Skip to main content

Aliya Mustafina - 'I'm glad we didn't hit'


Speaking on the Nanning official website, Aliya Mustafina had a few words to say about the day's competition:

On being in the first Subdivision:
“That was our strategy, to go first and have it over and done with, so with the qualifications out of the way we can relax and see what other teams are going to do. It is just so much easier when you have already started; it takes the pressure off you.”

On the Russia team performance:
‘I am actually glad we did not hit it perfect today. Now we know what we need to fix and where we need to put in extra work. The team has now been exposed to actual competition; we got to test all the apparatus in real competition, so we can improve further for the finals.”

“We were not tasked with making it to the finals; we just had to do the program we'd tested during the actual competition.“

On Sunday's biggest difficulty:
“It is toughest to finish on the balance beam. The emotions tend to wear thin towards the end of the session and fatigue is catching up with you as well, while you have to be super-focused. That’s a tough call."

On her own performance:
“I am most happy I had a clean workout with no falls.”

On the pressure of being the team leader:
“I do not feel the pressure, in fact the very opposite. It gives me pleasure to help my teammates. It is much easier for me this way.”

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Aliya Mustafina - 'I'm just trying to stay healthy'

A brief interview with the World and Olympic Champion from All Sport is summarised below. Russian national gymnastics continues to prepare for the World Championships, which will be held October 3-12 in Nanning (China). Olympic champion Aliya Mustafina told Mary Staroverova about her health and about preparations for the competition. - In June, I went to Germany to solve the problem with my ankle.  I had a small operation to clean the joints of a build-up of bone particles.  Nothing serious was evident, and the operation went well.  Now I have to tumble.  But there is still some discomfort, a slight pain at full load, and I can not tumble at full force.  For the time being, I try to go easy on my legs.  After the Russia Cup I will have to fully prepare for Worlds. That is just one month.   Even if I'm not tumbling, I will keep myself in good shape, and that should suffice (smiles). - I can't say if it is a different pain to before Europeans, because at...

Paseka back in time for Rio; Komova confirmed out

A few sources in the Russian press have reported Russia's team news.  There is a little bit more information about Viktoria Komova's retirement, or rest break, and some good news about Maria Paseka. The news came clearly from Viktoria's own mouth - I cannot link to the video - and has now been repeated and clarified by her father.  Viktoria has stopped training because of the pain in her back.  There is no chance of her making it to Rio now but if she recovers she may come back later.   Valentina Rodionenko says unequivocally that Vika has retired, but this doesn't have to be taken as a contradiction, just a simpler version of the picture.  (I personally think that retirement is probably right - but why say never?  However, I would feel sorry for Viktoria if she were not being allowed to make her own decisions.) The good news is that Maria Paseka will be competing at Russia Cup - she has recovered from her back pain and is making her way towards qualificat...

UPDATE 23/9 - Russian WAG team for Nanning confirmed

Daria Spiridonova will compete at her first World Championships this autumn.  Picture : RGF Natalia Kalugina has confirmed the Russian team for Nanning : Aliya Mustafina, Maria Kharenkova, Tatiana Nabieva,Ekaterina Kramarenko, Alla Sosnitskaya, Daria Spiridonova.  Reserve : Polina Fyodorova Here is a paraphrased translation of a comment by Natalia Kalugina on her Facebook page : 'Aliya has confidence in competition and she is, kind of, a coach to this team.  In Europe she succeeded in this role and she has told the coaches that she even liked it. The main fighting force will be Kharenkova, Sosnitskaya and Spiridonova.  Accordingly, the strongest apparatus will be beam (Marina Bulashenko With God!).  The Chinese women, of course, have been known to win that apparatus, but if one falls, they all fall.   Alla Sosnitskaya could compete in the vault final, and - in theory - on the floor. On bars, of course, Russia will probably lose to the Chinese women, but the...

RRG Archive - scroll by date, from 2024 to 2010

Show more