Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

Congratulations to Russia!  A gold medal in the team Championships.  First in Europe with a thoroughly  outstanding team effort. Britain performed well, too, but had a few errors on rings and vault.  It would have been even closer if both teams had avoided error! I want to think specially well of Ukraine, too.  A few days before the Championships, nobody knew if they could come.  The FIG rightly helped their Federation to travel to Bulgaria - and now they have a bronze medal! After the battle - tired, but happy.

Results of today's junior all around competition.  Congratulations to all!

Andrei Rodionenko and David Belyavski anxiously await the final score. Courtesy RGF Britain and Russia had another tussle in MAG qualifying yesterday, with Britain coming out on top this time.  Both teams had their weak moments.  Russia performed poorly on the high bar, where they missed Emin Garibov in particular.  The versatile Nikita Ignatyev, perhaps hampered somewhat by a painful back, had a rough day with a very poor floor exercise (12.933/6.833 E score) and a fall on high bar.  David Belyavski had a worse day on pommels, with a score of 12.5.  The downside is that Russia has once again trumpeted a reputation for inconsistency.  The good thing is that with a less erratic performance they have a real chance of bridging the gap of 2.772 that separates them from first placed Britain at this stage of the competition.   But it will be perilously close, and if Russia fail to deliver on Saturday there is a real chance that the ambitious Ukrainian team, ...

Russia's young guns held their ground and performed mostly well today to secure a third place spot in Saturday's team final, and gymnasts in every event final on Sunday.  Ahead of them were an inspired British team who had their best competition today, and a strong but occasionally faltering Romanian team, led by the impressive Larissa Iordache who won the 'unofficial all around' with a near faultless display.  Switzerland's Giulia Steingrueber repeated her good performance at last year's Euros to come in second.  As this is a team and event Championships, Russia did not field an all around gymnast. Highlights for the Russian team were bars and beam, with scores in the 15s from Mustafina (bars) and Kharenkova (beam).  Kharenkova's almost faultless beam set was delivered under pressure in the anchor spot, and came after a brave exercise from World Champion Mustafina, who completed her first double back dismount off the apparatus for the first time in weeks.  ...

'Veteran' junior, now first year senior, Maria is participating in her first major senior competition this week.  There are some fabulous pictures on the RGF website of her, her team mates and the coaches. Words are one thing.  Much has been said about the participation of Mustafina, the prospects of Russia's young team in competition against the experienced Romanians, and those absent through injury.  It's clear that in medal terms, there is little pressure on this team to perform. The pictures speak of another reality.  The tense expectations of Russia's elite have been replaced by the optimistic efforts of a new generation.  The coaches are seen to be encouraging, supporting and involved.  The team appears to be working happily.  Three members of the senior team - Mustafina, Kharenkova and Sosnitskaya - have their personal coaches here with them.  The roster of personal coaches travelling to a competition is often a measure of which gymnasts ar...

Collage of the Russian Junior team by Lifje.  Clockwise from top left: Seda Tutkhalyan, Anastasia Dmitrieva, Daria Skrypnik, Maria Bondareva, Angelina Melnikova Official podium training for the juniors begins today at 10 am and runs right through till 7.30.  I haven't heard of any quick hits but will let you know as soon as I do - or please share information in comments. In the UK, the BBC has finally confirmed its schedule of coverage, which isn't bad if you have red button.  See below.  I have already posted information and links to online and TV coverage elsewhere in Europe - please follow this link.   http://www.rewritingrussiangymnastics.blogspot.co.uk/#!http://rewritingrussiangymnastics.blogspot.com/2014/05/how-can-i-follow-european-gymnastics.html Gymnastics on the BBC Saturday, 17th May Women's European Gymnastics, Women's Team Final, 12:50 BBC Red Button Women's European Gymnastics, Women's Team Final, 17:45 BBC Red Button Sunday, 18th May European Cham...

Nikita Ignatyev competes this spring at Russian Championships.  Picture courtesy RGF Key points of interview with men's head coach Valery Alfosov  http://www.allsportinfo.ru/index.php?id=82847 - The team is at the final stages of preparation, undergoing control competitions.  Training is very good, he is satisfied with the gymnasts and their routines (elsewhere, Kuksenkov says the men have upgrades to show, his on high bar and pommels).   http://m.rsport.ru/artist_gym/20140508/744508287.html - Their team is in 'perfect working condition', and working to peak for competition at the end of May - in time for Euros.  His only slight worry is Ablyazin's second vault - but there will always be these worries when you want to win medals.  'We can only hope for the best'. - 'The most dangerous competitors - the UK, Germany, France, Ukraine and Romania.' - ' We want to win medals. But we understand that our rivals are very strong, do not stand still, and are d...

In an interview with Sovietski Sport today, Valentina Rodionenko confirmed that the injured Aliya Mustafina is acting on her own volition in participating in the coming week's European Championships.  'Her injury is painful, but not fatal', said the head coach, 'Aliya is very clever, she is trying very hard.'   Directly after Sofia, Aliya will travel to Munich, to the same clinic where she, Komova, Afanasyeva and Grishina have been treated, for an assessment of her ankle injury.  The ankle is very painful and at the moment Aliya can't tumble or dismount at all, and can only vault into a pit.  In an earlier interview Mustafina has explained that she is saving her ankle for competition, and Andrei Rodionenko has said her participation is subject to the 'state of her feet'. There are also some brief details of the other injured gymnasts, including Komova, whose injury record Sovietski Sport questioned, suggesting that her recurrent injuries might make her u...

Yes, my pet cat Harry enjoys watching gymnastics.  Here, he is enjoying live streaming of the team competition at last year's Universiade in Kazan.  He especially likes Epke Zonderland on the high bar, so he hasn't inherited my liking of all things Russian, even though his face, with high cheekbones, green eyes and a rosebud mouth, looks quite regal and Russian to me.  Traitor. TV and online coverage of this year's Europeans isn't bad if you are in the UK, though it seems to be exclusively of the senior finals and the organising committees don't yet seem to have picked up on the fact that there are hordes of us across the world who would probably pay good money for the privilege of watching live streaming of podium training, qualifications and the junior events.  Still, I am old enough to remember 1985, when I had to tune into the BBC World Service at 3am to find out that Elena Shushunova and Oksana Omelianchik had shared the world title, and still then had to wait...