Who will make the final team for Antwerp? UPDATED 16/9

Polina Fyodorova has qualified to beam finals in the Osijek finals; could she be a last minute addition to Worlds?

Russia's sponsor, VTB Bank, has published a picture gallery of the Russian team in training.  Those featured include Aliya Mustafina, Tanya Nabiyeva, Maria Paseka and, recumbent and face down, clinging to the hand of one of her team mates, young Anna Rodionova. The resurgent men's team is also depicted in this candid collection of images.  It's a great record with photographs by Sergei Kivrin.

Self-possessed, looking strong - Aliya Mustafina

Of course, we still do not really know who the Russians will field as the final four in their Antwerp team ... the WAG team has been riddled with injuries and illness, and recently Andrei Rodionenko has also been blaming the wide variety in formats of FIG competitions for the problems the team faces in making team selections ... basically saying, do we train specialists, or all arounders?  You can read a full English language translation of this article at the Tunegym site. 

That is fair comment from Rodionenko.  However, it is plain - the Russians are making no official announcements of the final membership of the team for Antwerp yet; the team that arrives in Belgium will be the final competing team, as far as they are concerned.  The apparent, unofficial indisposition of Viktoria Komova (still recovering from viral meningitis according to her personal Instagram account) suggests that the team needs to add one further member to its ranks, but nothing official has been said about this yet; we are somewhat in the dark.  I know that Rodionova was named as the gymnast likely to compete if Komova was unavailable, but these things are always uncertain and besides, the team will need one reserve at the very least.  Who knows who might be the next one to fall victim of the vicious (women only) virus that is currently doing the rounds of Lake Krugloye? 

Fast friends ... Nabiyeva and Paseka discuss a team nail varnish for Antwerp?

Will we have any clues as to the final membership of that team?  In Croatia the Osijek Challenger Cup is underway, and Russia has sent three gymnasts who might be considered to be on the edges of the Russian team for Antwerp ... Polina Fyodorova (who has been highly touted in the Russian press, and featured heavily in the RGF's picture coverage of the Russia Cup), beam specialist Ekaterina Baturina (personally coached by WAG Head Coach Evgeny Grebyonkin's wife), veteran Ekaterina Kramarenko, and Russia Cup floor champion Alla Sosnitskaya.  Beam specialist Anna Rodionova, ostensibly a member of the official team for Antwerp, was originally planned to compete here but did not show.

Based on the past behavioural patterns of the Russian team, I would have expected this competition to provide a basis for the selection of the team's reserve and final competing position.  Given Rodionova's inexperience one would also have thought this would be a good practice run for her ... hey ho.  I cannot say if her absence signifies a change in the final selection but I would almost certainly say that the final selection is still open.  Will Rodionenko risk making a final, official statement about this?  Let's just wait and see ...  The Couch Gymnast has a reporter at the Osijek Cup and you can read a brief report of qualifying here.  There are also the start lists for event finals.

UPDATED : You can find full results of the Osijek cup here.

Aside from Kramarenko's gold on bars, the Russian girls really only performed to average standards, and I don't think we can therefore draw any significance from these results.  Despite clearly being the strongest Russian gymnast there, Kramarenko doesn't add anything to the existing line-up for Antwerp; she would be a good reserve but isn't likely to win any medals in what is an individual world championships.  The team is already strong on Kramarenko's best piece, bars, and really needs a beam specialist to make up the complement.  Baturina and Fyodorova are the ones in the running if Rodionova is out, but neither made much of an impression here.  Whether it would be fair and prudent or not, I strongly doubt that Pavlova will be dragged into the team, like a lady knight in a shiny leotard; she hasn't trained with the team in years.

Perhaps Russia will take only three gymnasts to Antwerp.  It would be an honest statement of their current strength in depth.  Would it be good practice to select Fydorova, Baturina or Rodionova as a fourth competitor, to provide some motivation to the younger, up and coming gymnasts on the team?  I'm not sure; this might be interpreted as a reward for work that they do not seem to be doing.

Which asks the question, why can Russia not bring through its junior gymnasts?  The level of difficulty in their work is slipping, their competition form lacks conviction.  It appears to be a common problem; it must be in the training.

Rings specialist Pavel Pavlov, with Emin Garibov

Russia did not apparently send any men to the Osijek Cup; I don't think they have to, as their MAG team is looking very strong.  I am looking forward very much to the men's competition at the forthcoming worlds as I think the strength in depth and quality of gymnastics, not just in Russia but also across the world, is far greater than in the women's sport today.

Upcoming in the next few days is a feature on the Vladimir School of Gymnastics, the shift in power in men's gymnastics, and the compelling battle that is developing between Russia and Britain.