It is 4 am in London, and I am awake, thinking about the uncertainties and worries of the previous 24 hours. Primary amongst them is one that I live mostly vicariously, through the voice of this blog. The sad result of yesterday's competition has disturbed my peace of mind and there are nothing but questions. Can Mustafina find once again the form that saw her win the 2010 World Championships, the zest that led her to win gold at the London Olympics, the genius that saw her grab gold from the ashes of the Antwerp World Championships in 2013? Can Russian women's gymnastics find its feet once again? Was Alexandrov's fiery, reluctant resignation the end for the team? For the last four years, I have followed the fortunes of Russian senior gymnastics, as closely as I can, blog by blog. It hasn't always been easy to find the thread, to follow the reasoning of these charismatic, volatile and often illogical people. A large par...
Reporting and analysing Russian gymnastics since 2010. Includes original and exclusive interviews with leading coaches and gymnasts, and historical issues dating back to the Soviet Union. The first blog to report extensively on the sport using Russian language sources. I read, I argue, and I have opinions. Be warned.