Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

The atmosphere surrounding the Russian male gymnasts at this year's European Championships was noticeably relaxed and happy as they made their way to their various medals.  This reflects not only a more stable competition performance, but also a refreshed dynamic within the team.  First, some background .  Russian sport finds itself under unprecedented pressure at present following serious doping allegations and positive tests which have led the International Athletics Federation to propose that Russia's entire track and field team be barred from the Olympics.  Other sports are implicated, and even gymnastics has not emerged unscathed, as senior team member Nikolai Kuksenkov tested positive for trace elements of meldonium in the spring.  Kuksenkov has now been given a pardon and actually competed in Bern, but it seems likely that artistic gymnastics, with its ultra-clean record internationally, has the potential to win medals for Russia at the Olympics with...

Russia's leading male all around gymnast, David Belyavski, with head coach Andrei Rodionenko As the first big competition of the year approaches for Russia's male gymnasts - the national championships in Penza, which begin in just three days' time - Irina Stepantseva of MK.ru has focussed on the team's preparation, with a visit to Round Lake.  There she interviewed many of the gymnasts, and head coach Andrei Rodionenko.  You can view the full piece in Russian here .   The context : As I have said before, Russian sport has been hit hard by all the doping bans, particularly in track and field athletics.  RUSADA, the national anti-doping agency, has been accused of falsifying documentation.  Tennis has taken a hit, with Maria Sharapova testing positive for the controversial drug Meledonium, and now swimming appears to be being targeted.  I think we can probably expect that all Russian sport will be under the microscope for months to come.  It'...

The annual Russian Championships, scheduled for 28 March to 10 April in the town of Penza, should provide an opportunity for fans to see Russian returning favourites Aliya Mustafina and Emin Garibov, said coach Rodionenko to RSport yesterday. Both gymnasts are rehabbing injuries, Mustafina to the knee and Garibov to the shoulder.  Garibov's return marks the end of an absence from full training of over a year.   Mustafina's level of participation is yet to be decided.  All around is a possibility, but just as likely is a specialist contribution on bars and beam.  The 2010 World Champion depicted herself practising a double layout on a Tumble Trak yesterday, with a heavily strapped right knee.   Rodionenko indicated that should Mustafina's preparations go well, she may yet be seen in the World Cup at Stuttgart.  

Valentina Rodionenko has confirmed that 2008 and 2012 Olympian Ksenia Afanasyeva is currently in Munich undergoing a variety of treatments on her ankle.  As Ksenia has previously explained, the ankle became injured in 2012 during preparations for the London Olympics, and has given her much pain intermittently ever since.  The head coach explained that it isn't possible at the moment to speak of competitions, but that she hopes for the gymnast to return to training as soon as she has recovered. As reported earlier this week, Aliya Mustafuna is back in training.  The process is gradual as she rehabilitates her knee to a full training load, and Valentina explains here that she is working on a new floor routine. The gymnasts will be participating in World Cup competitions this year, including Stuttgart and Glasgow. Other good news is that MAG team captain Emin Garibov is back in full training.  This should reinforce the strength in depth of the men's team, and hopefully ...

Head MAG coach Valery Alfosov has confirmed that the Russian team will be missing two of its key players in Glasgow this winter - Emin Garibov and Alexander Balandin.  As reported on this blog two days ago, Emin will compete at the Russia Cup but will work on three apparatus only.  Alfosov has added that Emin doesn't yet have enough difficulty for Worlds.   Alexander has suffered complications following surgery for a shoulder injury and is only now getting back to training after an absence of more than a year.  Both gymnasts are expected to be ready to contend for the Russian Olympic team for Rio. Source -  http://tass.ru/sport/2244743

In an interview with  Inessa Rasskazova,  Emin Garibov has confirmed that he is continuing to recover from serious shoulder injury and is preparing to represent Russia at the Rio Olympics. Emin, whose family are from Azerbaijan, said, 'I am proud to represent Russia, but always remember about Azerbaijan.'  His parents raised him in the Azerbaijan tradition, but he never learned to speak Azerbaijani.  'In  my childhood in Moscow, friends at school were Russian and in training we spoke only in Russian. At home, I was brought up in the Azerbaijani tradition ... Deep down I am sorry, even a little embarrassed, that I do not know my native language.' 'In 2008 I was offered the chance to compete for Azerbaijan ... But I grew up in Moscow, had worked with my coaches for years.  I was not mentally ready to change everything and leave, after everything I and my coaches have done.  They made me a world-class gymnast, I have invested so much physical and mental e...

