Skip to main content

Mustafina 'wants to test herself in the AA'

By
    Courtesy of vk.com

Aliya Mustafina plans to try out her skills on all four apparatus in this week's European Championships, says Valentina Rodionenko.  Also going on all four apparatus will be newly crowned Russian Champion, Angelina Melnikova.   Daria Spiridonova will compete bars, where Mustafina is also currently very strong.  

In podium training today, Mustafina walked through a floor routine and was closely spotted by head coach Evgeny Grebyonkin.  2011 World floor champion, Ksenia Afanasyeva, did not warm up floor, looking on forlornly while her team mates, including Daria Spiridonova, practiced on her favourite piece.  There is no news yet as to Afanasyeva's competitive status here in Bern.

Official start lists for the competition will be published late tomorrow.  As with all competitions, believe what you see.  This year's Europeans is a team competition with event finals and no official all around competition, although there will be significant interest in whoever can perform well on all four pieces, with Angelina Melnikova presumably competing alongside Britain's Ellie Downie and defending Euro champ, Giulia Steingrueber, for the highest total.  

In my opinion, if Mustafina does go on floor, it will be because Afanasyeva can't compete.  With all due respect to the former world champion, this could be bad news for Russia's prospects in the team final.  Fewer than four weeks ago Andrei Rodionenko completely ruled out Mustafina's participation on floor, saying she would not be able to build enough stamina in the training time available to her.  There are no miracles in gymnastics, although I will be willing all the girls to perform their best and maintain their good health.

Valentina Rodionenko interview - http://m.rsport.ru/artist_gym/20160531/927762276.html

Labels:

Comments

  1. R.31 May 2016 at 18:11

    Podium training videos are up on the UEG page. Aliya is clearly not ready on floor and shouldn't be doing it. I don't know why Afanaseyva is even in Bern if she is not doing floor or beam, as Spiridonova did beam in PT. The place should have been given to Kapitonova or Kharenkova instead, since they can at least perform BB and FX. I highly doubt Aliya is performing on all events because she desperately wants to. She looked exhausted in PT.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous31 May 2016 at 19:55

      Can you provide links of podium training vids please?

      Delete
    2. Catty1 June 2016 at 09:55

      It is on Youtube now.

      Delete
    3. Milo3 June 2016 at 02:22

      Afan's ankle is probably hurting, but Aliya is also risking reinjury if she competes. This is where Seda would have been useful, why bring Kapitanova if you're not going to use her floor?

      Delete
  2. Russiafan31 May 2016 at 21:00

    I agree; based on podium training video I watched, Aliya is not ready for floor. She looks tired and not in good shape. She struggled on bars too. On beam she is doing her 2013 set with some more connections. I don't understand why they would send Kapitanova - she could do floor instead of Aliya. I do love Aliya's floor music. I really hope Aliya does not do floor and vault. She is not ready!

    The links to the training videos:
    https://www.facebook.com/UEGymnastics/?fref=photo

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous1 June 2016 at 10:38

    I love Aliya's new composition floor and music choice! It is so classic and at the same time so balletic, but also so so sassy :P

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous1 June 2016 at 14:41

    I love Aliya's floor music and choreography, but if she is in pain - which it looked like she was - she shouldn't be doing it.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

‘We all love her very much’ - Roschina speaks of Mustafina and the need to perfect an Amanar vault

By
From sport.ru via vk.com.  Google translate  A big interview with Anastasia Loginova from Sport24 with Lyudmila Roshchina following the Strongest Cup, where the gymnast won four out of five gold medals. We quote several fragments, the full version is available on the publication's website, link at the end. ❓ The Strongest Athletes Cup has recently ended. Did you have time to analyze your performances? 💬 I just rewatched the broadcast, looked at my shortcomings. ❓ Did you set a medal plan for this start? 💬 I didn't think about it. Only that I needed to do my program - and then what will happen. ❓ Did you have time to discuss the competition with your coach? 💬 She praised me, said that I was great. She didn't scold me for mistakes on the beam - on the contrary, she supported me. ❓ Can we say that the beam is your weak spot? This is the only final you didn't get to. 💬 Probably yes. I have this apparatus that is a bit unpolished, so to speak. Treacherous. I need to work...
Post a Comment
Read more

Simone and the others - results and reflections

By
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...
56 comments
Read more

AA Champion Liudmilla Roschina targets Olympic gold

By
  Liudmilla is the first gymnast of the new generation to win AA in the most important international competition in Russia.  The Krasnodar born gymnast was at one time said to be the favourite of head coach of the junior team, Aliya Mustafina.   Source: gymnastics group on VK.com.  Google translate Lyudmila Roshchina shone at the "Strongest Athletes Cup" in artistic gymnastics in Moscow.  🔝 The 17-year-old gymnast became the absolute champion in the all-around and in individual disciplines, winning the vault, parallel bars and floor exercises!  "I am very pleased. There were small mistakes, but they did not prevent me from showing a decent result. I liked the atmosphere of the competition, the full stands helped when I went out on the apparatus. I love all the apparatus, but especially the parallel bars. And, of course, it was interesting to test myself against foreign rivals. In September, the Russian Championship will be held, I want to perform there at ...
Post a Comment
Read more

RRG Archive - scroll by date, from 2024 to 2010

Show more