Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

RRG’s coverage of the Russia Cup gymnastics this week relies entirely on internet access to Russia.  Pictures, the scores, broadcast and live streaming, opinion, personal ànd team news.   Yet within Russia these stories are becoming more and more difficult to access.  Businesses can’t make ànd receive payments in some cases.   In gymnastics, I have noticed that most of the sources I now refer to are official, rather than the pleasant ongoing bubble of ideas popping up randomly from private social media ànd so on.  I am really grateful to those sources who have managed to keep going, as their effort is making it possible for us to see how gymnastics is still developing in Russia.   The changes to Russia are already feeling rather oppressive to me - several thousand miles away.   Steve Rosenberg gives a broader view - Steve Rosenberg: Kremlin's tightening grip on internet fuels Russian discontent https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/cr510de17jlo

 On appeal.  I am told there was a controversial penalty point. Will update tomorrow.

 MAG AA Russia Cup, April 2026 Marinov, Dukhno, Suedin, Yakubov.   That was a tight competition with a twist at the end.  Russia’s MAG team is a good deal stronger than a year ago, and the scores at the top have come closer. The difference between the top two deciding scores amounted to hundredths and thousandths of a mark.  In the end, at the final stage, Marinov and Dukhno were head to head and both performed exemplary high bar routines.  I must say, I thought Dukhno had grabbed the gold by a whisker.  But no, Marinov took the lead as a well deserved national champion.   It was a controversial decision, though, and Marinov was as supportive of his jilted team mate as I have ever seen a rival in any competition arena.  At one point I thought Daniel might lodge a protest on Dukhno’s behalf.  But no.  The judges had made their decision.  To be frank, some of the earlier scores seemed to have been generous to Dukhno.  It could ha...

At the age of 25 there aren’t that many women gymnasts who are still competing, let alone competing all around, and fighting for gold medals at world level.   Angelina Melnikova breaks the mould, because as well as being a top AA gymnast, she is also a model ànd businesswoman whose life direction is self determined and rounded.  The 11-time gold medal winner in major championships has overcome significant drawbacks in her career, such as times when she has not even been able to compete internationally because of the Olympic sanctions placed on her country. She has been working incredibly hard, particularly this year as she prepares for her future life ànd whatever that may bring.  She is leading gymnastics workshops in the USA ànd Mexico as well as within her home country, and competes in the Italian Serie À.  She makes regular appearances and endorsements ànd maintains a presence on social media, with her own personally edited vlogs.  She even acted in a featur...

Join us for the WAG AA at Russia Cup this afternoon.  Who will be champion?  Melnikova, Roschina, Kalmykova, Andreeva?  3pm London time  https://vksport.m.vkvideo.ru/video-228873962_456240011?list=ln-vKkP0ShFdWxJELYz9a

From April 9th ​​to 12th, the final stage of the Artistic Gymnastics World Cup was held in Croatia. Over the five stages, neutral athletes won 22 medals, nine of which were gold. Dmitry Andreev, head coach of the national artistic gymnastics team, summarized the first half of the international season. With thanks to the RGF — How would you rate the gymnasts' performance at the World Cup? — We didn't aim to qualify for the World Championships through these tournaments—the main selection will take place at the European Championships. However, each athlete had their own goals. First and foremost, this is about regaining competitive experience on the international stage. The team lacked it: some athletes haven't competed abroad for a long time, and a new generation has emerged that needs to be introduced to international competitions now. It was important to review the competition programs, identify weaknesses in routines, and make adjustments before the European and World Cham...