Skip to main content

Valentina Rodionenko - Elena Davydova should return to coach in Russia

By

As usual, Valentina Rodionenko has an opinion on the current Canadian Gymnastics suspension of Elena Davydova, and has a verdict to deliver on Elvira Saadi, too.  Davydova has been invited to return to coach in Russia - she still has her apartment in St Petersburg, apparently.

Remember that Andrei Rodionenko headed up Canadian Gymnastics’ training for eight years until moving back to Russia in 2006.  Valentina’s opinion of the relative merits of Elvira and Elena’s coaching styles may have some basis in fact.


Read the whole story in English (Google translate from the original Russian language source - TASS) below.


‘Valentina Rodionenko: “Davydova needs to return to Russia, we will be happy to take her”


Valentina Rodionenko believes that Elena Davydova needs to return to Russia.


Two-time Olympic champion in artistic gymnastics Elena Davydova was temporarily suspended from coaching in Canada


“Elena Davydova needs to return, we will be happy to take her. Lena left Leningrad for Canada in 1991, she always said that she wanted to return to Russia. Davydova didn’t even sell her apartment in St. Petersburg.


Elvira Saadi, suspended for life, is a different case; her methods are not welcomed in Russia now, and nothing has connected her with our country for a long time.


I recently talked with Lena, nothing foreshadowed her removal. Unlike the case with Elvira Saadi, Davydova’s excommunication is very surprising to me.


But I cannot rule out that Lena was suspended for the same reasons as Elvira. These are requirements to follow a diet and strictly monitor your weight, psychological pressure on children, and so on, and everything can only come from the parents of gymnasts.


I repeat, Lena’s dismissal came as a complete surprise to me. I said earlier that Davydova, unlike Saadi, managed to rebuild and adjust her requirements for athletes. But both always had gymnasts from Team Canada.


Lena worked with wonderful girls, she is a very competent coach,” said the senior coach of the Russian artistic gymnastics team.


Source: TASS’

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

'Mustafina is no longer in pain' - Valentina Rodionenko

By
Picture of Aliya Mustafina, courtesy of RGF Valentina Rodionenko has provided some updates on the Russian teams and how their preparation for Worlds (Nanning, China, 3 to 12 October) is progressing, via Allsports (http://www.allsportinfo.ru/index.php?id=84328) - The teams are now at camp in Italy, in two small towns close to Milan, by the sea, where the girls travelled on 29th June and the men on 1 July.  The athletes aren't only training, they can also relax. - Komova is working out at Round Lake, she didn't go to Italy.  We will see how she does at the Russia Cup, which will be held late August in Penza. Tatiana Nabiyeva is looking good in training and the other girls are also working.  Ksenia Afanasyeva won't have time to prepare for Worlds, and Anastasia Grishina's participation is also in doubt, we just don't know if she will qualify for the team.   We have hopes for Aliya Mustafina.  As always, she is our number one.  It would be great if there were t...
30 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

The Produnova vault - should it be banned?

By
Elena Produnova - one of the most beautiful and powerful gymnasts ever There is a lot of discussion about this at the moment and I felt moved to add this blog's voice to the rising tide of opinion. The vault you can see below (a) should not be banned as it is exciting, innovative and beautiful. Vault (a) http://youtu.be/nQuIQ9s3ddM But the vault below (b) should receive a zero, leaving the coach and gymnast effectively disqualified from the running for team, all around and apparatus finals.  While you might argue that the gymnast nominally lands with her feet on the ground, she can't sustain the landing and her weight is taken by back, head, neck and several other body parts.  Surely common sense dictates a zero score.  You can argue, if you like, that common sense shouldn't come into judging, but surely it is not too much to expect judges to make judgements.  Or perhaps a minor change to the wording of the Code if Points is required to make this more comfortable for...
14 comments
Read more

RRG Archive - scroll by date, from 2024 to 2010

Show more