Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

The Pacific Rim competition is now well under way, and proving to be interesting.  Russia sent junior and senior teams in both the men's and women's competitions, with the juniors providing a real point of interest in terms of selection for the forthcoming Junior European Championships.  Startlists for today's men's competition can be found here and here .  Quick hit descriptions of routines for the men's and women's competitions can also be found here .  Gymnastics Examiner also has a list of which of the women have qualified for event finals tomorrow. Full results of the women's junior competition show Rostov-on-Don's Maria Kharenkova providing the highlight of the Russian performance across both seniors and juniors, to finish fourth (52.95) with a high note of 14 on her specialist piece, beam.  Ekaterina Baturina finished 5th, only .6 behind Kharenkova. Anastasia Belova ended in 10th place.  In the senior competition newcomer Anastasia Marchuk l...

11 year old Anastasia Sidorova and her coach Olga Sagina give an interview as one of a series of Podcasts to be found on the website of the Bellahouston Gymnastics Academy in Glasgow, recording the visit of gymnasts and coaches from the Olympic Reserve School in Rostov on Don in 2008.  Anastasia provides an outline of the daily working life of an elite Russian gymnast, pretty predictable in its content.  There doesn't seem to be a lot of time for school in her busy schedule! The interviewer points out to Anastasia that her understandably rather stock answers might be influenced by the fact that her coach was standing behind her!  (Never mind the fact that she was only 11 ...)  Coach Olga Sagina, who previously has worked with 2000 Olympian Elena Produnova, added that Anastasia's simple responses were typical of a champion gymnast.  Good attitude and work ethic define success in gymnastics, as much if not more than physical talent.  And while Anastasia is ...