian Championships.  Picture courtesy RGF

Key points of interview with men's head coach Valery Alfosov http://www.allsportinfo.ru/index.php?id=82847

- The team is at the final stages of preparation, undergoing control competitions.  Training is very good, he is satisfied with the gymnasts and their routines (elsewhere, Kuksenkov says the men have upgrades to show, his on high bar and pommels).  http://m.rsport.ru/artist_gym/20140508/744508287.html

- Their team is in 'perfect working condition', and working to peak for competition at the end of May - in time for Euros.  His only slight worry is Ablyazin's second vault - but there will always be these worries when you want to win medals.  'We can only hope for the best'.

- 'The most dangerous competitors - the UK, Germany, France, Ukraine and Romania.'

- 'We want to win medals. But we understand that our rivals are very strong, do not stand still, and are developing and complicating their programmes, improving items and so on. Therefore to predict winning medals at the European Championships is very difficult.'

- 'There was a period when different opponents considered it an honour to beat a Russian.  ... Our task is to train well, get ready to try to beat our rivals. That's all!'

- Selection for the World Championships will be made on the basis of the results of the Russia Cup.  He hopes there will be some new names on the roster, mentioning in particular 19 year old Vlad Polyashov from Cheboksary, who is reserve for the Euros team (8th all around in Russian Champs, competed in pommel horse and parallel bars finals, coached by A Vassiliev).

-  The athletes competing here are the foundation of the Olympic team, as we are mid Olympic cycle.  They want members of the youth team to now come forward and begin to prepare for the Olympics, hoping to rise to the senior team.  Strong competition always leads to good results.
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  1. M11 May 2014 at 17:33

    I hope they get medals too, the men can be so disappointing, they do well in qualifying and then awful in the finals.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous11 May 2014 at 21:08

      Exactly, they run out of gas by team final.

      Delete

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