Skip to main content

Aliya Mustafina - injury update


With thanks to Nico of The Liukin blog, who produced this summary/translation of an interview with Valentina Rodionenko.

Source - http://www.allsportinfo.ru/index.php?id=8798

  • Aliya began treatment today in Munich, where she'll be staying for two weeks. So far the specialists don't think it's anything more severe than the inflammation that has been coming and going for a few years.  So more than anything Aliya needs to take it easy and not put so much stress on her back.

    Her condition most likely won't require any kind of surgery, otherwise the doctors would have mentioned it early on.  However, Aliya has been enduring the pain for a long time and relying on painkillers to the point that they were no longer working, and Aliya was refusing other kinds of treatment. Then everything started to take its toll on her in Stuttgart, so that prompted the immediate examination. And of course, the Russian coaches don't have much confidence in the medical team back home, so they sought treatment in Munich where they fully examined her, took photos, and everything to confirm the diagnosis.

    Right now they are going with a two-week treatment plus additional rehab. Although there is no guarantee this will 'cure' her condition given the nature of the sport and having to return to full training eventually, Valentina hopes Aliya can return by the start of the new year.

    Aliya kept refusing treatment because she felt obliged to always be available for her team (Valentina says Aliya is very patriotic). But we're beginning to see how that attitude is backfiring despite having her heart in the right place.

    On a side note, Valentina was pleased with Afanasyeva's return to competition and thought she did well. She's still gradually recovering.




Comments

  1. "And of course, the Russian coaches don't have much confidence in the medical team back home"

    I think that's kind of a quick interpretation ! I would rather imagine that the Russian coaches send their athletes to Germany because Germany has some of the the bests specialists in Europe.
    That's exactly what a Federation is supposed to do for top level gymnasts : provide them the best medical care possible, even if that means travelling across Europe.
    That doesn't necessarily mean that Russian doctors are incompetent and that the Russian coaches don't trust them.

    And by the way other countries are doing exactly the same thing, for example some members of the Romanian national team have been recently treated in Turkey.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aliya pleasee take some time off to heal properly. I am really counting for her in Rio2016. LOVE YOU Aliya :))

    ReplyDelete
  3. I'd like to think that humanitarianism, not patriotism, is what keeps her in that hellhole. I'd like to think that she stays for sake of the little ones, not herself.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Svetlana Boginskaya: I was always a bitch* in gymnastics

Svetlana Boginskaya, 15 years old, with her medals from the Seoul Olympics Nico translates the latest interview with gymnastics legend Svetlana Boginskaya, during a recent visit to her home country of Belarus. Svetlana Boginskaya: I was always a bitch* in gymnastics, so now I ask for forgiveness from everyone who came in contact with me. The National Olympic Committee of Belarus held a press conference with three-time Olympic Champion in artistic gymnastics, Svetlana Boginskaya. The meeting was devoted to the 25th anniversary of the Olympic Games in Seoul. In South Korea the Belarussian won two gold medals in the team competition and vault. As a gift to the Olympic Hall of fame, the famous gymnast, now living in the United States, donated one of her trophies that she won at the 1990 European Championships and a pennant for Best Female Athlete of the USSR in 1989. How happy we were when we could share with such stars as Boginskaya, Scherbo, and Ivankov,...

Aliya Mustafina - 'each medal is very special'

'I'm very happy that everything turned out well today  ... Each medal is very special.  The UK team made mistakes, so there was a wide margin [of victory]... But naturally, [what I did] is not enough for the Olympics.  I prepared well for beam and bars but I am not ready for floor, I stepped up to help the team. ... To be honest, I did not look at the scores [when asked how the team reacted to the 6.5 gap before the final apparatus].  Gelya (Melnikova) is a good girl, she did everything and did not falter ... Seda fell on quite a complex element.  There is more work to do, but everything else went well.' [About a protest taken by the coaches on her beam score]. 'I am used to my protests being rejected, everything is normal!' Via vk.com I n other news , the UEG has confirmed that Spiridonova will replace Melnikova in tomorrow's bars final. No reason is given, but it is generally considered that Dasha has a better chance of gold.  This decision also means tha...

Review of Russian WAG at the 2014 World Championships

The Russians during a team talk in training for the World Championships.  Courtesy RGF Bronze all the way for Russia then.  Beyond the euphoria and surprise of this morning's competition there doesn't really seem to be much to write home about. I am delighted for Aliya personally that the efforts she has made to help the team have provided her with some tangible result, but the principal feeling at the end of the competition is that of relief.  As Vaitsekhovskaya said in her article last week, there were no moments of shock and awe from the Russians, and that's what will be needed if they are to compete for gold medals in Rio (translation available here ). Let's consider a timeline of the competition : before, during and after. BEFORE The promise of a return to the Worlds stage by Viktoria Komova gave Russia a feeling of optimism pre-Russia Cup.  However, Viktoria's performance at this important competition gave little reason for celebra...

RRG Archive - scroll by date, from 2024 to 2010

Show more