Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

Tatiana Nabieva is working hard to prepare for this summer's Universiade, and performed a strong routine today.  Photo : courtesy of the RGF. Full results are now available at the RGF website - I'll transcribe below. WAG Vault 1  Maria Paseka   13.475 2  Kristina Kruglikova  13.4 3  Anna Pavlova  13.05 4  Olga Bizmurkina  12.75 5  Alyona Polyan  12.625 6  Maria Smirnova  12.225 7  Anna Myzdrikova  12.175 8  Ekaterina Tsvetkova   11.30 WAG Uneven Bars 1.  Anastasia Grishina  15.10 2.  Tatiana Nabieva  14.625 3.  Aliya Mustafina  14.55 4.  Anna Dementyeva  13.975 5.  Evgeniya Shelgunova  13.625 6.  Kristina Goryunova  13.525 7.  Alla Sosnitskaya  13.5 8.  Maria Paseka  11.725 Rodionenko clapped his hands in dismay and turned his back on Maria Paseka when she had the fall on bars.  I g...

2010 World team champion Tatiana Nabieva should compete in Kazan this summer National coach Valentina Rodionenko has given two interviews recently about Russia's plans for the future. Here , she explains how next March's Russian Championships will be used as selection for the four gymnasts who will compete at the individual European Championships in April. It's a heavy year's competition with Europeans in the Spring, the Universiade in July, and the World Championships in the autumn.  Aliya Mustafina, Ksenia Afanasyeva, Tatiana Nabieva and Krystyna Goryunova have already been announced as being in contention for the Universiade, which Rodionenko says Russia are treating as a highly important competition and which will take place on home ground in Kazan. Next year, two juniors will progress to senior level - Evgenia Shelgunova [who will have full competitive eligibility for senior competition] and Maria Kharenkova [who will train alongside the seni...

I'm pleased to confirm that the Russian Gymnastics Federation is providing live streaming for the important Russia Cup competition.  Go to the RGF website and follow the link, which will be in red when the transmission is live (if you can read Cyrillic the word you are looking for is 'translatsya').  The second session of the women's competition (tomorrow) will begin at 2.45 Penza time. Start lists for today's competition (MAG) and tomorrow's (WAG) have been released at the website also.  I am providing an image of the WAG Olympic selection squad's working order below.  Of particular note is Anastasia Grishina, who will be performing on bars only due to leg pain.  Thus with the exception of Grishina,  Maria Paseka and Tatiana Nabieva, who will both present on bars and vault only, all other national squad members will compete all four pieces of apparatus.  Head coach Andrei Rodionenko has said that at the Olympics the WAG selection strategy will focus...

Viktoria Komova at last week's press day.  Note the background banner advertising sponsors VTB.  Photo by Elena Mikhailova, by kind permission of the RGF The Russian gymnasts and coaches are busy preparing for the London Olympics, and barely interrupted their regular training to make time to speak to journalists at the Russian National Training Centre in Round Lake ( Krugloye in Russian). Photographer Elena Mikhailova was on hand to record proceedings.  As ever, the reticent Russians do not reveal over much about themselves - what is said could probably have been intelligently guessed anyway, on the basis of results and other reports.  Nevertheless, it's helpful to hear how the girls themselves are feeling about their preparations and to see how happy and healthy they look in the pictures.  Alexandrov gives some details of their travel plans to London and Valentina Rodionenko reveals a framework for the national team composition, suggesting it revolves aro...

I've loved this picture ever since I first saw it in the autumn of 2010 - it seems to me to say so much about Russian gymnastics. Flight, form, fluidity - power gymnastics with beauty.  This picture of 2010 World Champion, 2011 vice champion, Tatiana Nabieva, says it all. Good luck to all the Russian women as they approach the first important competition of the year!

Alan Owen has posted a good translation of a St Petersburg Vedemosti interview with Tatiana Nabieva at Tatiana Nabieva Online .  It is a nice insight into the life and attitudes of this rapidly maturing champion - well worth a read. Picture by permission of the Russian Gymnastics Federation

Queen Elizabeth is officially appalled.  Her flag (unusually, white blue and red) is flying at half mast.  Remember these names - Ksenia Afanasyeva, Viktoria Komova, Anna Dementieva, Yulia Belokobylskaya, Yulia Inshina, Tatiana Nabieva, Alyona Polyan - they are all consummate artistic gymnasts, fulfilling the requirements of the sport to be both artistic and dynamic.   They are a vibrant example of a dying breed, and they alone keep the sport alive. There is not enough time in the world for me to articulate the dissent and dismay I am feeling at present, after the women's all around final.  So for now, I will keep my silence.  Other than to offer my sympathy - and congratulations - to Viktoria Komova in particular, and Ksenia Afanasyeva and the entire Russian team in general.   But shortly, in the not too distant future, I intend to produce a review.  A state of War may shortly be declared.  A War of Words. That is all I have to say a...

