Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

Schedule for the Russia Cup, one of Russia’s two annual national competitions.  This year we are hoping to see Daniel Marinov, Angelina Melnikova, Victoria Listunova and Marina Agafanova compete alongside the rising stars of the sport.  This competition will in part decide which of the neutral gymnasts will compete in Europeans and Worlds later this year.   Please note, not all of the gymnasts have neutral status, most notably Victoria Listunova (under appeal). This year the competition will take place in Sirius, Sochi, an impressive arena that’s relatively new. Depending on territory you will be able to follow finals on Match TV and on Vk.com at https://vk.ru/fgymrussia All times are local. MAG Quals/team final, 21 April.   This competition will determine which individuals move forward to compete in AA and EFs. The strongest teams, as ever, will compete in the 3rd round, at 17.00 Sochi time. Last year’s results : Vladimir Oblast, Moscow 19 teams compete MAG, compare...

Rostov-on-Don in the south of Russia is one of those places with a distinctive gymnastics history.     Those who trained there include many trailblazers of new and interesting work.     The story began back in the 1960s when an ambitious coach, Vladislav Rotstorotski, moved to Rostov from Voronezh.    In Voronezh, he had served his coaching apprenticeship with Yuri Shtuckman, another coach leader in Soviet gymnastics.    Rotstorotski’s move to Rostov facilitated his training partnership with 1972 Olympic All Around champion, Liudmilla Tourischeva.    Fast on her heels came beam genius Svetlana Grozdova, who competed at the 1976 Olympics.    And behind Grozdova, a rapid succession of innovators, fighters and artists.    Natalia Shaposhnikova, Natalia Yurchenko. Alla Shishova all came from Rotstorotski’s group, and all made their mark on the sport. Rostov remains a special place for gymnastics.    In 2000 Elen...

Admittedly, this video of Russia’s junior gymnasts - the boys - has been edited to show the very best of the best.   Two things especially moved me. 1. When the gymnast on high bar speaks of performing the Tkachev. Alexander Tkachev is an Olympic Champion (1980) ànd was the first gymnast to perform the Tkachev somersault on high bar, at the World Championships in 1978.   Alexander still coaches gymnastics ànd he lives and works in the USA.  He has a Facebook account. He’s a legend ànd his name is still spoken in Russian gymnasia and around the world.  The skill he initiated still takes your breath away every time you see it performed. 2. The boy performing on pommel horse who lifts his right arm during his circling.  It’s the ultimate show of style on this difficult apparatus, as far as I am concerned.  He is copying it from David Belyavski, ànd Belyavski copied it from Valentin Mogilnyi (RIP).   There’s a third thing I want to add.  Mogilnyi was ...

 I began Rewriting Russian Gymnastics in 2010, 16 years ago.  I wanted to write for publication.  After about a decade of writing in my professional capacity as a University lecturer about museums management, I needed a break and the subject of gymnastics had always fascinated me, without fail. Gymnastics in Russia had been a lifelong interest for me and I had been writing on various forums for years - Gymworld and IG forums were my favourites.  The discussion and debate was quite fierce.  So I decided to try my hand at blogging, and to see if I could create something meaningful that went beyond the usual arguments about Khorkina's scores and Ferrari's leotards. The development of our collective understanding of the world of gymnastics since that time has gone hand in hand with the development of the internet and in particular social media.  In respect of social media, we seem to have come full circle since the 1960s, but more about that later in another po...

🥇🇮🇹 The teams of Angelina Melnikova (ASD Libertas Ginnastica Vercelli) and Arseniy Dukhno (Pro Karate) once again took first place in the second stage of the Italian Serie A1 Club Championship in Biella Angelina and Arseniy successfully represented their clubs as foreign players, earning their teams important points for victory.  Angelina Melnikova (ASD Libertas Ginnastica Vercelli) Vault  14.1 (D 5.0) UB 14.5 D5.9 E 8.5 Bonus .1 Beam 14.05 D5.5 E8.55 FX 14.05 D5.3 E8.55 B .2 AA 56.7 Arseny Dukhno (Pro Carate) FX 15.75 D5.9 E8.85 PH 13.85 D5.3 E8.55 SR 12.65 D3.9 E8.75 V 14.45 D5.2 E9.25 PB 13.55 D5.6 E7.95 HB 13.55 D5 E8.55 AA 82.8

As I have said, there is less and less social media information coming out of Russia, apart from the official channels.  I have been relying increasingly on Telegram, but am hearing that this platform too will soon be outlawed. Steve Rosenberg talks here about how Russia’s internet based communications are being closed down by government.   I will try to keep up with as much as I can, but this could be difficult.  My love to all of you in Russia ànd I hope your lives can get back to normal soon. https://youtu.be/HkiWWVEMtFY