A few sources in the Russian press have reported Russia's team news. There is a little bit more information about Viktoria Komova's retirement, or rest break, and some good news about Maria Paseka.
The news came clearly from Viktoria's own mouth - I cannot link to the video - and has now been repeated and clarified by her father. Viktoria has stopped training because of the pain in her back. There is no chance of her making it to Rio now but if she recovers she may come back later.
Valentina Rodionenko says unequivocally that Vika has retired, but this doesn't have to be taken as a contradiction, just a simpler version of the picture. (I personally think that retirement is probably right - but why say never? However, I would feel sorry for Viktoria if she were not being allowed to make her own decisions.)
The good news is that Maria Paseka will be competing at Russia Cup - she has recovered from her back pain and is making her way towards qualification for Rio.
See below the key points from today's press coverage so that you can make up your own mind about what it all means. Thank you to Maryama and various anon readers who sent me the links! And, as ever, good luck to all the gymnasts who are training so hard and so bravely at the moment in preparation for the Games - davai!
Picture gallery of Viktoria Komova - http://rsport.ru/photo/20160617/948770700.html
Two-time Olympic silver medalist in 2012, two-time world champion in gymnastics Victoria Komova did not announce the end of her sports career and wants to return to the sport, according to her father, Alexander Komov.
"Vika really wants to go back to the gym, but her health does not allow. She said she could no longer tolerate and train with the pain, but this didn't affect her commitment. She said, that she could not prepare for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, so did not see the point right now to train "
"Right now, she needs to dedicate all her strength to her health, and if the doctors will help her, it is likely that she will be back in the gym and will please us", - said the father of the athlete.
According to Tass senior coach Evgeni Grebyonkin knows nothing about Komova leaving. "Vika is not at the training camp, I have no more information about it" - he said.
Source - http://tass.ru/sport/3376949
Sergey Smyshlyaev / R-Sport
Maria Paseka has recovered from injury and will compete at the Russian Cup in Penza, said senior coach of Russia Valentin Rodionenko.
Maria Paseka due to health problems, missed the 2016 European Championships, held in Berne.
"Paseka will be performing at the Russia Cup in Penza" - said Rodionenko on the phone.
Russian Cup in artistic gymnastics will be held in Penza, from 27 June to 3 July.
Source - http://rsport.ru/artist_gym/20160617/948802048.html
15:21 17.06.2016 (updated 15:38 06.17.2016) Sergey Smyshlyaev / R-Sport
Viktoria Komova decided to retire because of her health, said senior team coach of Russia Valentina Rodionenko.
"Komova has finished performing, her health does not allow it. Yes, she has ended her career. With the spine there are some problems, she cannot train heavy loads. She went to the coach, said that it was her decision. Her father came, they talked, they made this decision ", - said Rodionenko on the phone.
Source - http://rsport.ru/artist_gym/20160617/948759841.html
Really sad for Komova, we've been holding on, waiting to see her beautiful gymnastics, perfect lines and technique. I will still cheer to see more of her in the future, it will be a huge loss for modern gymnastics.
ReplyDeleteIs there a real possibility of Afanasyeva making a recovery before Rio? What happened to Sosnitskaya?
Even then the Russian team will still be fairly strong, there aren't a lot of scenarios left but the 4 events should be safely covered by Mustafina, Melnikova, Paseka, Spiridonova and Seda.
There's real medal contention on 3 event finals.
I believe this will be the line up:
VT- Paseka, Mustafina, Seda or Melnikova
UB- Mustafina, Spiridonova, Melnikova
BB- Mustafina, Melnikova, Seda
FX- Mustafina Melnikova, Seda
Sosnitskaya has a back injury and can't training well because of this and she will miss russian cup
DeleteI agree with that lineup. Kharenkova, Kapitonova, and Tutkhalyan are all inconsistent on beam and can all probably put up a similar score on floor. So I think they'll take whoever does the best on those two events at Russian Cup if Afanasyeva isn't ready. She's really cutting it close.
DeleteTut's advantage is she can do a DTY and possibly replace Melnikova there, the other two would leave the team far weaker on vault. Disadvantage is obviously her most recent beam performance in Bern.
Kapitonova's advantage is that she has the best bars and could possibly replace Melnikova there. However she has very little experience compared to the other two, even as a junior. She also has the weakest beam of the three and is unlikely to make an event final, and Paseka has decent bars so they don't need a 5th bar option.
Kharenkova's advantage is I think she is SLIGHTLY more trustworthy than the other two on beam. Just a bit. But her big disadvantage is she's the weakest everywhere else unless she's somehow gotten back to the shape she was in last spring.
