David spoke to Russian newspaper Kommersant after his medal-winning performance on uneven bars yesterday.
'I had some health problems, but it's pointless to talk about them right now. I went out and competed. First of all, the team's silver is far more important than my individual reward. We had all wanted this medal for our team, and had worked for it for a long time.
Today - it's a funny feeling to be happy with bronze - for a long time we have wanted an Olympic medal in this apparatus. I can do the exercise better.
Oleg Verniaiev really gave a convincing performance, he was spot on. If you can manage your nerves, you will be the winner. We get on really well with the Ukrainians, they are our friends.
Now I will take a break, rest up, get married, and then come back. One more Olympic cycle will be enough for me.'
http://www.kommersant.ru/doc/3065529
Hello Queen Elizabeth : )
ReplyDeleteI am wondering what your final thoughts are for team Russia at the Olympics now that it is over. I am happy for the results. Team silver, AA bronze, vault silver, and bars GOLD! Seda was consistent for the team and hit both her beams.
The negatives - it is so clear that Aliya carries this team and that they can't win as a team without her. It is unfortunate that she was in better shape last summer than this summer and I am wondering how with all the experts in Russia how they managed to mis-manage her progress (but she still has a GOLD!!!-I can't let it go). Team USA was too dominant with or without the generous scoring, the results would have been the same. It is clear that the Russian can't keep up with the difficulty. They really need to focus on strength training. The US girls are muscular!
Overall, team Russia did the best they could and won every medal that they could have. The men were fantastic too! I hope that they bring changes to the top management, because it is not working.
cheers! Russiafan
Will write more when I can. On the face of it, Russia did OK. The men have made progress. But honestly, the women hav fallen behind. Where will they be next year, without Aliya? By now the team should have overtaken her and all the old favourites.
DeleteIt is not right - Russia is a leader in gymnastics thinking and they shouldn't be trailing the Americans in women's gymnastics. We need a revolutionary thinker with vision. Winning gold as a team should be the goal. This won't happen overnight and it probably won't be total dominance. But a closer fight between Russia and the USA should be possible, and the team needs stronger reserves.
The Rodionenkos have maintained the programme, but they haven't developed it from its grass roots. They ended up doing exactly what they accused Alexandrov of doing - took Mustafina to one side for special training as she was the only one likely to be a winner. Grebyonkin should take a lot of credit for his work, as should Alfosov for the men.
I have a lot more to say and will post in the coming weeks.
Thanks for the reply. I can't wait to read more on your thoughts. This is my favorite website for gymnastics!
DeleteJust FYI, you said he won on uneven bars. It made me giggle a little and imagine a super tall dude trying to do a pak salto.
ReplyDeleteGlad to oblige you with a giggle. Doh... Too much blogging!
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