Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

Coach to Nikolai Andrianov, Founder of the Vladimir School of Gymnastics, Nikolai Tolkachev In the historic city of Vladimir, 200 km east of Moscow, the Nikolai Tolkachev School of Gymnastics has been home to many great Soviet and Russian champions.  Local press has provided a portrait of this famous school which is named after its founder.   In this piece the author, Viktoria Kononova, looks to the future as well as the past.  Gymnastics fans new and old will recognise some of the names and faces. The Tolkachev School of Gymnastics creates champions.  The coaches tirelessly prepare athletes. This  Olympic Reserve School was established in 1961 and, by 1991, at the request of the team, it was named after Nikolai Tolkachev. The School has developed many great gymnasts who have rocked the whole world: Nikolai Andrianov, Merited Master of Sports, a seven-time Olympic champion, multiple World and European champion, winner of the first World Cup in gymnastics; Vladim...

   Moscow, the winning team at today's Championships.  Artur Dalolyan, who is second in the all around qualifying, is at the left. Full results are available at http://www.sportgymrus.ru/Admin/GetFile.ashx?get=1&id=44534 1  Moscow.  408.828 2. Volga       404.960 3. Siberia.    393.161 In the all around qualification for the Master of Sport all around, standings are 1.  Valentin Starikov.   84.799 2.  Artur Dalolyan.      84.632 3.  Nikita Nagornyi.     84.565 4.   Viktor Britan.        83.699 5.   Ilya Kibartas.         82.566 Floor Artur Dalolyan.      14.6 Valentin Starikov.   14.5 Dmitri Lankin.         14.5 Ilya Kibartas.          14.333 Pommel horse Sergei Eltsov.           14.533 Nikita Nagornyi.       14.5 Rings   Artu...

State of the art gymnastics facilities at Europa Gym Centre, Crayford It is 10.30 on a Saturday night, and Len Arnold OBE is shifting mats with the lads.  The 58 year old gymnastics coach and social entrepreneur is Head Coach and manager of the Europa Gym Centre in Crayford, an impressive state of the art training facility that opened in 2012 and which today (7th September) hosted the London Open, a major event in the British gymnastics calendar.  This year, the competition acted as a final trial for the British senior men who will travel to Antwerp for the World Championships later this month, and amongst the competition were two youngsters from the historic Nikolai Tolkachev Gymnastics School of the Olympic Reserve, Vladimir, Russia. The Russian boys' presence was more than a mere opportunity for them to experience competition in a foreign country against some world class rivals.  It also marked the 25th anniversary of a partnership between a legendary Russian s...

State of the art gymnastics facilities at Europa Gym Centre, Crayford It is 10.30 on a Saturday night, and Len Arnold OBE is shifting mats with the lads.  The 58 year old gymnastics coach and social entrepreneur is Head Coach and manager of the Europa Gym Centre in Crayford, an impressive state of the art training facility that opened in 2012 and which today (7th September) hosted the London Open, a major event in the British gymnastics calendar.  This year, the competition acted as a final trial for the British senior men who will travel to Antwerp for the World Championships later this month, and amongst the competition were two youngsters from the historic Nikolai Tolkachev Gymnastics School of the Olympic Reserve, Vladimir, Russia. The Russian boys' presence was more than a mere opportunity for them to experience competition in a foreign country against some world class rivals.  It also marked the 25th anniversary of a partnership between a legendary Russian s...