Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

Angelina Melnikova confirmed her position as Russia's leading AA gymnast today at the Russia Cup in Penza, taking gold over the two days of competition, ahead of her close colleague Seda Tutkhalyan, and Olympic champion from 2012, Aliya Mustafina.  Mustafina surprised by once again falling from her best piece, uneven bars. 'Russia Cup is primarily a step in my preparations for Rio', said Mustafina.  'As a competition, it isn't that important - I needed to try out my AA as I have not competed or trained it for a long time, including trying out my vault.  I met all of my goals, every apparatus went well today, apart from bars.  My failure there is because we have only just begun working on a new set of bars that will be used in the Olympic  Games.  There hasn't been enough time for me to get used to the way they feel, the spring and the grip.  In Rio they will be the same, but there is still time!' Rodionenko later added that Aliya had done more than exp...

Y http://xn---70-5cdf9dpu.xn--p1ai/events/fotogallery/3281/ Daria spiridonova pic gallery 115 days http://stadium.ru/news/01-07-2016-valentina-rodionenko Head coach of the Russian national team in gymnastics Valentine Rodionenko in an interview with "Stadium," commented Alexander Barmina performance of his players in the individual all-around at the Cup of Russia in Penza. Angelina Melnikova won the Cup of Russia in artistic gymnastics individual all-round - In principle, everything turned out as we expected in the women's all-around. The winner Angelina Melnikova and Seda Toutkhalian, which became the second prize-winner, fell short of expectations. Zanyavschaya third Olympic champion Aliya Mustafina today was not quite ready to compete for the title of absolute champion. It is healing the injury and did not manage to gain its form. These three winners will just be our main support at the Olympics. Melnikova pleases its unusual stability. It is very rarely wrong. During ...

There is a great interview with Aliya at http://mir24.tv/news/sport/14596761 In Russian!   Some edited highlights from the written commentary beneath -  'We always sleep between workouts [in the afternoon] because sleep helps recovery ... We go to bed and get up at the same time every day - we have got used to this.' 'I do not remember a time when I wanted to do anything but gymnastics.' 'It is hard to remember my injury [from 2011] all over again.  I had a desire to prove to myself that I can recover and compete all over again.  My parents supported me, Dad more than Mum [in respect of sport].  Mum was worried about my health, but Dad was concerned for me as an athlete.  He knows that first of all I am his daughter, but I find it easier to talk to him [about sport].  [She adds that she talks to her Mum about personal things.] 'I will stand my ground to the last [in an argument] - but I will always accept it if I am wrong.  If you never make mista...

Twice World Champion Ksenia Afanasyeva will miss Russia Cup later this month to recover from surgery to her ankle, reports TASS this morning.  The vault and floor specialist flew home from Munich on Saturday.  This is the fourth operation that Ksenia has had to a torn ligament in her right ankle, an injury that originally surfaced during preparations for the 2012 Olympics. 'I would not call it an operation [so much as a procedure]', said head coach Valentina Rodionenko, 'It is an old injury that the doctors have cleaned up.  We are really hoping for her to compete in Rio.' Afanasyeva said that dependent upon her recovery and selection for the national team, she hoped to be able to compete in Rio. Good luck to Ksenia as she works to recover from her surgery!   TASS report by Albert Starodubtsev TASS report by Pavel Gurevich Further reading on RRG: 'They call me crazy for thinking of 2020' - Interview with Ksenia  Sports Express interv...

    Eremina in 2016 St Petersburg has a tradition of great gymnastics - from 1980 and 1988 Olympic Champions Alexander Detiatin and Elena Shushunova, to this year's Junior European Champion, Elena Eremina via  World Champion Tatiana Nabiyeva and European beam champion Evgenia Kuznetsova. And we shouldn't forget St Petersburg as a home of great innovation.  Elena Shushunova's half blind change to Markelov was astonishing in its time.  And then, we come to possibly my favourite single gymnastics element - the straight Tkachev, which Nabiyeva performed at the 2010 World Championships. The legacy and heritage continues, and now 14 year old Elena Eremina is practicing the same skill in training.  You can see a video of this at her coach, Vera Kiryashova's Instagram account ( https://instagram.com/p/BGsMgtNnqSk/ ).  Vera and her husband Alexander also coached Tatiana Nabiyeva. Coach Vladimir Zaglada, who has held senior coaching roles in the USA, Russia and ...

   Coach and judge Vera Kiryashova with one of her world champion gymnasts, Tatiana Nabiyeva TASS (Albert Starodubtsev) reports that Russian WAG judge Vera Kiryashova has been cleared of biased judging at last year's World Championships.  The well known judge, also coach to champions Tatiana Nabiyeva and Elena Eremina, stood accused by the Women's Technical Committee of overscoring the beam routines of Maria Kharenkova, Seda Tutkhalyan and Viktoria Komova.   All expenses were reimbursed in respect of the disciplinary hearing (1,000 Swiss Francs). Olympic licenses have already been handed out to judges, and Mrs Kiryashova was denied hers in favour of her compatriot Maria Ulyankina (personal coach to Maria Paseka and Seda Tutkhalyan) pending the result of the disciplinary hearing.  She says that she will not pursue its reinstatement as that would involve denying her colleague the opportunity to judge at the Games.  'I was banned from the Olympics before any i...