Russia did well in the first, qualifying, day of competition in Tokyo, taking 2nd place in the team competition behind a solid USA, with youngster Viktoria Komova taking top position- by a whisker - in the all around.  It was a good performance from a team relatively weakened by the absence of world champion and team leader Aliya Mustafina, and a lingering injury to last year's Youth Olympics Champion Komova. Newcomers Yulia Inshina and Yulia Belokobylskaya performed a fantastic job for the team as strong lead off gymnasts.  Beginning on bars, the team had no margin for error.  Inshina, starting up, had no previous experience of major international competition but showed no sign of nerves as she went through her routine flawlessly.  She is an enchanting little gymnast who performs her floor and beam routines with her head a little to one side, as if deep in contemplation.  A personal characteristic that adds no end of expression to her work.  A nice rewar...

Aliya speaks warmly of the many video montages presented on her website - so nice to hear that she has been encouraged! I believe that both Aliya Mustafina and Viktoria Komova are currently in Germany. Aliya is undergoing an assessment of her rehabilitation progress, while Viktoria has undergone arthroscopic surgery to her injured ankle. (Thanks to Alan Owen for this information.) Reading between the lines, I think there is fair reason to be optimistic that Viktoria will compete at worlds this autumn. Aliya's recovery was always going to take longer, but seems to be going well. She is obviously determined to compete in 2012 and it seems to be pretty much a business-as-usual attitude from her. With Tatiana Nabieva also taking a rest to recuperate her painful back (due back in full training on the 25th May) the Russian team seems to have been beleaguered by injury recently. Well ... I suppose injuries are part of the sport; and it might actually be beneficial for the top...

I cannot remember a time when even relatively low profile competitions seemed to carry such significance for gymnastics as today.  The internet is at least partly responsible.  Almost instant access to results, images and videos spawns international discussion and debate.  I do not think we should underestimate this power of word, especially now we have the open-ended Code with its prescriptive formulae for deductions and bonuses which can appear to make everyone with a little knowledge into a gymnastics expert.  Gymnastics has always been a political sport in which the importance of ‘reputation’ has regularly played a role in determining competition outcomes, both by influencing the psychological pressures under which the athletes perform and by shaping the expectations and responses of judges.  This means that Federations have many difficult selection decisions to make each year as so much of what their gymnasts do falls under a microscope.   ...

See the Gymnastics Examiner for a transcript of the finals, and Stoi ! for a technical discussion of the Russian girls' routines here and at the Jesolo Cup.  Full results are also now available at the French Federation website . Russia have taken two medals in each of all but one of the finals, with Mustafina taking gold on vault, bars and beam.  Iszbasa took the remaining gold (floor) for Romania.  Nabieva managed a silver on vault, but came 4th on bars, while Dementieva took bronze on beam behind her compatriot and Romania's Ana Porgras. The silver and bronze medalists on floor are Chelaru and Dementieva respectively. The men performed rather disappointingly I feel, with Balandin and Pluzhnikov taking silver and bronze on the rings, but otherwise other team members failed to qualify to finals.

International Gymnast reports on a Moskovsky Komomolets interview with Valentina Rodionenko.  Rodionenko gives some quite specific information regarding the injury to Viktoria Komova and suggests that she wasn't fully ready for the National Championships which took place last weekend; furthermore, her place on the team for Berlin is under question.  The current line-up includes Dementieva and Mustafina (all around) with Nabieva and either Belokobylskaya or Komova providing specialist back up.  Let's see how things turn out!  Still early days.  A team with Komova providing specialist back up on beam would indeed be very strong ... and quite a good tactical decision, I'd suggest. In the full version of this Russian language interview which you will find here , Rodionenko also discusses the men's team selections.  Maxim Devyatovski is the top all arounder for the Russians at present, and they are hoping for a medal for him.  David Beliavski and Nikita...

Russian nationals has closed with impressive shows of strength and skill from now established national team members.  A new star also shone for the first time this weekend.  Tatiana Nabieva and Anna Dementieva  strengthened their positions on the Russian team by becoming dual gold medallists, Nabieva taking gold on vault and bars, Dementieva a further gold on beam to complement her all around win.  And with silvers on bars and floor, Dementieva must surely be considered Russia's top female gymnast of these championships.  First time senior Yulia Belokobylskaya took floor gold and silver on beam. Full results are available at the Federation website .  It's unclear what implications these championships have for European team selections as the results ask so many questions, in particular regarding the form of Viktoria Komova, who has clearly faltered somewhat here.  The gymnasts' competitive schedules are busy over  coming weeks, with Mustafina ki...

