Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

Highlights of an interview with Angelina Melnikova, three days after her appearance in Paris, via Vk.com.  She departs for the Russian Championships in ten days.   Sport24 correspondent Anastasia Loginova contacted Angelina and asked her about everything that happened in Paris.  ❓When did you find out you were going to Paris? 💬Just before my vacation in China, around July 25th. I was told there was a stage and I should go. At first, I was very hesitant, because I wanted to focus on the Russian Championships and the World Championships qualifiers. It turned out that I was selected for the Paris trip. Initially, we wanted to focus on a few apparatuses, but then we decided we needed to do the all-around as one of the stages of preparation for the Russian Championships. ❓At what point did you realize what was happening wasn't a dream, but reality? When did this realization dawn on you? 💬Probably when I went to the airport. I realized that everything had finally come togethe...

  Angelina Melnikova is not only an ambitious gymnast, she also wants to pursue acting as part of her career.    This picture came with congratulations on her medals in Paris, from one of her agents. I can see real determination in her face - it must have taken a lot of courage to put herself in the public eye at a time when the international environment is uncertain and unpredictable, and her own country is at the centre of chaos.   Sport is about bringing people from different cultures together, to appreciate human achievement and celebrate respect, competition and, wherever possible, friendship.    This gymnast has remained consistent in her pursuit of excellence since childhood, and she has persisted in the most difficult of circumstances, with incredible personal grace.    She is down to earth, charming and professional, a real example to everyone.    The circumstances have been very trying, but you would never see Angelina sho...

Artur Dalaloyan elected President of the Moscow Artistic Gymnastics Federation The General Meeting of the Regional Public Organization "Moscow Artistic Gymnastics Federation" was held in Moscow. Hero of Russia Alexander Ivanovich Lazutkin, who headed the Federation for two Olympic cycles, summed up the work and expressed gratitude to the members of the Federation for productive cooperation. During the meeting, the elected bodies of the Federation were elected: the control and audit commission, the presidium, vice-presidents and the president of the Federation, and the results of the past reporting period were summed up. 🗳️ By unanimous decision of the meeting members, Olympic champion Artur Dalaloyan was elected President of the Moscow Artistic Gymnastics Federation for the period from 2025 to 2029. ✅ Vladimir Olennikov and Anna Kryukova were elected vice-presidents of the Moscow Artistic Gymnastics Federation. ✅ Alexander Lazutkin, Alexey Nemov, Svetlana Khorkina and Anton ...

 Artur Dalaloyan has not applied for neutral status and does not expect to compete internationally in the near future, he says to Match TV: ‘Olympic champion Artur Dalaloyan said that he did not apply for neutral status to compete in international artistic gymnastics competitions. 💬 I am currently recovering from my vacation, I competed at the Russian Cup. Let's see the training process, it is difficult for me to plan anything far ahead, but today I am just starting to recover. ❓ Will we be able to see you at international tournaments in the near future? 💬 It is unlikely that we will be at international tournaments. As of today, we are still not allowed to compete in the full status of the Russian national team with a flag and anthem. This is, of course, a key factor. ❓ Did you not apply for neutral status? 💬 No, — the Match TV correspondent reports Dalaloyan's words.’

Angelina Melnikova will be the first Russian WAG to compete internationally since the IOC ban in 2022 when she appears at the World Challenge Cup in Paris on September 13 and 14 this year. Travelling with her will be coach Konstantin Pluzhnikov and judge Elena Redyanova.   Angelina says she will compete AA with a relatively simple programme. I’m glad Angelina is making this start for Russia.  It’s a real tribute to this young woman that she is trusted with the first effort at coming back after such a long time, and I hope people welcome her back warmly.  Angelina will be competing as a neutral athlete, of course.  She was awarded this status after a fair and rigorous process of evaluation by the FIG.   Here is what Angelina said today to Match TV: Olympic champion in artistic gymnastics Angelina Melnikova told Match TV how she reacted to being admitted to the FIG World Challenge Cup tournament in France. ❓What emotions did you experience from the fact that you w...

 🎤 "Plans for August: work, work, and work some more!" — Daniil Marinov on the training camp in Sirius, summer, and preparation for the Russian Championship ❓ How productive was your time at the training camp in Sirius? "Personally, I viewed this training camp not only as a recovery camp, but also as a preparatory one. My teammates had just recently returned from competitions, and yes, they needed a rest. But I, on the contrary, needed to start working hard, because there wasn't much time left before the Russian Championship. At the training camp in Sirius, I was able to work hard, and at the same time swim in the sea, change the scenery. I'm glad I went with the whole team!" ❓ Did you manage to regain your physical fitness after shoulder surgery? "More or less, yes. I remembered many elements from my routine. But I still continue to treat and pump up my shoulder, in parallel with getting into shape." ❓ Are you already working on all the apparatus...

