Valeria was sitting right next to me in the Olympiski Arena, Moscow, during the first day of the men's and women's event finals at the European Championships. Her enthusiasm was infectious, her English excellent, and we soon got talking. I'm really curious to know what makes gymnastics fans tick, so asked Valeria a few questions. She has some very interesting and well articulated opinions. Valeria, what would you like to say about yourself? I'm 19 years old, live in Moscow, and study tourism management. I love, of course, gym, cinema, travel. )) How did you first become interested in gymnastics? I became interested in gymnastics after watching the 2008 Beijing Olympics - in Russia, unfortunately, gymnastics is shown very rarely on the main channels, with poor commentators, so I was lucky to see it on cable TV, and I fell in love with gymnastics. :)) What is it about the sport that most excites you? I like the ...
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.