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| Mustafina meme, courtesy of Erikafasana on Tumblr.com |
Knowing the nature of gymnastics, they won't get the nap, though, and the work out will be today if time allows. The gymnasts will have precious little time to acclimatise themselves before podium training begins, for the men on Tuesday and for the women on Wednesday. For the women, there is that subdivision 1 start, meaning that effectively their qualification, and corresponding podium training efforts will begin at what might still feel like 5 in the morning to them. By the following Wednesday, assuming they qualify to team finals, they will be competing until 6 in the evening. There will be a change in diet, water, living conditions and schedule for them all. It makes you realise how demanding the life of a top class elite athlete is, aside all the training, long hours and pain.
As part of the usual pre-Worlds press round, both Valentina Rodionenko and Valery Alfosov have been speaking about how things have been going in the Russian camp, and what the next steps are after the team arrives in Nanning.
'On the 24th September we had our last control training', says Valentina. 'Both boys and girls competed well, with dignity ... we were pleasantly surprised by the girls ... well done! Frankly, we did not expect as much of them. Now, it is important that the girls do not waver in China. It will be the first time in a major senior competition for four of them. I also want to note that the older girls are not as nervous as they used to be ...
Below, newcomer to the Russian senior team at Worlds, Alla Sosnitskaya trains a Cheng vault in final training before departure for Nanning.
'We have a week in China before the competitions begins ... we are doing everything to make sure that the gymnasts remain calm. Don't make any crazy demands of them ... just allow them to show what is ready. A lot depends on nerves, and the main job for this week is to remove as much stress as possible. ...
'We will acclimatise during the first week. ... Our doctors know everything, and we have brought everything with us that we need'
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| Ivan Stretovitch is one of two young 'Cubs' on the team |
'The older guys talk very kindly to the newcomers on the team, I am sure that they feel comfortable, there is no friction between the young and the old. The guys tried very hard in training. In the men's team, two years after the Olympic Games this is something like a change of generation. We have the 'Cubs'. The time always comes when young gymnasts have to appear on the senior podium for the first time, and I hope that at this World Championships they show their skill and ability with dignity.'
OMG!!! I can't Alla Sosnitskaya is competing a cheng!!! That is solo IMPRESSIVE! I don't, for a second think she would even be remotely close to this High level of difficulty vault, let alone execute so well.
ReplyDeleteI hope she is able to preform is at Nanning for EF and TF
A good thing for those who wrote that Sosnitskaya is just an average gymnast.
ReplyDeleteAnd for those who write that Rodionenko is not a good coach. He has been coaching vault with her and she announced the Cheng after Euros.
Alka
Yes...lets just not be too excited with those improvements just yet. We might not see them at worlds this, the coaches have a plan for 2015/2016 half of the quad so all the upgrades the girls have been training might just be performed next years.
DeleteHmmm... I don't know. The Russians seem to be trying too hard to increase their difficulty, which is good, but perhaps some of the girls aren't ready for it yet. I love Sosnitskaya but I don't want her Cheng to be like Paseka's Amanar--- a nightmare almost every time it's performed. Doing it well in training and doing it well in competition are two different things.
DeleteLets hope for the best and pleasant surprises. I see her leg wrapped in the video though. Good luck boys and girls.
ReplyDelete