Daria Spiridinova - impossible to forget.  Picture courtesy of RGF As Russia's young gymnasts prove their mettle at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Tbilisi this week - see RRG's Facebook page and Twitter account for results and updates - Valentina Rodionenko reports on an upcoming international competition that will be a testing ground for the Russian team in preparation for the World Championships. I would suggest we might expect more news over the coming days - the usual pattern of Valentina's press activity is for news to be released piecemeal to several different sources, often providing conflicting information - so don't expect anything conclusive here. So now, read on as Valentina has her say : All the leaders of the Russian national team in gymnastics will perform at a tournament in Georgia MOSCOW, July 31 - R-Sport, Maria Vorobyov.  All the leaders of the Russian national team in gymnastics will take part in the Rusudan Sikharulidze...

At a recent control competition - Belyavski, and Nagorny.  Picture courtesy of the RGF Preparations for the pre-Olympic year are now well underway at Lake Krugloye. The men are going from strength to strength recently, developing greater depth with the addition of some talented, hard working young gymnasts to the fold.   Last week, there was a control competition for them, ahead of Russian nationals which will take place between 4th and 8th March. Youth Olympics Champion Nikita Nagorny now stands shoulder to shoulder with the former Olympians on the team and has surprised the team coaches with his rapid adjustment to conditions on the senior team: 'he looks absolutely stunning' says head coach Valentina Rodionenko.  He is not the only one to have pleased the coaches: 2013 European high bar champion Emin Garibov, who has been missing from competition for about a year with shoulder injury, has been looking good enough to be promising selection for the European Championships...

Yesterday in Moscow, gymnasts, dignitaries and athletes from all sports celebrated Physical Culture Day.  The Russian Gymnastics Federation has a great selection of pictures on their website, and I will post my favourites for you here. The one that captured my heart though - as I realised it was 30 years ago since the summer of the Oloumoc Alternative Olympics - was this picture of the all around champion at those Games, Olga Mostepanova, who scored a perfect 40 in the all around, the only gymnast ever to do so.  She was the ultimate gymnast, in so many ways. Videos of this competition are rare, the 'Holy Grail' of gymnastics.  But just look at this video of Olga on beam during the individual competition.  You will rarely, if ever, see an example of more ample perfection, technical, artistic and competitive.  I often wonder what would have happened in Pauley Pavilion (the venue for the Los Angeles Olympics) if only politics hadn't taken an ugly turn that summer....

Veteran Katya Kramarenko is working on an individual programme of training following her hospitalisation with pancreatitis earlier this year . Russian journalist Natalia Kalugina has visited Lake Krugloye in the last few days and has updated her Facebook page with some information on how training is going for the Russia Cup, which takes place later this month.  Unfortunately, it doesn't sound incredibly promising. Ekaterina Kramarenko is still recovering from the serious illness she suffered earlier this year.  There is still a long way to go, judging by Natalia's reaction, but she says that if every gymnast showed as much commitment as Katya, nobody would be able to beat the Russians! Tanya Nabiyeva is at camp, and Natalia had a short chat with her.  Tanya is preparing for the Russia Cup, and was invited to train at Krugloye as the team needed her.  She doesn't know if it was necessarily the right thing, but time will tell.  Tanya is very much enjoying working ...

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...

A great montage from Team Russia on Instagram. Many thanks to the All Around and to Laerke and Nico at Gymfever who are keeping me up to date while I am on a Greek holiday in the sunshine.  Please bear with my brevity as I seek to update my readers while enjoying a holiday cup of tea amongst the mosquitoes on my patio . Andrew Rodionenko has confirmed via Tass Ksenia Afanasyeva and Emin Garibov will be out of competition for the remainder of the year.  They are currently in Germany where they will remain for rehab.  Garibov has had surgery to both shoulders and Afanasyeva to her ankle. Rodionenko hopes that Komova (ankle) will be fit to compete at Worlds on bars at least. Mustafina has had surgery to her ankle, (which has been bothering her since before the Olympics according to an interview with Elena Vaitsekhovskaya published in Sports Express and in translation on this blog back in August 2012).  Mustafina is the only gymnast who will be exempt from the Russia Cup...

Nikolai Kuksenkov trains at the famous Nikolai Tolkachev School of Gymnastics in Vladimir Nico has just confirmed that Emin Garibov will need a second surgery on his shoulder.  The European high bar champion, team captain of Russia at the 2012 Olympics, has been nursing a shoulder injury since before last year's World Championships and was announced out of the European Championships earlier this year.  Now he needs an operation on his other shoulder.  We guess that he now looks likely to be out of competition for the rest of the year. Nikolai Kuksenkov has sprained his ankle and will not compete floor or vault this week. Ablyazin is, however, reported to be on good form! http://itar-tass.com/sport/1106032

Nico Jackson writes : Greetings, Russian fans! I hope everyone enjoyed last week’s coverage of the senior and junior women. Never a dull moment in Russian women’s gymnastics. However, this week we turn our attention to the men! Like the women’s competition, these championships will serve as a trial for the upcoming European Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. The men will also be vying for five spots on the European team.   Unfortunately, the men’s competition will be without a very big star,  Emin   Garibov , who recently had surgery on his shoulder and will likely be out for most of the season. His absence will certainly leave a considerable gap on his Moscow team along with potential medals on parallel bars and high bar. Nevertheless, this should be a good opportunity for others to try to fill Garibov's  void and make a name for themselves in the competition. These championships will also mark the return of European Champion, David  Belyavskiy ,  and Unive...

