Skip to main content

Listunova and the rest

Image
By

 If you can make your way to Viktoria Listunova’s Instagram site, you will be able to see her practising FX and BB.  I’m not sure where her D values stand - earlier this year the RGF was advertising them as the highest in the world, but then they would, wouldn’t they?  But it pleases my heart to see the quality and line of her work - the beautiful wolf turns, in particular, which Russia transformed at the Olympics. 


I do pray hard for peace in Ukraine and Russia, and I understand on a political level why Russia as a team is banned from competing internationally.  But on a personal, sporting level - wherever will the women’s sport of gymnastics go without gymnasts like Listunova and Urazova and Melnikova?  


It’s plain that America at least has thrown good execution to the four winds, and is putting its trust in high difficulty values to dominate the scores (and they are probably right in thinking that this will see them win gold in Antwerp). 


There is such a lot of hype about them since the Classic - and I understand that they are dynamic, have high levels of difficulty etc.  But with the exception of a few passes in even fewer routines, the quality of the gymnastics is terrible.  It’s a slapdash, sloppy approach to the sport that pays very little respect to its roots of virtuosity and accuracy - and it’s not even particularly safe - Biles feels the need to be spotted during her vault.  


We all have our opinions - this is mine.  Let’s hope that other countries can keep the ‘artistic’ in artistic gymnastics alive.

Comments

  1. Anonymous24 August 2023 at 12:03

    I totally agree! It used to be like watching an artistic performance to watch the Olympic gymnastics competition. Nowadays the Americans put on sloppy looking tumbling exercises with supposedly high degree of difficulty that the lay person can’t distinguish anyway.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous28 August 2023 at 05:32

    You know what's sad? I can't even enjoy Simone's gymnastics anymore. Once the novelty of whatever crazy upgrade she's pulling wears off it's hard not to notice how she's gotten worse too. Like you said, she represented the pinnacle of what is worthwhile about American power style gymnastics. So if even her gymnastics can't hide the ugliness, I think it's time to revamp the sport.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Dave31 August 2023 at 01:31

    Ban them. Ban England too. The same rules need to apply to everybody

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Andrei Rodionenko explains Russia's performance at Worlds - Lupitatranslates

By
Rodionenko with European Champion David Belyavski  Courtesy RGF/Elena Mikhailova This is the interview that many people on the internet have already commented on, regarding Andrei Rodionenko's alleged racism.  The original, Russian language version, appears on VTB Bank's website (VTB are sponsors of Russian gymnastics).  It takes cleverer people than me to decide what is racism, what is deliberately perjorative, and what is inferred in an interviewer's question.  For now, I will not comment on this, therefore, but I would ask you to read Lupita's translation carefully before you form your own opinion.   I am providing some links below which might help you to decide where you stand. Definition of racism Definition of sexism BBC Sport article by Matthew Syed : Is it wrong to note that 100m winners are always black?            Updated 24/10 CSKA Moscow: UEFA opens racist chants case         ...
48 comments
Read more

Nelli Kim - 'Russian gymnastics has closed in on itself' - Lupita translates

By
Lupita has translated this ITAR-TASS interview with Nelli Kim.  It's controversial, to say the least. Ed's note : much of the initial response to this interview - both here and in the wider gymternet -  has focussed on the detail of Kim's words and especially her comments about Viktoria Komova, and smiling.  But I think these have to be taken in context, and not too literally. Don't forget that just a day ago Andrei Rodionenko complained bitterly about the judging in Antwerp, calling Kim's behaviour 'aggressive'. Kim is responding to this here, and to the wider current context of Russian gymnastics.  What she is essentially saying to the Russian coach is 'get your own house in order, produce confident, disciplined, well trained gymnasts - stop complaining, do your job, and I will do mine.'   She goes about saying this in a somewhat long winded way and says some things along the way that seem contradictory, unfair, inappropriate even for th...
30 comments
Read more

Remembering last summer - Nelli Kim, her judges and Viktoria Komova

By
In view of Nelli Kim's recent interview , Lupita and I thought it timely to revisit the performance of some of the WTC President's judges over past competitions ... this article from 27th August 2012 is reposted here, as a reminder. You will find a link to the FIG's newly published book of results at the Olympic Games here .  This year, they have broken down the judge's execution scores so you can see exactly how each judge evaluated the gymnasts' performances.  It makes for interesting reading - if only I had more time to analyse each judge's marking.  A skim reading already highlights multiple inconsistencies in individual judges' marks and makes you wonder why they bother with the jury at all. I have taken the time to look at the reference judges' scores for the top four in the women's all around.  The FIG explains here what their role is, and how they are selected.  I even used my calculator, which is a risky thing in my hands.  M...
42 comments
Read more

RRG Archive - scroll by date, from 2024 to 2010

Show more