Isa Alexandrova has kindly translated Alexander's interview word for word. It gives a different emphasis in some places to my summary, and adds some more information, so I wanted readers to have access to this right away. With many thanks to Isa.
1) Alexander didn't quite imply that he is ready to come back to Russia by the end of this year if there is an offer. He said that "it is still hurtful for me to think the way I was treated in 2012. However, enough time had passed, that I was able to better analyze the situation, and I understand that perhaps I did some things not the best way. At that time, I was working for the "final result" and did not pay attention to much else. Mutko and I had a conversation before I left, where he let me know that he didn't want me to leave. Now, the only way I could talk about my coming back is when and if he calls me. I am not going to invite myself back. I am ready to come back to Russia if I am wanted, but I don't see myself working together with the current administation". (A.k.a. Rodionenkos:))) It is imperative that Russian gymnastics will find new and youg coaches, perhaps 30-40 years of age, coaches who are burning with eagerness, who would work tirelessly for the team. And we have many of them throughout the country. I would love to one day return to Russia if the circumstances are right, and would gladly share my rather deep knowledge with them and with my countrymen". Then the journalist states that dad's contract with Brazil is until September 2016, but can be broken by either side at any time.
2) "Aliya is not your everyday gymnast. She had a special temper that is difficult, yet it allows her to compete and win medals. But she needs a special approach and special motivation; only when she is given that, can she bring a huge bonus to the team. If you recall, during the two years right after the Games, she was literally dragging the team on her back. Perhaps all that weight strained her and paved the way for further injures. I spoke with her at this Worlds, and she told me how much she wants to return to gymnastics and training. It was also my understanding that she is waiting for someone to help her. Mustafina is a maximalist. She only wants to compete in order to win medals. She needs someone who can help her and to make believe that she can.
Yes, right now the US gymnasts are ahead of the planet. But Mustafina must be standing on a pedestal at Rio Olympics. I will repeat, that she needs someone who can find the right motivation for her, who can make her believe in herself.
Alexandrov reminded us that he left Russia mainly because he understood that Mustafina became a hostage of a very unpleasant situation. It so happened that Alexandrov became Mustafina's personal coach despite being a head coach of Russian WAG team, although he didn't plan on it. (Furthermore, he recalls Valentina placing her to compete first despite the known fact that the first gymnast usually gets lowered scores, plus the fact that this didn't allow Aliya time to untape her legs before floor. He asked Valentina not to make Aliya go first, but she refused). One of the main reasons I left was to make life easier for Aliya so she was no longer a "political hostage" per se.
Afterwords, those in charge found a different approach to her in order to gain her trust. They would let her do whatever she wanted; "want to work out? Sure, go ahead. Don't feel like it today? No problem, sweety". And what did they get in the end with this approach?? The truth of the matter is that a gymnast cannot continue progressing if he or she does not have a person next to them to enforce discipline and some level of control. So much time has been wasted! Truly, discipline is the stuff a long sports career is made of!
3) "If Russia wants team medals at Rio Olympics, we need to get Mustafina back in shape. It will be next to impossible to be first for Russia, but Russian girls should be silver medalists". Alexandrov believes that Russian WAG should have been on the podium and not in fourth place despite not having Mustafina competing. The team does not seem to have the strength, the same might as the Russian team usually would. It is obvious to me that there are some kind of problems with the training process. I have read the interview given by V. Rodionenko, and disagree with her statement that the British team were given higher scores because they were on home soil. Pardon me, but this is an absurd statement given the 4 falls of Russian team in TF. I also do not think that Russian team was weakened by new and inexperienced gymnasts. Every member but Seda has competed on international and high level. And actually Seda did pretty good in TF for being the newest addition to the Senior team. The most experienced gymnasts competed poorly, namely Komova and Afanasyeva. Afanasyeva has huge competition experience. Vika is an extremely talented gymnast but she needs more motivation. She needs to understand that she is competing for the entire Country. Perhaps I am wrong, but it didn't seem to me that either one of them were putting up a fight. Some people may not like US team, but they had so much fight in them! Our men's team definitely had fight, where the girls not so much.
Alexandrov is to blame for what he doesn't say: Paseka' s progress and her new attitude, Afanasieva still competing after health problems and surgery; Vika's comeback; Spiridonova's bar and so on.
ReplyDeleteRussia's scores in TQ are quite good. The problem is floor. How can this be solved?
When Mustafina was competing in Rotterdam and after Rotterdam, he criticized Nellie Kim for the treatment Russia was receiving and he agreed with the Rodionenkos on this point.
Who can motivate Vika? Did he motivate her as a team coach? Was he more interested in Mustafina winning?
Mustafina needs someone: she selected Starkin almost a year ago. Why this arrangement has not worked? Was it Mustafina not beeing used to discipline any more? Was it her conditioning? Her weight?