Anna Dementieva has been crowned national all around champion of Russia!  Full results are available here . Anna won by dint of being the most consistent gymnast around, performing strongly on bars, beam and floor, and pretty much predictably on vault, her weakest apparatus.  Anna took the highest score on the floor exercise (15.1) the third highest on bars (14.65) and the second highest on beam (14.35).  The highest bars score - 16.7 - was registered by Viktoria Komova, who had an otherwise difficult competition, finishing in 35th place after disappointing outings on beam and floor, and a final withdrawal from vault.  I hope she isn't injured.  Tanya Nabieva came second on bars with 15.05, and is second on vault with 14.85, behind none other than Anna Pavlova (14.9).  Leading the stakes on beam is Yulia Belokobylskaya (14.55). The top six placings are as follows: Anna Dementieva 58.05 Anna Pavlova       56.2 Alena Poly...

Link  here to the Federation's official pictures of podium training, featuring Tanya Nabieva in typically powerful flight on bars and floor, Anna Dementieva looking longer and even more delicately elegant on beam, and a radiant Ekaterina Kurbatova practicing floor.  You will also be pleased to hear that we see Anna Pavlova working on beam and vault.  I couldn't work out if Viktoria Komova features in any of these shots, but her mother, Vera Kolesnikova, is seen so I guess her daughter was somewhere around ;-)

Albert at the All Around Forum has provided a link to photos of the opening ceremony of this competition here .  They are pretty bog standard ceremonial photographs at this stage, I recognise some of the dignitaries including Rodionenko but can't see any of the main gymnasts I know.  This is a link to the Burtasy school of gymnastics in Penza where the competition is taking place, so it may prove to be a good spot to pick up quick results if the Russian Gymnastics Federation's site updates take a while to come through.  I'll keep an eye on how things are developing and let you know results as soon as I can.  It's the women's all around competition today and from all accounts Komova and Dementieva are likely to be the main competitors - Nabieva has opted to compete individual apparatus only, Mustafina, Semenova and Afanasyeva are not planning to compete (though this may change on the day for all I know), and Grishina is competing at the Jesolo Cup.  Anyway, l...

A selection of lovely pictures appears on the Russian Federation's website , recording an awards ceremony during which head coaches of the women's and men's teams, Alexander Alexandrov and Valeryi Alfosov, handed out medals to their gymnasts and coaches, including juniors.  A commentary notes that coaches are often better at evaluating the success of their gymnasts than judges.  The medals were given out in recognition of the success of the Russian teams in the last year.  Apparently missing from the gymnasts honoured were Ekaterina Kurbatova and Anna Myzdrikova - although this may just be an unintended slip of the camera. Or perhaps the girls were staying warm, tucked up in bed somewhere.  This must be a welcome distraction for the teams during what is a very cold snap indeed, even by Moscow standards - it must be hard to keep your spirits up when it's below -20 outside.  Tanya Nabieva looks taller than ever in these pictures, and Mustafina, bundled up in a b...

The Russian girls have been busy - and very successful - this weekend! All seven gymnasts from the national team (including reserve Anna Myzdrikova) are scheduled to compete by the end of this month. Massilia Cup The wonderful TATIANA NABIEVA competed alongside her team mates KSENIA SEMENOVA and KSENIA AFANASYEVA in Marseille this weekend at the Massilia Cup, and achieved gold medals in the team, all around, bars and vault events. Tanya also took the bronze on balance beam. KSENIA AFANASYEVA took gold medal on floor and silver on beam behind France's Aurelie Malaussena. A fuller report can be found at The Gymnastics Examiner . The Italian Grand Prix World Champion ALIYA MUSTAFINA competed here alongside Youth Olympic Champion VIKTORIA KOMOVA. Aliya won beam and came fourth on bars, while Viktoria took the gold on bars and silver on beam. Full results, and a video of Aliya's performance on beam can be found at Aliya's official website . DTB Cup Promising young ANNA DEME...

This weekend my friend Tracey said to me that she felt that Nabieva’s stoop Tkachev-Pak combination, performed on Saturday at the World Championships for the first time, was quite possibly the most revolutionary moment in gymnastics history since Korbut stood on the top rail of the asymmetric bars in Munich and premiered her unique loop. Those of us of a certain age will remember Korbut’s impact on the sport and the tidal wave of admiration and affection she evoked. Most speak of her amazing ability to communicate and perform, of the unique charm and charisma she projected through her floor routine, of the astounding back somersault on beam. But it was perhaps on bars where her genius shone most brightly. Here she was an amazing innovator and risk taker. The trajectory of that loop is still imprinted in my brain and I have a visual image of it as I speak to you now. Few have had the courage to attempt it since; Mukhina, of course, added a twist, but that was more than thirty yea...

Russian team coach Alexander Alexandrov has expressed some optimism about the Russian women's prospects at the upcoming world championships. http://www.sportgymrus.ru/press/news/4066/default.aspx He feels that Mustafina is a good prospect for the all around; and makes special mention of Nabieva's straight Tkachev-Pak combination as 'unique and historic'. And I have to say, Tanya Nabieva is quite probably the fastest improving gymnast I have ever seen - hope she will do well in Rotterdam. If, like me, you struggle to read Russian and find Google translations somewhat bizarre, try International Gymnast online for a better translation.