That third beam spot is going to be very scary no matter who they use there.
If afanasyeva is out for rio, the best team composition in my opinion would be: Paseka, Mustafina, Melnikova, Kapitonova(very clean on floor) and Kharenkova (scores on average highert than seda) and line up
DeleteVT - Paseka, Mustafina, Melnikova
UB - Mustafina Kapitonova Melnikova/Paseka
BB - Mustafina, Melnikova Kharenkova
FX - Mustafina Melnikova Kharenkova/Kapitonova
DeleteWhat's up with all the back injuries???
Back injuries are common in gymnastics and in the main they are affecting the veterans who have been competing since the 2012 Olympics and before. There are few national teams that rely so strongly on gymnasts who have been training and competing continuously for the last four or more years.
DeleteRussia is very poor at managing its news. Most of the British and American gymnasts have injuries also. We just hear less of them because they have effective PR strategies.
Just my thoughts.
I'd like to see Kharenkova and Spiridonova on the Team in replacement of Afanasyeva and Komova. These two are great on their specialties in their own right. Kharenkova was the European BB Champion and Spiridonova on UB. I'm not expecting Daria to do BB but I believe Kharenkova can put up huge numbers on BB and can help the Team on FX provided that she polishes her execution and work on her consistency this time.
DeleteRe - Afanasyeva - all I know is that she has just had surgery. I suspect that she will try to rehab in time, but it must be touch and go. Her Instagram account is ksenia333 - it would be nice if as many people as possible could post messages of encouragement for her - I am certain that she needs support at this time.
ReplyDeleteSo the gymnastic gods take away Komova and give us Paseka...hardly fair trade :(
ReplyDeletePaseka can score high on vault which no other Russian can come close. Komova is only good on bars and beam which the team has covered. Sad to say she's not a big scoring loss to the team. I for one is tired of the waiting and wish her luck with life outside gymnastics. Afan is a bigger loss if she can't compete.
ReplyDeleteI agree with you, the problem is that most good bars workers can't score high on beam and the good beam workers can't score high on bars
ReplyDeleteAliya can! Melnikova can! The top 3 coming juniors can! Besides they can always bring Kharenkova to get a huge beam score.
DeleteSadly , if Afan can't do Rio they will might bring Seda. If they do, she will fall and they will wind up 5th in team. PLEASE BRING KHARENKOVA OR EVEN KAPITANOVA BUT NOT SEDA!
True about Mustafina and Melnikova, but who would be the replacement for komova?, for me kharenkova seems most suitable, because paseka could do bars. But I think that they will bring in spiridonova for komova
DeleteI dont see any serious problem with VT, BB, or UB. The problem is FX. Tut should be no where near BB. She is very capable of giving Rodionenkos a heart attack if she gets put on BB (should be fun!). Vault is manageable by Paseka, Mustafina and Melnikova. BB should not be a problem with Mustafina, Melnikova and Kharenkova. UB is the best shot with Mustafina, Spiridonova and Melnikova. FX is where the "*" hit the fan. Their best shot is Mustafina, Melnikova and Paseka or Kharenkova. Clearly, no Tut on the team.
DeleteNow finger crossed:
Team should be Mustafina, Paseka, Melnikova, Spiridonova, Kharenkova
AA should be Mustafina and Melnikova
EF Qualifications:
VT Paseka only and maybe Mustafina (IF SHE PULLS THE MAJIC STICK!)
BB Mustafina, Melnikova, Kharenkova
UB Mustafina, Spiridonova and Melnikova
FX Mustafina, Paseka, Melnikova (with extra extra prayers)
FINGERS CROSSED on all the above
Alfi
The situation with the Russian team at the moment is a mess. The Rodionenkos must be replaced with visionary, sensible team with real leadership qualities.
ReplyDeleteAmen!, put Alexie Nemov please or Yelena Shushunova.
DeleteAlfi
Why why why do Russian WAG gymnasts have so many back problems? There has to be something wrong with the training and conditioning program. This is not normal nor acceptable. I hope the Russian coaches work with doctors and researchers to figure out what is causing this epidemic of back pain in their gymnasts. It's sad to see wonderful gymnasts make more trips to the hospital than to competitions.
ReplyDeleteThe thing is, this isn't even a new problem for them. I can think of multiple gymnasts who missed big competitions, or were forced to downgrade/drop events because of reported back problems, and that was with Alexandrov in charge. These problems did not suddenly start when he left. There is definitely something wrong with the training program going back years for back pain to be such a prevalent issue.
DeleteThe conditioning process designed by the "Absolute" Valentina Rodionenko The Great is a major factor in the amount of injuries witnessed. The current format of the sport requires ultimate fitness for gymnasts bodies. VA The Great does not believe so.
