In an interview with sports analyst Alexei Zubakov, Russia's head coach Valentina Rodionenko has commented on the state of WAG Gymnastics at the Rio Olympics, following on from yesterday's qualifying event.
'We are very sorry ... for four decades one of Russia's main opponents was the Romanian national team. Brazil will miss the Romanian style of gymnastics. Undoubtedly, the absence of their leader, Larissa Iordache, affected the team's performance.
... In the team competition USA and Russia will compete for first place, and for third - China and the UK. The remaining teams at the moment are a long way behind the strongest four.
...There is a clear favourite in the men's competition, Japan. Also competing for medals will be China, UK, USA, Brazil and Germany. Russia will also be competing for a team medal.
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Very unfortunate for Romania however, if Russia has another meltdown like they did in Glasgow there is no way they are in medal contention. For Valentina to think they are in the hunt for gold is pretty delusional.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you. She is a little delusional there. I think China may be the closest challenger to the US. Hoping Melnikova can help challenge China for silver, and maybe podium for the all around.
DeleteIs Valentina serious with the Gold Medal talk? And I love how her praise for Melnikova mirrors the praise she had for Grishina four years ago. I love Russia always have always will, but we have to be realistic about where the team stands and the inflated scores from Russian Nationals seem to have seeped into her psyche. The Olympics are unpredictable, but improvements are needed before she throws out such comments.
DeleteI think Valentina is really being delusional here. Of course I will be happy to see the Russian team return home with the team (and other individual) Gold meal, but the USA can reach much higher D-score than the Russian squad, and the US team has been so impressively consistent.
DeleteNow I really wonder how Valentina will form the team. I once thought Paseka's place is locked, but it was a warning sign for me to see Paseka mess up both vaults in the national championship. Romania has shown it is unwise to rely too much upon veterans. I would be baffled and perplexed if Valentina opts for a team consisting 4 members (Paseka, Afanasyeva, Komova and Mustafina) from the 2012 team.
Given that Komova is back in hospital again I think its unlikely that the 4 veterans will be making it to Rio. Given her injuries and health situation perhaps for her well being its time for Komova to call it a day.
DeleteGuys, it is ok! This is just another media stunt. We all know the reality. lets hope Russia ends up on the podium somehow, fingers crossed. The last thing we want is 2015 Worlds scenario. What i really don't like here is using Romania's situation to make a media appearance. Oh well, it is Valentina and we need to get used to her statements. She is all about Melnikova these days. Remember Mustafina post London Games? Valentina was all over her. Funny enough is the lately released special tv report about Melnikova demonstrating a BB basic elements where Valentina watching like a Pro. I like media :)
DeleteAlfi
Paseka's coach gave an interview where she explained that she had a problem with a callus in one hand and could not vault properly.
DeleteValentina is ridiculous because she could need Tutkhalian, after all.
The good thing about the Russian Nationals were the juniors and the progress by Kapitonova and Skrypnik. It's a shame. The Olympics are too early for both of them.
Skrypnik has not progressed imo, in fact she has pretty much stagnated since she was a junior 2 years ago. Sokova was doing well until her injuries last year. Kapitonova has been the big surprise of the 2000 batch.
DeletePersonally I would not count Seda out, but I think Kharenkova is being overlooked in much the way Dementyeva was in 2012. Usable on multiple events, reasonable consistency for a Russian, plenty of international experience, and good work ethic.
I agree that Dementyeva was unfairly overlooked, but Kharenkova is, in my opinion, definitely not as good or consistent as Dementyeva. I fear Kharenkova is simply not quite up to the par. Her vault was not useful enough for Rio, and for the vault she couldn't become the 2015 European All-Around Champion. True, she won the 2014 European beam title, but then she fell from the beam in 2015 European event final, 2015 Worlds, and 2014 Worlds. If I were the coach, it is hard for me to choose her again in such a big competition like Rio!
DeleteValentina's favouring to Melnikova makes me think of Grishina back then. In the end Grishina was asked to do all four apparatuses during the team final, and she did well. I think the same thing may be repeated again this year in the EC. Though I can't stop feel bad that Grishina somehow added difficulties too rapidly, ultimately messed up the London game, and led to such a lamentable ending to her career without winning enough major medals her talents deserved.
ReplyDeleteMustafina nowadays makes me feel that she simply wants to survive a routine or to medal, rather than to win and to fetch a gold. And though she is liked by a lot of people (I myself included), I really doubt whether 1) she is still THE No. 1 All-arounder in Russia, and 2) she can win another individual medal in Rio. She had the desire for Gold in her eyes in 2010 Worlds, but I am not so sure about this after the London Olympics, to be honest...
As for Romania team, I fear now Iordache might feel guilty. Had she flown to Rio and competed with the team, I am very sure the story would be different. Does anyone know why she decided not to take it?
My ideal Russia female team now for Rio may be: Melnikova, Spiridonova (this girl has the desire and ambition to win), Mustafina, Afanasyeva and Paseka, with Tutkhalyan and Kharenkova as the alternative.
Larissa has broken a finger so couldn't compete in Rio. No blame, please!
DeleteYes, and let's hope she can perform well in Rio!
DeleteFor your line up scenario, I think more or less this is the only option Russia got given the current situation unless someone pulls a last minute surprise out of the blue or Komova makes a miracle. It does not look good at all. This team needs to pull 15s across the board. So far they are all about 14s and some 15s. Down the line, it is assumed that Tsarina Valentina the Great is going to start eliminating the one's with "stupid" mistakes from the squad list announced for 2016 (Afanasyeva, Dmitrieva, Kapitanova, Komova, Melnikova, Mustafina, Paseka, Skrypnik, Sokova, Sosnitskaya, Spiridonova, Tutkhalyan, Kharenkova, Shelgunova. So Farewell O'Podium. As per the scenario above:
DeleteV = Paseka, Afan, Melnikova (High 14s - High 15s). I'd rather see some last minute Amanars here like Paseka in London.
UB = Spiridnova, Mustafina, Melnikova (Low 15s for the latter two)
BB = Melnikova, Mustafina, Afan ( High 14s - Low 15s)
FX = Afan, Melnikova, Mustafina (Mid 14s - Low 15s)
Alfi
I agree almost entirely with you, Alfi, except that I would probably put Mustafina up on VT rather than Melnikova. Melnikova's DTY is her weakest event and Mustafina's DTY has always been secure while her form errors usually get overlooked. I have hopes that Afan will be able to pull her Amanar out when we get nearer to Rio. But barring any miraculous surprises by other members of the squad, this is what it's going to be. Imo Dmitrieva, Sosnitskaya and Sokova are out of the picture.
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