The Russian men suffered some unlucky performances - and untimely injuries - at this month's World Championships. Here, Nico writes about their competition, and reflects on the future for Russian men's gymnastics. Team captain Emin Garibov on high bar. RGF I’ve been a great admirer of the Russian men’s programme since getting my start in gymnastics in 1994. I got into the sport during the era of Aleksei Nemov, who was and still is a fantastic role model for me. He embodied everything I enjoyed about the sport: power, form, style, poise, humility, and even a bit of sex appeal. Since Nemov, I found it a little difficult to remain inspired by the Russian team because his absence left a great void in the programme. That is, until recently. Around mid-2011, I found a renewed interest in the men’s team when I noticed the talents of David Belyavskiy, Emin Garibov, and Denis Ablyazin. I saw in them some of the qualities Nemov had when he began his senior ...
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.