Four years ago, we were eagerly awaiting the upcoming Youth Olympic Games, and the name on everyone's lips was Viktoria Komova, who was confidently expected to win the gold medal at these Games in the all-around competition. Komova had contributed significantly to her team's victory at the Junior European Championships that spring, and was reigning Junior European Champion.
The 15-year-old was under a great deal of pressure. Expectations ran high as Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin publicly expressed his expectation that Russia's young athletes would win ample gold at this first Youth Olympic Games. Viktoria, well known in the gymnastics world as the daughter of former gymnastics world champion Vera Kolesnikova, headlined many media appearances and was highly touted as a likely gold medallist.
She delivered in style, scoring a total of 61.25 ahead of China's Tan Sixin (58.5) and Carlotta Ferlito from Italy (55.35), and went on to win a further three medals - gold on vault and bars, and bronze on floor. Only an error on beam denied her a clean sweep.
Young Viktoria, alongside President Dmitri Medvedev with Russia's medallists at the last Youth Olympic Games.
Rarely has such a young gymnast faced such high profile expectation at such a tender age. Komova's technical ability was inborn and trained from her very earliest days. She has produced some of the best gymnastics of the past four years, including this superb beam routine from the all around competition in 2010 : http://youtu.be/j4hZ4_b72eA
Surely, injury free, our still young Champion can reconnect with her most brilliant abilities to stamp her authority once more on the world of gymnastics? I doubt there is a gymnast in the world who has better innate technical capabilities.
I still can't get over her programme at the Olympic Games - if she hadn't wandered off the side of the vault, she would have run away with the all around title. Even with that mistake - she should have won. It was the most outstanding display or difficulty, twinned with unmatched technical ability on the day.
ReplyDeleteShame on the judges.
I agree. The error in vault had a disproportionate impact on the overall result. And in 2011 she was best too.
ReplyDeleteThat is all that fans want to see is artistic gymnastics Vika Komova competing again in hes best performance. Just the fact of seeing her competing to her full potential and artistic talent would be enough.
ReplyDeleteI mean, when is a gymnast going to include an Amanar Vault, Pike Tkatchev, Komova and Double twisting double somersault dismount on Bars, standing arabian with Patterson dismout on Beam and an absolutely perfect floor routine including a triple twist, and 1&1/2 step out through to double arabian... not to mention wonderful choreography and music that suited Komova.
ReplyDeleteThe programme was mind boggling.
Executed brilliantly...
And left unrewarded.
Turns the sport into a joke!!
Don't forget the gorgeous pike stalder pirouettes and sheep jump! I absolutely agree with you.
DeleteI'm going to disagree about the music for Vika. I thought it was terrible and it didn't suit her or her choreographer at all.
DeleteI thought this article was gonna segue into Seda's YOG chances.
ReplyDelete:-). There will be a post shortly. But I wanted to give some positive airtime to Viktoria.
ReplyDelete