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Mustafina 'wants to test herself in the AA'

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    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

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  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

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