A few sources in the Russian press have reported Russia's team news.  There is a little bit more information about Viktoria Komova's retirement, or rest break, and some good news about Maria Paseka. The news came clearly from Viktoria's own mouth - I cannot link to the video - and has now been repeated and clarified by her father.  Viktoria has stopped training because of the pain in her back.  There is no chance of her making it to Rio now but if she recovers she may come back later.   Valentina Rodionenko says unequivocally that Vika has retired, but this doesn't have to be taken as a contradiction, just a simpler version of the picture.  (I personally think that retirement is probably right - but why say never?  However, I would feel sorry for Viktoria if she were not being allowed to make her own decisions.) The good news is that Maria Paseka will be competing at Russia Cup - she has recovered from her back pain and is making her way towards qualificat...

I awoke this morning to a very simple statement from Viktoria Komova, on her vk.com site, which Papa Liukin has translated (via the IG forum): 'Dear friends, fans, and gymnastics lovers. Unfortunately back pain isn't allowing me to train to my full potential and get ready for competitions. I've made the very difficult decision to stop training and take care of my health. I want to thank everyone for their support! Without your love and warmth it would've been more difficult to go all the way. Thanks everyone and see you soon! Love and kisses.' Well, first of all, good wishes and best of luck to Viktoria, who has struggled since 2012 to re-establish herself fully as a competitive gymnast, whose talent was so great that she secured gold on bars at two different World Championships, four years apart, whose career was littered with controversy, who must be allowed to live her life as she wishes.   I know that the 'gymternet' will now be overflowing...

The atmosphere surrounding the Russian male gymnasts at this year's European Championships was noticeably relaxed and happy as they made their way to their various medals.  This reflects not only a more stable competition performance, but also a refreshed dynamic within the team.  First, some background .  Russian sport finds itself under unprecedented pressure at present following serious doping allegations and positive tests which have led the International Athletics Federation to propose that Russia's entire track and field team be barred from the Olympics.  Other sports are implicated, and even gymnastics has not emerged unscathed, as senior team member Nikolai Kuksenkov tested positive for trace elements of meldonium in the spring.  Kuksenkov has now been given a pardon and actually competed in Bern, but it seems likely that artistic gymnastics, with its ultra-clean record internationally, has the potential to win medals for Russia at the Olympics with...

Valery Alfosov, head coach of the Russian men's team: - Yes, today the Russian team was stronger than the British - our main rival on the continent. Of the 18 outputs only one mistake, costing half a score on bars made our most experienced gymnast - Kuksenkov. He slipped off the pole arm when performing somersaults forward from the stop on the hands in an emphasis on the hands. No more. With regard to this shell, before the Olympics, the team needs to achieve the following: to maintain the pace of execution throughout the exercise and make stops only where they are provided. Everything else should "trickle flow". All items must be carried out on straight arms and without "marking" and stepping into the stands. At the bar is clearly required to achieve increase estimates due to the performance class. This is our immediate task. On the rings need to improve the geometry of the load-bearing elements and extend their fixation. Flight feathers are elements n...

Ksenia Afanasyeva was a supportive team captain at the European Championships.  Picture courtesy of RSport on Instagram Ksenia Afanasyeva, once the baby of the 2008 Olympics team, is preparing for her third Olympic Games.  The shy, intense teenager has become an accomplished, humourous and supportive team captain.  Sergei Smyshlyaev of R Sport took some time to catch up with Ksenia after her successful European Championships, in which she won a team gold medal, and an individual bronze on the vault.  Sections of the interview are paraphrased. - The main question that everyone is interested in: how is your foot? - In general, I am feeling quite well, but my foot, of course, hurts badly. - Don't you like being the heroine of the tournament, to an extent?  Even with an injury, through the pain, you still helped the team take the gold.  Even after qualifying the coaches celebrated your grit. - To be honest, I do not feel like a heroine. Even ...

Y The ratio of the leaders of the Russian national team to help young gymnasts win - Eugene Grebenkine - I would like to thank all the coaches, specialists, therapists, doctors, who have helped us in this case - Grebenkine told reporters. - All congratulations on the victory! Melnikova first entered the adult start Toutkhalian already was, but faltered. Well nothing! On the first day probed, we reached the final. And everything is decided by the finals. Leaders support young people set up their own example that helps to show the best results. Commenting protested Mustafina assessment on the basis of performance on the balance beam, the expert said: - We decided that the base should be higher than 0.2. With regard to the separation of British women, we do not expect our task was to pass their hands dignified and beautiful girls showed today. Source: rsport.ru/artist_gym/20160604/931232859.html Coaching Staff of the Russian national team on the eve of the finals in individual events of a...