Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

Emin Garibov, Aliya Mustafina and Maria Paseka received national awards this week, in recognition of their team's gold medal winning achievements at the 2013 Universiade in Kazan (9 gold medals out of a possible 14).   Russia's Prime Minister, Dmitri Medvedev, presented the awards. The photographs are from Aliya Mustafina's fan page on VK.com, and RIA Novosti. Congratulations to all the team!  Maladyets! Russia's gold medal winning teams at the Universiade 2013, Kazan: Nikolai Kuksenkov, Emin Garibov, David Belyavski, Denis Ablyazin, Nikita Ignatyev Aliya Mustafina, Ksenia Afanasyeva, Anna Dementyeva, Tatiana Nabiyeva, Maria Paseka 9 gold medals (MAG and WAG teams, Kuksenkov (All Around, Pommel Horse), Garibov (Parallel Bars, High Bar), Mustafina  (All Around, Uneven Bars), Afanasyeva (Vault, Floor)), 6 silver medals (Ablyazin (Rings, Vault), Belyavksi (Parallel Bars), Nabiyeva (Uneven Bars), Afanasyeva (All Around), Mustafina (Beam)), 3 bro...

The RGF has posted a gallery of pictures from the Universiade, a few of which I'll share with you here, along with some videos of the competition. Did you realise that every member of this Russian team has a chance of winning medals at this Championships?  Possibly even, gold?  There is hardly the competition here that there will be in Antwerp later this year, but I hope the team takes encouragement and motivation from this rare opportunity to shine. With the exception of Afanasyeva's fall from bars (apparently she has ripped hands - 'not many people would even have the courage to compete', says Rodionenko) the team performed without major errors.  Even in Rotterdam 2010, where they took the team gold medal, there were two falls, so this is an important improvement, even if they were not performing full difficulty. The team will take a short holiday soon, from the 12th July, before heading back to Krugloye to begin preparations for Worlds.  That is a mere twelv...

Kazan, Tatarstan, Russia, location of the Universiade.  The beautiful Kazan Kremlin is a UNESCO World Heritage Site I can now update some of the information posted mid-week.  Please bear with me if I repeat the words 'treat this information with respect'; some of the details are contradictory and downright confusing.  I am reproducing here what is available at the most reliable sources I can find, but you should check and double check to avoid missing the competition you want to see. Download a copy of the technical handbook here .  This includes all of the technical rules of the competition, who is on the Committee, as well as where you can order your lunchbox if you are an official :0). Find the main website for the Universiade here , in English, Russian and Tatar.  The RGF is also providing an overview of press coverage - click on the link that reads Пресса об Универсиаде. There is a full list of participants here , although it seems a little bit ou...

Anastasia Grishina at this spring's European Championships.  Courtesy: RIA Novosti It seems to be a long time since the Russian team has had such a prolonged quiet time in training.  All I know is that currently, the teams are taking a short break before returning to Lake Krugloye.  There was a control competition at the end of the last training camp, around the 25th May, but no results.  This is quite normal and I hope the silence continues, if it means that everyone is just getting on with their work.  Evgenyi Grebyonkin's recent interview was the epitome of controlled information release, apparently telling a lot whilst revealing very little.  We have a few names to put against the competition roster, but a team's early competitive plans are always open to change. Valentina Rodionenko is taking a well earned break from her media responsibilities, judging by her recent absence from the Russian gymnastics PR scene.  So we don't know which girls ...