DeleteAlfi
so if Kharenkova can show her full potential this coming Russian Cup with her typically high difficulty BB (plus she shows consistency), she might make it to the team! It seems that Komova and Afanasyeva are out of contention for Rio. That leaves Spiridonova, Kharenkova, and Tutkhalyan in contention for a spot. I'd say Spiridonova and Kharenkova would compliment each other's specialty on Bars and Beam respectively. It's like the same formula used by the Chinese in Beijing 2008 with He Kexin on Bars and Li Shanshan on Beam. That's going to be interesting to see if they can indeed contend for Gold. I'm rooting for Team Russia and China for Gold nonetheless.
ReplyDeleteI'd be thrilled seeing the chinese hitting most of their routines and taking gold, their start values are higher than americans.
DeleteI think that there are multiple solid formulas without komova. I love komova very much but I have to say out of the five people that would've made up the olympic team, she'll be the easiest to replace because of her strengths. If Afan can go, then in my opinion the decision for the final member will come down to if mathematically the team gains more from Spiridonova's bars or Kharenkova's beam. If Afan can't go, then the team would be Aliya, Angelina, Paseka,Spiridonova, and Kharenkova. The dumbest move the Russians can make is putting Seda on that team. She falls far more than half the time on floor, they don't need her vault, and they don't need her floor. Whatever Valentina does, DON'T PUT SEDA ON THE TEAM.
DeleteI love Seda but her falls on BB is so annoying that I don't even want to see her again. Komova is the only one who can surpass Mustafina on Bars (provided they both have maximum D-Score) but she's wise enough to think of her health which is the most important thing even if her Bars can win her Gold in the finals. Afan is going to be a great help for the team but she should think of her health and future plans rather than compromising her health and make it worse making her unable to compete in the future. If she competes in Rio after her procedure which is a very short time for recovery would be like waiting for a time bomb to explode and could cause her self destruction unless her FX is a threat for Gold in the EF which is not the case.
DeleteAre people forgetting Kapitonova and Skrypnik? The team clearly includes Paseka, Musty, Afan, and Melnikova. For qualifications:
ReplyDeleteVT: Melnikova, Musty, Paseka, Afan
UB: Melnikova, Paseka, Musty, Other
BB: Melnikova, Musty, Other, Other
FX: Melnikova, Musty, Afan, Other
The problem is beam because as far as I know, neither Paseka nor Afan are training beam and 4 are needed for qualifications. Russia could repeat world's and use only 3 in qualifications which is risky. For the other spots, Kapitonova or Karen Kovacs fit perfectly. Kapitonova is fabulous on bars, could make do on beam, and has a 14+ floor which we all know Russia needs. Kharenkova is the same with beam being her best piece and being able to make do on bars. The fifth spot is going to anyone who can hit all their beam routines. I hope it's Kapitonova or Skrypnik because Russia could use the extra .5 they can bring on bars versus Melnikova or Paseka, but Kharenkova is looking very good for the spot. Despite their setbacks, the team is looking strong and can definitely challenge for several medals.
I thought Kharenkova was injured.
ReplyDeleteWho can understand this team? Afan said she was considering training for another quad and a week later we learn she had surgery.
I feel a strong Seda-phobia on the blog! After all, they might need her if other injuries occur. Let's wait and see the performances at the Russian Cup.
Today Valentina Rodionenko told to press that Afan had on operation in Germany, she will miss Russian Cup, but they still count on her in Rio http://tass.ru/sport/3382963
ReplyDeleteAfanasyeva breaks the silence about her injury and operation http://tass.ru/sport/3382797
ReplyDeleteVT - Mustafina, Melnikova (DTY or possibly 2.5), Paseka (2.5 TY). UB - Mustafina, Spiridonova (High 15's), Melnikova or Paseka (Low 15's). BB - Kharenkova (High 15's if she upgrades which she's capable of and hit and NO FALLS!!!), Mustafina, Melnikova (High 14's to Low 15's), FX - Mustafina (Low-High 14's), Melnikova (can potentially score up to low 15's if she upgrades and hit), Kharenkova (Low-High 14's if she upgrades hit like in Russian Cup).
ReplyDeleteI know if this is the way it was at the olympics, lots of people would be sad since Musty and Vika both made AA podium in London, but if London was like the games in Baku where it was one per country then Vika probably would've won the all around because she qualified number one and Douglas qualifed behind Raisman because of her big jump out of bounds on floor during qualification. I would've really liked to see Vika win the gold so I was trying to think of other ways she could've won and that's what I came up with
ReplyDelete