Skip to main content

Sergei Starkin to coach Aliya Mustafina - Vladimir Zaglada answers some questions

Fan art - from Aliya Mustafina's fan page on VK.com

We first read the news on RSport (thank you Lifje on Gymfever) - Aliya has a new coach, Sergei Starkin.  Sergei is already well known - as coach to World Champion Denis Ablyazin and some other senior MAG gymnasts on the national team.

The first question on people's lips - 'can a men's coach train a female gymnast?' will best be answered over the coming two years.  But we already have a historical precedent for greatness: Alexander Alexandrov, iconic coach to countless champions, including Aliya herself, found his spurs as coach to 1983 and 1987 World Champion, the Mozart of gymnastics, Dmitri Bilozerchev.  

The second question - will Raisa Ganina continue to be involved in Aliya's career? - well, we have to wait and see.  I personally hope so - considering Ganina's skillful interpretation of the Code and her outstanding work in enhancing Aliya's beam work to a fine point.  Combining some of the most sensitive and creative coaching I've seen (Ganina's) with the potentially fine acrobatic and technical work of Starkin might just be exactly what Aliya needs to fulfill her amazing potential.

Based in Penza, 346 miles from Moscow, Aliya will be surrounded by close friends and still able to visit her family at home regularly.  I can hardly say how relieved and pleased I am to hear that Russia's only Olympic gymnastics gold medallist will have some support in her preparation for the Rio Olympics.  This has to be the best news for Russian gymnastics in quite some time, and I would like to wish Aliya and Sergei all the best of good luck.

Countless more questions will remain unanswered; the big one : will this news be confirmed?  Valentina's statements haven't always been the most reliable.  So I was glad when our friend Vladimir Zaglada volunteered to contact his colleagues in Russia - and was able to confirm the news.  We still have to wait for the RFG official announcement - but here is what Vladimir has to say - it is fascinating, so please read carefully.


Hi Queen Elizabeth! 

Yes, I got news today that Sergey Starkin will be coaching Aliya Mustafina! But we have to wait for an official announcement from RGF. But anyway, this is a good news because I always thought the best Female Coach should be chosen from experienced male coaches. 

Don't worry about Aliya's tricks YET! Sergey Starkin is Great Elite Coach!!! It is well known fact that "Double AA" [Alexander Alexandrov] before he get started as a Head Coach for WAG was one of the best Russian Male Coaches! We cannot expect that Aliya should perform soon an Inverted Cross to Maltese on UB, but Sergey Starkin will definitely change some part of her conditioning, particularly legs conditioning for tumbling, VT and both dismounts (UB & BB), Aliya need to improve her tumbling passes in order to be compatible with the best Americans All-Around Gymnasts. Her current UB routine need an improvement as well. For sure, Sergey Starkin knows the way how to improve a difficulty of her routine. 

But from my point of view he will be working for a while mostly on technique which will help to improve an amplitude of her routines in general. But, mostly, it is all about Aliya's GENERAL RECOVERY, but not her recovery just after the injuries! As a Great Athlete she need to get back her mind to the time when she was the BEST among the BEST! 

Good luck to Aliya and Sergey Starkin on your way to success. 

P.S. Hopefully, an environment in Penza will be healthy! Just talking to the "Family": do not interrupt the working process of two focused on very high result professionals: amazing gymnast and her great coach during their work on Round Lake National Center!!!



Comments

  1. This is absolutely amazing news!

    ReplyDelete
  2. This is such AMAZING news! I think a male gymnastic coach is the perfect coach for Aliya to improve her vaulting and her power as far as beam dismounts and tumbling goes. I also think that Her previous coach should remain in the picture, because if Aliya can master Those beam combinations and those spins she has done with her previous coach, she will be very strong for Rio. Such great news, I hope we see some steady progress as she begins to work with a new coach. Also, I absolutely agree with the fact that she needs to think about when she was at the top. She can't be playing catching up if she is to be a champion again because once she catches up, Simone will have gone further.
    Goodluck to Aliya, hope she can make it again

    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,...

Simone and the others - results and reflections

In the end, it was as predicted : Simone and the others, with Simone's teammate, Alexandra Raisman, providing the back up.  I do not need to point out that, by definition, the Americans are scoring significantly higher marks than the rest of the field.  Congratulations to them! Aliya Mustafina finished in third place.  The 2012 bronze medalist led the competition after vault and uneven bars, but had a very nervous outing on beam that might have taken a less experienced gymnast out of the medals.  A bravura performance on floor brought Aliya back though to confirm her third place all around.  From her senior debut in 2010 to today, Mustafina has continuously set high standards of grace.    It is the first time since 2000 that a gymnast (Amanar) has medalled in the all around at two consecutive Olympics, and  if Aliya can medal on Saturday's uneven bars final, she will once again be Russia's biggest medal winner of the women's gymnastics.  Russ...

RRG Archive - scroll by date, from 2024 to 2010

Show more