Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

Hard-working Anastasia Grishina was the top Russian senior gymnast of these Championships.  Picture courtesy of the UEG . As a senior team, the Russians obviously did not perform to expectations - even Alexandrov in his interview for Championnat .ru (English language translation here ) admitted as much.  Watching Sidorova, Mustafina and Grishina all make errors in their qualification floor routines was a pretty discouraging experience for a die-hard Russian fan, let alone their long term, long suffering coach.  Then, the shaky start on beam - for which Komova must take as much responsibility as Sidorova - meant they began with a finals deficit that proved impossible to overcome. Hopefully, Alexandrov has a strong heart. In his latest interviews Alexandrov has avoided discussing the likelihood of team success in the London Olympics - almost as though he wants to give the impression that the thought had never occurred to him in the first place.  His strongest ver...