Aliya Mustafina and team candidate Seda Tutkhalyan - both from Moscow Five days left before the MAG European Championships open in Switzerland, and Russian gymnast Nikita Nagorny is posting videos of himself practicing a full twisting Roche vault - I wonder if he will compete it in Berne? The men's team seems fairly well prepared and ready to travel as announced some weeks ago - Kuksenkov, Belyavski, Ignatyev, Nagorny, Ablyazin. But the composition of the women's team, who will travel to their first major competition of 2016 next week, seems somewhat undecided. Will Natalia Kapitonova make her major senior debut in June, or will Seda Tutkhalyan, her dynamic yet unpredictable rival, grace Russia's team? Or will other gymnasts be brought into play; will further, unexpected, changes be made? If head coach Valentina Rodionenko's recent announcement is to be believed, it is a simple case of replacing the injured Maria Paseka (a vault specialist) with Natalia ...
Reporting and analysing Russian gymnastics since 2010. Includes original and exclusive interviews with leading coaches and gymnasts, and historical issues dating back to the Soviet Union. The first blog to report extensively on the sport using Russian language sources. I read, I argue, and I have opinions. Be warned.

Alya!!!! I am so happy for you!!!! My dreams came true. Medeyets.
ReplyDeleteOMG, she just shut everybody up with her tremendous routines today, especially on floor!
ReplyDeleteAfter she finished, I thought: "If the judges don't give her the bronze over Skinner, they will be decreeing the ultimate decadence of the sport!" So glad she improved her difficulty and proved everyone wrong! Her emotional showing after the score was up was possibly the greatest she has ever shown in all her competitions.
And now she has an 11th!
ReplyDeleteThen 11th!
ReplyDelete