The shoulder injury that is keeping team captain Emin Garibov out of Cottbus may also prevent him from competing at the World Championships this autumn, says Valentina Rodionenko. 'Initially, our doctors were inclined to operate, but then decided to prefer conservative treatment.  In late March, Emin will have a check up with German doctors, to see if his shoulder has improved.  If not, he will need an operation.  In this case, we might not even be able to rely on Emin for Worlds.  With this kind of joint injury, you can't expect a quick recovery.' http://itar-tass.com/sport/1032766

Anastasia Grishina with coach Viktor Razumovsky Partial translation of the 9th March interview with Valentina Rodionenko, by Albert Starobutsev 'All of our strongest gymnasts will compete in the Russian Championships, except Afanasyeva' Russian WAG team leaders Aliya Mustafina, Viktoria Komova and Anastasia Grishina will not compete at Cottbus next week, but will remain at Lake Krugloye to prepare for the forthcoming Russian Championships in Penza. A shoulder injury has ruled Emin Garibov out of the Cottbus competition. 'The Russian Championships will be a major step in the selection for the May European Championships in Bulgaria', said Valentina, 'in Penza all of our strongest gymnasts will compete, except Ksenia Afanasyeva.  We decided to send some young athletes to Germany so that we could evaluate them on a senior stage, and consider them for a place on the Europeans team.  Anna Rodionova, Daria Spiridonova, Polina Fyodorova and Maria Kharenkova will all compete...

Olga Mostepanova coaches a youngster a few days ago, at Moscow's historic Dynamo club Russian bank VTB, important sponsors of Russian gymnastics, features a photo opportunity on its website today about Moscow Dynamo, highlighting the skill of its coaches, the accomplishments of its great gymnasts, and the sport's secure future as part of its massive redevelopment of the Dynamo stadium. You will remember that back in July last year, RRG featured a story on Dynamo's great history, highlighting the Club's uncertain future as it made a move out of its traditional home to make way for the massive VTB Park development which will house multiple sporting facilities as part of efforts to build social and economic infrastructure.  The VTB Arena is expected to be the focus venue for the 2018 Football World Cup, so you will become familiar with this facility then, if not before!  Dynamo Gymnastics' future was in some doubt at that time as no promises could be made as to the reh...

Emin Garibov, Aliya Mustafina and Maria Paseka received national awards this week, in recognition of their team's gold medal winning achievements at the 2013 Universiade in Kazan (9 gold medals out of a possible 14).   Russia's Prime Minister, Dmitri Medvedev, presented the awards. The photographs are from Aliya Mustafina's fan page on VK.com, and RIA Novosti. Congratulations to all the team!  Maladyets! Russia's gold medal winning teams at the Universiade 2013, Kazan: Nikolai Kuksenkov, Emin Garibov, David Belyavski, Denis Ablyazin, Nikita Ignatyev Aliya Mustafina, Ksenia Afanasyeva, Anna Dementyeva, Tatiana Nabiyeva, Maria Paseka 9 gold medals (MAG and WAG teams, Kuksenkov (All Around, Pommel Horse), Garibov (Parallel Bars, High Bar), Mustafina  (All Around, Uneven Bars), Afanasyeva (Vault, Floor)), 6 silver medals (Ablyazin (Rings, Vault), Belyavksi (Parallel Bars), Nabiyeva (Uneven Bars), Afanasyeva (All Around), Mustafina (Beam)), 3 bro...

Moscow Dynamo are developing a video project where sportsmen across different disciplines are sharing their sports. Here , Emin Garibov shares gymnastics with Dynamo footballer Yuri Kotov. You can also find pictures at Moscow Dynamo's Facebook page.

Russia's strategy of sending its best MAG team to the Universiade in Kazan today paid off. All rounders Nikita Ignatyev, David Belyavski and Nikolai Kuksenkov put in a solid showing, supported by specialists Denis Ablyazin (floor, vault, rings) and Emin Garibov (pommels, parallel bars and high bar). Their performance must be one of the most consistent and solid by a Russia MAG team in a long time and shows the benefits of competing at home. Ukraine finished in second place, edging Japan by slightly more than two tenths.   Ukraine's Oleg Verniaiev finished all around qualification in first place, followed by Japan's Ryohei Kato and Ukrainian Oleg Stepko.  David Belyavski finished in fourth place with Nikolai Kuksenkov following closely behind.  Less than 1 point separates the top five qualifiers in the all around. While the strength in depth of the MAG competition is reflected in a wider diversity of gymnasts qualifying in first place for finals (see below) than in ...