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News from Moscow - national teams - Yana Vorona - Elena Gerasimova

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First of all, the gymnasts are continuing to work on their applications to compete as neutral individuals in FIG competitions.  I know for sure that the applications will include Viktoria Listunova and Angelina Melnikova.

Please bear in mind that Russia still won't be competing as a team.  There will be limits on the numbers of gymnasts they can send to each competition, but I don't know how this will be decided or how the qualifications to Worlds will work.  Or if qualified individual gymnasts will even be allowed to go to the Olympics.  Will the gymnasts take their own personal coaches with them, or will the national coaches accompany them?  It's all a mystery.

The national team rosters for 2025 have been published and not much has changed.

The list of coaches seems almost identical.  Head coaches are still the Rodionenkos, Alfosov remains as head of the men's team and Bulgakova is still looking after the women.  Mustafina has kept her job as head of the junior women's team.  Afanasyeva is still working as a choreographer on beam and floor for the women.  Marina Bulashenko, a beam coach from way back when, is also listed on the senior team.

The men's team has lost some big names.  Nagorny, unsurprisingly, is no longer on the team; I guess he finds his work in the media more interesting at the moment.  Daniil Marinov seems to be the top male gymnast in the main senior team.  Belyavski and Dalaloyan have both been shifted downwards as part of the senior reserve.  My guess is that they lack the motivation to train for competition, without the excitement of a team event. 

Some familiar names that are no longer there include Yana Vorona, who now works in the circus.  Elena Gerasimova has secured a job as a coach at one of the Moscow clubs.  Denis Ablyazin is back in training after his shoulder injury, but isn't good enough yet to appear on the national team.  

A positive aspect of Russia's hopeful participation in world competition will be that old friendships between our countries can be revisited.  Gymnastics has always been such a nice sport, on a personal level.  To a certain extent I think that the IOC got it wrong when they 'cancelled' Russia's participation at the last Olympics; surely sport is a great vehicle for promoting peace and friendship.  But then again, perhaps Putin spoiled all that.  

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