Skip to main content

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

By




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.  

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Simone and the others - results and reflections

By
In the end, it was as predicted : Simone and the others, with Simone's teammate, Alexandra Raisman, providing the back up.  I do not need to point out that, by definition, the Americans are scoring significantly higher marks than the rest of the field.  Congratulations to them! Aliya Mustafina finished in third place.  The 2012 bronze medalist led the competition after vault and uneven bars, but had a very nervous outing on beam that might have taken a less experienced gymnast out of the medals.  A bravura performance on floor brought Aliya back though to confirm her third place all around.  From her senior debut in 2010 to today, Mustafina has continuously set high standards of grace.    It is the first time since 2000 that a gymnast (Amanar) has medalled in the all around at two consecutive Olympics, and  if Aliya can medal on Saturday's uneven bars final, she will once again be Russia's biggest medal winner of the women's gymnastics.  Russ...
56 comments
Read more

Who really won the WAG All Around?

By
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.  My, how I wish we could have seen a similar document for the Tokyo World Championships. I wonder if anyone can explain how, if the FIG's Code of Points is so objective and fair, it is possible to come up with two different results using two differ...
70 comments
Read more

Viktoria Komova - back pain has forced me to step down

By
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...
43 comments
Read more