WAG, MAG event finals day 1, Russian Championships

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 guess this means she has made his job difficult in terms of selecting who competes at Europeans - her vault score in finals didn't live up to the promise of the previous day and perhaps Afanasyeva will provide a better chance of gold, on floor (please God ...).  Aliya Mustafina had a large form break in her routine while Nabieva performed her exercise as well as she possibly could have, for the well deserved mark of 14.625.  Anastasia Grishina showed her competitive mettle with an excellent routine, for the gold!  Davai Nastia!

Denis Ablyazin looks likely to be the big star of these Championships, with two golds already in hand and a potential gold on vault tomorrow.  Picture courtesy of the RGF.

MAG Floor

1.  Denis Ablyazin  15.35
2.  David Belyavski  15.1
3.  Daniil Kazachkov  14.65
4.  Andrei Cherkasov  14.33
5.  Kirill Prokopev  14.25
6.  Dmitri Stolyarov  13.98
7.  Igor Pakhomenko  13.18
8.  Filip Chuglasov 12.98

MAG Pommel Horse

1.  Matvei Petrov  15.68
2.  Andrei Perevoznikov  15.33
3.  Emin Garibov  15.3
4.  Nikolai Kuksenkov  15.28
5.  David Belyavski  13.83
6.  Dmitri Gogotov  13.5
7.  Grigori Zyrianov  12.88
8.  Pavel Russinyak  12.78

MAG Rings

1.  Denis Ablyazin   15.88
2.  Nikolai Kuksenkov  15.3
3.  Nikita Ignatyev  15.00
4.  Daniil Kazachkov  14.95
5.  Alexander Balandin  14.95
6.  Pavel Pavlov  14.9
7.  Nikita Lezhankin  13.93

In my opinion competition for places on the MAG team is intensifying as gymnasts like Ablyazin, Garibov and Belyavski mature and begin to show their strength.  Selection for Euros will involve the coaches in making difficult decisions.  At present of the top gymnasts only Belyavski is competing in the all around.  I suspect that in Moscow, the Russian men will begin to show their class at international level - and may well outshine their female counterparts over the coming four years.

Russia has apparently improved its performance on pommel horse with four incredibly close scores at the top of the apparatus rankings.  Newcomer, former Ukraine national team member Nikolai Kuksenkov has already integrated into the Russian team, placing fourth on pommels and achieving a silver medal on rings.  His eligibility for Euros depends on his Russian nationality coming through in time.