Skip to main content

Sergei Starkin - for the Rio Olympics we will upgrade several routines

By
Aliya Mustafina and Sergei Starkin - courtesy of the RGF
 The Russian Olympic Committee's Information Service has just released this interview with the coach of European Games champion, Aliya Mustafina.

- How do you work with Aliya Mustafina?

- We just get on. We had predicted her victory here, knowing that Aliya is not only the undisputed leader of the national team, but also the main favourite in European gymnastics. Today, we are right, and very happy.

- Not everything turned out the way Aliya would like.  Are there no plans to increase the complexity of her programmes?

- Yes, for the Olympic Games in Rio, we plan to upgrade vault, uneven bars and floor exercise. In addition, we want to improve the quality of performance. At this competition we have developed new routines on the uneven bars and the floor exercise. This is a big step forward.

- Mustafina wobbled a little on the beam, perhaps the most difficult gymnastic apparatus. How can you avoid this?  After all, the level of her rivals in Rio will be fundamentally different.

- It can not be prevented 100 percent - artists are just real people, like everyone else.  I can not say that this is some kind of fault. You just have to work long and hard to refine performance in training that then becomes habit in competition.

- Prior to the start of the individual all-around everyone predicted: "Mustafina will be the first." Is this a pressure that the athlete carries on a subconscious level?

- She is very stable psyche, she loves to compete!  In her eyes there is no fear, no doubt, therefore, forecasts and expectations don't really amount to pressure.

- What do you feel during the performances of your gymnasts? What do you think?

- I'm always very excited, and sometimes I think that my nerves will never recover!  

The interviewer says that at the beginning of the interview Starkin was very laconic - but by the end he finished his interview with a sincere smile.

Labels:

Comments

  1. Anonymous23 June 2015 at 00:15

    I would like to see her bring back her signature vault. Isnt it the same start value as the amanar?

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Anonymous23 June 2015 at 08:36

      No, it doesn't. The Mustafina vault is valued out of 6.0.

      Delete
    2. Queen Elizabeth23 June 2015 at 17:48

      It has, rather quietly, been suggested that she may try the triple twisting Yurchenko - better for her as the landing is not unsighted.

      Delete
    3. Anonymous24 June 2015 at 02:09

      I would love for her to do that, but I fear she cannot get 3 full turns around. When she was doing the 2.5 she barely got the last 1/2 turn around and more times than not her body was still twisting as she was landing. We suspect Biles will be working on an upgraded vault, probably a triple twister, so Aliya will need an upgraded vault to stay competitive, whatever it may be.

      Todd

      Delete
    4. Unknown27 June 2015 at 10:06

      Do you think that she should try Rudi?

      Delete
    5. Anonymous27 June 2015 at 23:11

      I think that may be a better vault for her to try

      Delete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Who really won the WAG All Around?

By
You will find a link to the FIG's newly published book of results at the Olympic Games here .  This year, they have broken down the judge's execution scores so you can see exactly how each judge evaluated the gymnasts' performances.  It makes for interesting reading - if only I had more time to analyse each judge's marking.  A skim reading already highlights multiple inconsistencies in individual judges' marks and makes you wonder why they bother with the jury at all. I have taken the time to look at the reference judges' scores for the top four in the women's all around.  The FIG explains here what their role is, and how they are selected.  I even used my calculator, which is a risky thing in my hands.  My, how I wish we could have seen a similar document for the Tokyo World Championships. I wonder if anyone can explain how, if the FIG's Code of Points is so objective and fair, it is possible to come up with two different results using two differ...
70 comments
Read more

Aliya Mustafina - 'each medal is very special'

By
'I'm very happy that everything turned out well today  ... Each medal is very special.  The UK team made mistakes, so there was a wide margin [of victory]... But naturally, [what I did] is not enough for the Olympics.  I prepared well for beam and bars but I am not ready for floor, I stepped up to help the team. ... To be honest, I did not look at the scores [when asked how the team reacted to the 6.5 gap before the final apparatus].  Gelya (Melnikova) is a good girl, she did everything and did not falter ... Seda fell on quite a complex element.  There is more work to do, but everything else went well.' [About a protest taken by the coaches on her beam score]. 'I am used to my protests being rejected, everything is normal!' Via vk.com I n other news , the UEG has confirmed that Spiridonova will replace Melnikova in tomorrow's bars final. No reason is given, but it is generally considered that Dasha has a better chance of gold.  This decision also means tha...
63 comments
Read more

Simone and the others - results and reflections

By
In the end, it was as predicted : Simone and the others, with Simone's teammate, Alexandra Raisman, providing the back up.  I do not need to point out that, by definition, the Americans are scoring significantly higher marks than the rest of the field.  Congratulations to them! Aliya Mustafina finished in third place.  The 2012 bronze medalist led the competition after vault and uneven bars, but had a very nervous outing on beam that might have taken a less experienced gymnast out of the medals.  A bravura performance on floor brought Aliya back though to confirm her third place all around.  From her senior debut in 2010 to today, Mustafina has continuously set high standards of grace.    It is the first time since 2000 that a gymnast (Amanar) has medalled in the all around at two consecutive Olympics, and  if Aliya can medal on Saturday's uneven bars final, she will once again be Russia's biggest medal winner of the women's gymnastics.  Russ...
56 comments
Read more

RRG Archive - scroll by date, from 2024 to 2010

Show more