Its too easy to say that the TF was horrendous for Russia.
Alexandrov's statement comes at a bad moment. If he has nothing to do, there is self-critique of team Brazil to occupy his time.
I agree that the timing may appear off - but since Alexandrov has a clear conviction that things must change if there is to be success in Russia, when else but now can these problems be tackled?
DeleteI think that what he proposes - essentially, mentoring the coaches - is the only sustainable way forward. More emphasis on how the sport works on a regional, grassroots level, will result from this tactic and will improve Russia's strength in depth - eventually.
As regards Brazil - Alexandrov was responding to interview questions rather than lobbying for a position. I think Isa's translation makes this clearer than my summary does. I am sure that a professional coach like Alexandrov will continue to do a good job for his employer.
More will follow. I have work but will do a review as promised in the coming days and weeks.
There is an article released about Giulia Steingruber:
DeleteThey say they will do a MRI in Hospital, but it doesn't seem to be a serious injury. They also don't think that one of the ligaments is hurt. She still felt a little bit of pain in her knee on Sunday, but she continued training with the team, without putting too much weight on her knee.
Giulia also stated (?), that she was nervous before her DTY an got way too fast on the run-up, therefore she wasn't really in control on her vault and the landing (she also couldn't complete both twists).
Giulia doesn't really know yet, if she will compete at the upcoming swiss cup.
PS: Please excuse any grammatical or linguistic mistakes, English is not my mother tongue...
http://www.news.ch/Giulia+Steingruber+aeussert+sich+zum+Sturz/678283/detail.htm
How can he say the Komova and Afanasyeva finished poorly on this WC? Afanasyeva's second place on floor was over the expectations for me. Even Vika on beam was a little dissapointing, she done her ( current) best on bars after recovery. What I could see is that the RUS team should focus on mental training so I somewhat agree with Alexandrov this point, it was interesting to see, that the US team seemed not nervous at all during the routines compared to all of the RUS WAG gymnasts. However, I am not sure there would be serious differences in results with Alya, the problems are deeper here indeed IMO.
ReplyDeleteTom
I entirely agree. The problem is not Alya. The problem is floor. Some Russian gymnasts have improved their vault and Paseka took Biles by surprise. Beam is a problem in competition, not in content.
DeleteAfan's coach has stated on several occasions that Alexandrov had not been fair to Afan. And she came 2nd in a difficult final. A. was always jealous of Komova. She was a potential diamond for Russian Gymnastics.
Biles had also concentration problems on beam AA.
"How can he say the Komova and Afanasyeva finished poorly on this WC?"
DeleteHe didn't. He's talking about Team Finals, where Valentina blamed the Russians not winning a medal on the newbies and home-team advantage for GBR. Alexandrov was simply pointing out that the only newbie on the team was Seda, and she did better in Team Finals than the veterans Komova and Afanasyeva.
Didn't Afan miss something from her FX in the TF? Or perhaps she watered down? She was credited with a 6.0 D score in TF yet a 6.4 in EF. That 0.4 was the difference between bronze and 4th
Deletelol, paseka did not take biles by surprise. biles herself said she didnt expect a medal against steingruber, masha, and hong because her 2nd vault is so small. she has a cheng but is waiting to perfect it, so she knew not to expect gold. not to diminish paseka's win, but the only race was only against hong, When guilia and biles increase difficulty next year it will mean more if paseka wins then.
DeleteBoth, I think.
Delete(1) Her leap series in TF was watered down - at Euros she did split leap (A) + split leap 3/2 (D) + split jump 1/2 (B) and at Worlds she did split ring leap (C) and switch leap (B) and i think she only did split leap (A) + switch leap (B) in TF. So she would have 'lost' 0.1 by counting a C element instead of a D
(2) I think the Semonova was also downgraded, which I think is fair, so she loses another D element which becomes a B - so losing another 0.2 there.
That should make 6.3 D. In EF she also added a double turn out of the double L turn, which gives her an additional connection bonus of 0.1, thus making 6.4D for EFs.
I don't know what she was doing with the leap series but well, mistakes with the turns happen and it was very nearly all the way around, one of those iffy ones where it could go either away in judging. But if you want to call Afan out, then Paseka and Spiridonova should also be called out on UB because both did their 'easier' sets with 0.2 D lower each. That 0.4 would also have made the difference. More understandable with Paseka because that is a new connection and she doesn't always make it, but Dasha has been doing this set beautifully for quite sometime.
problem really is the leadership and management of Russian WAG. You see that the focus of the current leaders is to uplift themselves and not to uplift the athletes. Instead of focusing on strategies on how to strengthen the team, they always to gossiping and back stabbing. Alexandrov is correct in saying that they need to get mustafina back in shape. Russia needs a star and she is the right person to raise the flag of Russia. the young generation of gymnast needs an idol and she is the best choice at the moment. because she has the will power and the competitive spirit to win. No one else in their roster is like mustafina. The Management of the russian WAG needs a big revamp. and lets start by firing the rodionenkos period.,
ReplyDeleteSo everyone on the Russian team doesn't have the spirit or competitiveness to win because Mustafina is the sole reason they have this drive? Give them some credit. Two of the gymnasts from the team won gold on bars, gold on vault, and a silver for floor. How is that not competitive? You give Mustafina so much credit, when in reality some of her teammates have surpassed her and on their way to surpassing her and you fail to give them any sort of credit.
