Valentina Rodionenko during podium training. Courtesy of the RGF |
Gymnastics has lost some of its appeal over the past few years, whilst Russian athletes have been out of competition. This might be an unpopular opinion, but it reflects the reality of international gymnastics without around a quarter of its leading protagonists. The international competitive field has not raised its performance in the absence of Russia's leadership; gymnasts from the top ten or fifteen have floated upwards in the ranks to fill gaps in the medal placements, and we see mediocre performances gaining gold, silver and bronze medals. Gymnastics has lost some of its imagination and vision without Russian athletes. This doesn't detract from the efforts of the world's best gymnasts. Gymnastics quite simply needs the special abilities of Russian athletes to provide competition for our international contenders and drive the sport to ever greater things. In particular, artistry has been almost entirely lost without Russian athletes to provide a good e...
Hail Valentina, finally!
ReplyDeleteShe sounds like a Pro. To me qualifications went well, actually, better than expected. I really really want to see Kharenkova in the BB final. Replacing Mustafina by Kharenkova in BB EF is possibel. I mean, Mustafina, a world champion on BB, is guaranteed to hit in the finals but Kharenkova, if she hits, would definitely be golden. This should be a replica of 2011 scenario when Afan replaced Komova on floor and hit a golden routine. YET, it is the Glorious Mustafina vs. fresh Kharinkova, difficult decision.
Alfi
I think quals went well, too.
DeleteKharenkova is well down in the beam scores - Russia would not be able to substitute her for Aliya, even if Aliya finishes in the top eight after all the remaining gymnasts have competed.
But she still has team finals to vindicate herself - and as a young gymnast there will, hopefully, be plenty more opportunities to compete.
Yeah, the 2011 scenario was possible only because Afanasyeva had qualified ninth, and thus was the first alternate and the first in line when Komova pulled out though.
DeleteI'm impressed though, a Valentina statement where she sounds completely sane the whole way through? Someone call a doctor, maybe she's come down with a fever that's affecting her brain. She said that the girls did well and mentioned their errors without throwing blame around, discussed judging issues also without blaming the judges, and didn't call anyone fat. Wow.
I was pleasantly surprised with Nabs performance. Did a sold UB; and other than her typical bent knee, her DTY was good. She also displayed a solid veteran leadership as she was the first to talk with Kharenkova after her fall on beam.
ReplyDeleteWell done team performance with room to improve in finals, and a drive for redemption for Kharenkova.