It was a glorious moment. Ksenia Afanasyeva, assumed to be out of the picture for medals, was brought into the final at the last minute as a reserve.
She delivered one of the best floor routines of the last five years (alongside her own masterpiece at the 2012 Olympic Games, that went on to win her the 2013 European title).
Afanasyeva ('Afonya' to her friends) didn't expect to win. The modest young woman, for so long the unpredictable but gifted one, was accustomed to disappointment. Adopting the role of team captain and 'mother' to the younger gymnasts on her team, she doubted her own motivation to continue and train for her second Olympics, to be held in London the following year.
Then came the score, and the shock of realisation. Gold, well deserved, brought an emotional response from both Afanasyeva and her coach since childhood, Marina Nazarova. I'd like to give credit to whoever took this wonderful picture, but sadly the source isn't acknowledged.
Coincidentally, I came across the following ten minute interview with an almost painfully shy Ksenia, from a Russian show Expert. I linked to it at the time of its initial release, but now the poster has added English language captions. It is worth spending the ten minutes to share Ksenia's thoughts. http://youtu.be/9EXnk6lf6JY
You can view the floor routine and Afansyeva's reaction in full here : http://youtu.be/mVHW3DHZVm0.
I very much hope Ksenia continues till Rio and, if possible, beyond - she is a graceful example in both form and character, a great captain for the Russians.
Hi, I know this is somewhat irrelevant to this article but I was wondering whether you could tell us when the Q&A with Anna Pavlova would be published? Many thanks :)
ReplyDeleteHello, I'm afraid I don't know and am beginning to doubt that it will happen. I am very sorry, not least because of the disappointment to those who bothered asking questions. I edited the list if questions and they were translated and sent to Anna, but I guess that her programme is so busy it has not allowed her to respond as yet. I do not think we should expect anything at present as the person who was coordinating it is currently indisposed.
ReplyDeleteAww :( well thanks for trying anyway. I hope this means that Anna is busy training and upgrading her difficulty as we speak so she can kick butt when she gets to Worlds :)
DeleteLet us hope that there will be some great media coverage of this popular champion if and when she appears at Worlds.
ReplyDelete