DeleteIf you all fail to remember Mustafina fell on bb during the olympics. She failed miserably on bb during team competition. You are all overlooking that because well she's Mustafina. No one in their roster is like Mustafina because they're not Mustafina, they are better! In my opinion they need to focus on Seda and Kharenkova. They may not have performed well during worlds, but they are all-around gymnasts that have great potential. They both rarely show emotions or attitude during a competition even when they don't perform well, which shows focus and that is what the Russians need. No tantrums for not performing well, but to show restraint when needed especially when your teammates still have to perform on an apparatus.
Mustafina didn't failed miserably on BB during TF. She saved falls, and if you call that failing miseraby then I don't even want to know whats the word you have for what Grishina and Afanasyeva did. Must also be noted that Mustafina was the only Russian competing on the 4 events that day. She did her job, and showed she was focused.
DeleteI don't think the poster meant to say that Mustafina is the only one that has a drive. But excuse me, even if he did, what can of competitive credict can I give to a gymnast like Seda who falls and falls, or to Komova who didn't fight at all to stay on the apparatus on TF or that up until this competition, threw numerous tantrums when things didn't go her way?. (understandable tantrums most of the times tho')
Everyone gives Mustafina credit because she has earned it, and I don't think we're overlooking anything because we like her, She has the results to back things up, we have seen her competing!
Balance beam seems to be more problematic than floor right now. Qualifications aside, every single gymnast from Russia failed on beam. They had 0 clean routines at the end. I was glad when Komova fought to stay on the apparatus in the EF, but I couldn't say it was a satisfatory routine, she had enough skills to medal but wasn't able to score above 14; about Seda, I think it's time to change her acrobatic elements on BB, she hit just 1 of 4 routines.
ReplyDeleteI think it's unfair to say afanasyeva did badly in team finals. She achieved russias top score on floor and also had a pretty solid vault. She was one of the only 3 out of the whole team who hit all of their routines so how can she have let the team down ?Whereas Seda fell on beam though she did well in the other apparatuses.
ReplyDeleteAfan's FX score jumped from a 14.5 in team finals to a 15.1 in floor final - she only got credited with a 6.0 D score in TF - yet a 6.4 in EF. So she must have missed/not been credited or perhaps watered down. However a 6.4 D score would have won bronze
DeleteKeep in mind guys that this interview was taken on the day of TF, and AA's comments pertain to that day only in this interview.
ReplyDeleteStill worse then!
DeleteHe is not a good predictor.
All this talk about Mustafina is simply useless. Some gymnasts are doing better than her, they are lighter and they work harder.
Let me start by saying I am a huge of fan of both Komova and Mustafina. And I am not trying to bring one down to prop the other up.
DeleteHowever, there is a big difference between the way Mustafina and Komova compete. Mustafina has the mentality of the old Soviet guard: she's there to win period. She's going to fight to the end MOST of the time because the team needs her. Grishina bailed on the team at the 2012 Olympics and that's how Mustafina ended up doing beam in her place for the team finals.
Most of her teammates don't have that fight in them, especially Komova. Komova wants to be perfect and doesn't seem to have the ability to fight for something when things don't go her way MOST of the time. To illustrate this point: she was going to fall off beam in the team final no matter what. You could see that in her face before she even mounted the beam. If you compare the arabians she did for the team and event finals, she fought like hell to stay on even finals, but just gave up for the team. I think this is Alexander's point with Komova not fighting for her country.
And I don't see Russia winning a team medal without Mustafina next year at the Olympics which I believe is his other point. They need her routines to count in the hit category and she delivers most of the time.
I do disagree with his assessment of Ksenia. I think it was amazing that she was able to tough it out with the kidney issue that she was having. Kidney stones hurt a whole lot in just every day life, let alone as an elite athlete trying to make it through worlds. .
The biggest problem is that they don't have any AAer with Mustafina's ability. There are gymnasts who are better vaulter or floor worker but they don't score high in all apparatus. Seda is very inconsistent compared to Mustafina.
DeleteDespite the fact that Brazil did not qualify, it is consense among gymnastics experts here in Brazil that he is doing a very good job.
ReplyDeleteEven if the judges do unfavour Russia, it is not very clever to be telling your gymnasts that every day, for this is the opposite of motivation and gives them a way out when they fail- Komova's lousy statement after TF speaks for itself...