Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

Admittedly, this video of Russia’s junior gymnasts - the boys - has been edited to show the very best of the best.   Two things especially moved me. 1. When the gymnast on high bar speaks of performing the Tkachev. Alexander Tkachev is an Olympic Champion (1980) ànd was the first gymnast to perform the Tkachev somersault on high bar, at the World Championships in 1978.   Alexander still coaches gymnastics ànd he lives and works in the USA.  He has a Facebook account. He’s a legend ànd his name is still spoken in Russian gymnasia and around the world.  The skill he initiated still takes your breath away every time you see it performed. 2. The boy performing on pommel horse who lifts his right arm during his circling.  It’s the ultimate show of style on this difficult apparatus, as far as I am concerned.  He is copying it from David Belyavski, ànd Belyavski copied it from Valentin Mogilnyi (RIP).   There’s a third thing I want to add.  Mogilnyi was ...

 I began Rewriting Russian Gymnastics in 2010, 16 years ago.  I wanted to write for publication.  After about a decade of writing in my professional capacity as a University lecturer about museums management, I needed a break and the subject of gymnastics had always fascinated me, without fail. Gymnastics in Russia had been a lifelong interest for me and I had been writing on various forums for years - Gymworld and IG forums were my favourites.  The discussion and debate was quite fierce.  So I decided to try my hand at blogging, and to see if I could create something meaningful that went beyond the usual arguments about Khorkina's scores and Ferrari's leotards. The development of our collective understanding of the world of gymnastics since that time has gone hand in hand with the development of the internet and in particular social media.  In respect of social media, we seem to have come full circle since the 1960s, but more about that later in another po...

🥇🇮🇹 The teams of Angelina Melnikova (ASD Libertas Ginnastica Vercelli) and Arseniy Dukhno (Pro Karate) once again took first place in the second stage of the Italian Serie A1 Club Championship in Biella Angelina and Arseniy successfully represented their clubs as foreign players, earning their teams important points for victory.  Angelina Melnikova (ASD Libertas Ginnastica Vercelli) Vault  14.1 (D 5.0) UB 14.5 D5.9 E 8.5 Bonus .1 Beam 14.05 D5.5 E8.55 FX 14.05 D5.3 E8.55 B .2 AA 56.7 Arseny Dukhno (Pro Carate) FX 15.75 D5.9 E8.85 PH 13.85 D5.3 E8.55 SR 12.65 D3.9 E8.75 V 14.45 D5.2 E9.25 PB 13.55 D5.6 E7.95 HB 13.55 D5 E8.55 AA 82.8

As I have said, there is less and less social media information coming out of Russia, apart from the official channels.  I have been relying increasingly on Telegram, but am hearing that this platform too will soon be outlawed. Steve Rosenberg talks here about how Russia’s internet based communications are being closed down by government.   I will try to keep up with as much as I can, but this could be difficult.  My love to all of you in Russia ànd I hope your lives can get back to normal soon. https://youtu.be/HkiWWVEMtFY

First of all, TASS have been discussing Angelina’s plans for the year.  She wants to have a corgi dog, but for now can’t as she’s busy with gymnastics. https://tass.ru/interviews/26678443 Gymnast Angelina Melnikova: I want a dog, but so far I only have a cactus In an interview with TASS at the "Forum in the Big City," Olympic gymnastics champion Angelina Melnikova discussed why she loves International Women's Day, her favorite flowers, traveling, her athletic plans, and shared the secret to her perfect figure. We're talking on the eve of March 8th, which is associated, among other things, with flowers. So, my first questions are about them. Which flowers do you like the most, and which don't you? — I love peonies. I think they're the most beautiful. But on March 8th, I think tulips seem even more beautiful on this day. Which flowers don't I like? How can you not love flowers? I think I love them all, all beautiful. — Maybe you don't like cacti? — By th...

"A Really Good International Level": Alfosov on the Return of Russian Gymnasts, Belyavsky's Videos, and the Games Qualification Alfosov: Belyavsky's presence on the team was a big plus Interview by Elena Vaitsekhovskaya  Google translate Russian gymnasts competing under neutral status will be able to take their first step toward qualifying for the Los Angeles Olympics as early as October, Valery Alfosov, head coach of the Russian men's team, told RT. He believes that qualifying for not only the individual but also the team competition at the World Championships is one of the season's greatest achievements. He also explained the criteria he uses to compare his players with their competitors and described David Belyavsky's decision last year as hard-won. The current season began with good news for the gymnasts: almost all of the leading Russian team members are participating in international competitions. Does this mean the suspension situation is a thing of...

  Russia's neutral gymnasts have been performing very well in competition recently, not least at the Cottbus Cup last week where a fairly inexperienced group of young women took medals on every piece - and their men did well, too. The team is still in the position where its veterans, or at least its established performers, are the leaders.  For the women, this means that Melnikova is assumed to be the top, while for the men, Marinov is the one whose name is most likely to be spoken.  But he is still recovering from multiple injuries and not expecting to be ready for competition until later in the year.  In fact the leadership of the men's team has skipped a couple of generations: first year senior, Arseny Dukhno, is taking the lead for the team. So while the youngsters head off to the World Cup competitions to make a name for themselves there, the leaders are competing in the Serie A league in Italy - and they aren't doing too shabbily there.  Both Melnikova and...

I am grateful to the RGF for releasing this interesting historical account for our enjoyment.  The card is a souvenir from the 1980 Olympics, depicting Alexander Tkachev.  The autograph is none other than Maria Filatova! '🥇A Historical Account of Maintaining Law and Order at Krugloe Lake During the 1980 Olympics While everyone is keeping an eye on the Winter Olympics in Milan, Italy, we decided to recall the historic moments of Krugloe Lake during the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. 🤫Especially for you, we found a historical account from a police officer who ensured security at our Training Center during the Olympics: We selected and sent only the very best – the reliable and proven! The combined detachment, which included me, was tasked with carrying out its mission at the Krugloe Lake Olympic Base. During the Olympics, a single attempt by an unaccredited Japanese journalist was thwarted; he somehow managed to get past the first checkpoint. But at the second, plainclothes o...

  Kartsev: FX, PB, HB; Suedin: PH, PB, HB; Roschina : V, UB Kalmykova: V, FX; Vassilieva: BB, FX; Kaiumova: UB, BB At times, I have been at a loss as to what to say; I still am.  I don’t think that politics and sport make good bedfellows, but we live in a time of global confusion and sadness.  It has been more than twelve years since Russia has competed under its own flag at the Olympics, and for all I know it could be another twelve or more before things revert entirely to ‘normal’.  I don’t know how seriously to take any of the announcements being made recently, about junior athletes being allowed to compete as Russian, about athletes in the Winter Paralympics being allowed to compete under the Russian flag.  I’d like to see the athletes back and able to live their lives, for them to be able to show off a bit and feel pride in their accomplishments.  But I can’t ignore the bigger picture of death and destruction.  People are lucky if they can live in...