Skip to main content

Blog finished

By

I’ve reached a time in my life when it’s more important to watch the birds and listen to my nephews and nieces laughing than it is to write about Russian gymnastics.  I  have a couple of ‘wrap ups’ in the pipeline but that’s all, folks.

The Olympics just aren’t the Olympics without the Russians, at least for me.  I wish Russia would put their energy into great sport instead of military endeavours.  I’m no fan of the IOC and the Russian gymnasts did a lot of good for peace and friendship over about 70 years.  But Russia’s leaders are letting their people down.  

I’ll continue to walk alongside Angelina Melnikova and will post occasional updates of her work and life on my RRG Facebook page.  She is remarkable.  

I hope that Russia’s young gymnasts can find a way to continue what is essentially their livelihood, if necessary by moving overseas.  It would be great if some of them could study abroad.

I’m unfollowing Nagorny.  He walked with a swagger round the competition hall at Russia Cup and was encouraging gymnasts to take up the draft and join their country’s military at war.  He always did talk too much.

Thank you for the journey - readers, gymnasts, coaches, Valentina Rodionenko.  I’ve loved you and will love you.  

Bye bye.  до свидания.

Labels:

Comments

  1. Anonymous14 August 2024 at 21:48

    Thank you for your insights and everything that went into your unique blog. Wishing you all the best in the future.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Anonymous14 August 2024 at 22:06

    Thanks for a great blog I have been reading from the start wishing you all the best.

    ReplyDelete
  3. Anonymous15 August 2024 at 01:16

    I will miss your blog. I will miss your great coverage and insights. Wishing you the best.

    ReplyDelete
  4. Anonymous17 August 2024 at 13:15

    Thanks for your great blog. I will miss you and wish you the best

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Tatyana Nabiyeva on work and love in China

By
Some highlights from a long interview with 2010 World champion Tatyana Nabiyeva.  Source: Russian team page on VK.com.  Translation - Google translate A big interview with Tatyana Nabieva about the peculiarities of work and life in China, the bright years of her sports career, a little about modern gymnastics and about love. On the Nabiyeva flight — At the same championship, you presented a new element on the bars, which was later added to the rules with your last name (flying over the top bar with a straight body, difficulty group F. — Sport24). How did you come up with the idea to try something new? — Actually, it happened spontaneously, I think. We worked with Vera Iosifovna [Kiryashova] on the purity of the elements on the bars, sometimes I didn’t fly all the way to the Shaposhnikova element. Once I didn’t fly all the way to the bars either and stood on my feet between the bars, bending my legs in flight for safety. Then Vera Iosifovna said that this was a different eleme...
Post a Comment
Read more

Svetlana Boginskaya: I was always a bitch* in gymnastics

By
Svetlana Boginskaya, 15 years old, with her medals from the Seoul Olympics Nico translates the latest interview with gymnastics legend Svetlana Boginskaya, during a recent visit to her home country of Belarus. Svetlana Boginskaya: I was always a bitch* in gymnastics, so now I ask for forgiveness from everyone who came in contact with me. The National Olympic Committee of Belarus held a press conference with three-time Olympic Champion in artistic gymnastics, Svetlana Boginskaya. The meeting was devoted to the 25th anniversary of the Olympic Games in Seoul. In South Korea the Belarussian won two gold medals in the team competition and vault. As a gift to the Olympic Hall of fame, the famous gymnast, now living in the United States, donated one of her trophies that she won at the 1990 European Championships and a pennant for Best Female Athlete of the USSR in 1989. How happy we were when we could share with such stars as Boginskaya, Scherbo, and Ivankov,...
14 comments
Read more

Alexander Alexandrov in his own words 1 - A Difficult Decision

By
Alexander Alexandrov with his daughter, Isa, at the statue of Christ the Redeemer, Rio.  (c) Alexander Alexandrov Russian coach Alexander Alexandrov has been prominent in the sport since 1983, when he came to the public eye as coach of the brilliant Dmitri Bilozerchev.  He has over thirty years’ experience of coaching World and Olympic Champions both in the country of his birth and in his adopted home, Houston, USA.  In his most recent position as Head Coach of the national women's artistic gymnastics (WAG) team for Russia, he quite simply resurrected his country’s gymnastics programme, re-establishing his team at the very top of the sport.  Prior to Alexandrov’s appointment, at the 2008 Olympics, Russian WAG had walked away empty handed, without medals.  At last year’s London Olympics, artistic gymnastics was one of Russia’s most successful sports.  Alexandrov’s Russia won the most gymnastics medals of any country competing, and his athlete Al...
11 comments
Read more