Some highlights from a long interview with 2010 World champion Tatyana Nabiyeva.  Source: Russian team page on VK.com.  Translation - Google translate A big interview with Tatyana Nabieva about the peculiarities of work and life in China, the bright years of her sports career, a little about modern gymnastics and about love. On the Nabiyeva flight — At the same championship, you presented a new element on the bars, which was later added to the rules with your last name (flying over the top bar with a straight body, difficulty group F. — Sport24). How did you come up with the idea to try something new? — Actually, it happened spontaneously, I think. We worked with Vera Iosifovna [Kiryashova] on the purity of the elements on the bars, sometimes I didn’t fly all the way to the Shaposhnikova element. Once I didn’t fly all the way to the bars either and stood on my feet between the bars, bending my legs in flight for safety. Then Vera Iosifovna said that this was a different eleme...

Daria Isaeva has done a photo session with Angelina Melnikova at Dynamo Moscow.  Here are Angelina’s words about it.   "  The first time I was on a balance beam I was six years old. I was scared because of the height, so at first I walked hand in hand with my trainer." "The hardest thing on this apparatus is to keep your balance. Usually, when I'm on the beam, I imagine that I'm in a corridor 10 centimeters wide." "You can't be afraid of the beam! Coaches say that if you have fear, you will perform poorly." "The first difficult element I did at the age of eight was a backflip. In adult gymnastics, this element is considered one of the easiest." “I still can’t do a cartwheel on a log; I can easily fall off it, although children can do this element at the age of six.” "It's better to perform on the balance beam barefoot - you feel the apparatus better that way. But to avoid injuries, we sometimes tape our ankles." "It...

PLEASE NOTE: statement from the FIG website is below. Source : RGF. Google translate The FIG Executive Committee has revised the rules for admitting Russian athletes as neutrals A meeting of the Executive Committee of the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) was held in Lausanne, Switzerland, on July 9 and 10. Following its results, the rules for obtaining neutral status by athletes from Russia were revised. According to the updated rules: – Russian athletes will be able to compete under the auspices of FIG not only in individual, but also in group and team disciplines. – Athletes who were previously denied neutral status will have the right to have their applications reconsidered. – New criteria for considering applications have been introduced and FIG clarifications to the updated rules have been approved — this should increase the objectivity of the admission procedure, eliminating cases of unjustified refusals. The President of the Russian Gymnastics Federation Oleg Belozerov ...

Via TASS.  Arseniy Dukhno is the son of one of the national team coaches.  Google translate.  Picture by Daria Isayeva. The leader of the Russian junior artistic gymnastics team, Arseniy Dukhno, dreams of performing at the 2028 Olympic Games in Los Angeles and winning a gold medal there. Dukhno told TASS about this. 📈At the Strongest Athletes Cup in Moscow, 16-year-old Dukhno won five gold medals (including in the individual all-around) and two silver medals in junior competitions. In the all-around, he scored more points than Daniil Novikov, who had no equal among adult gymnasts (81.965 versus 81.165). 💬"I haven't fully established myself as a gymnast yet, because I haven't competed at the senior level yet, that will only happen next year," Dukhno answered the question of how he reacts to the positive reviews addressed to him. "The atmosphere in senior gymnastics is a little different, and the competition among athletes is much more serious. In such conditions...

From sport.ru via vk.com.  Google translate  A big interview with Anastasia Loginova from Sport24 with Lyudmila Roshchina following the Strongest Cup, where the gymnast won four out of five gold medals. We quote several fragments, the full version is available on the publication's website, link at the end. ❓ The Strongest Athletes Cup has recently ended. Did you have time to analyze your performances? 💬 I just rewatched the broadcast, looked at my shortcomings. ❓ Did you set a medal plan for this start? 💬 I didn't think about it. Only that I needed to do my program - and then what will happen. ❓ Did you have time to discuss the competition with your coach? 💬 She praised me, said that I was great. She didn't scold me for mistakes on the beam - on the contrary, she supported me. ❓ Can we say that the beam is your weak spot? This is the only final you didn't get to. 💬 Probably yes. I have this apparatus that is a bit unpolished, so to speak. Treacherous. I need to work...

  Liudmilla is the first gymnast of the new generation to win AA in the most important international competition in Russia.  The Krasnodar born gymnast was at one time said to be the favourite of head coach of the junior team, Aliya Mustafina.   Source: gymnastics group on VK.com.  Google translate Lyudmila Roshchina shone at the "Strongest Athletes Cup" in artistic gymnastics in Moscow.  🔝 The 17-year-old gymnast became the absolute champion in the all-around and in individual disciplines, winning the vault, parallel bars and floor exercises!  "I am very pleased. There were small mistakes, but they did not prevent me from showing a decent result. I liked the atmosphere of the competition, the full stands helped when I went out on the apparatus. I love all the apparatus, but especially the parallel bars. And, of course, it was interesting to test myself against foreign rivals. In September, the Russian Championship will be held, I want to perform there at ...

 Via Instagram, RGF.  Google translate. Head coach of the Russian national team Dmitry Andreev shared his impressions of the "Strongest Athletes Cup":  "If we talk about the main team, I would like to note the performance of Daniil Novikov. It is nice that he got into good shape and showed himself well at the competition. He has something to improve on; I know that he and his coach are working on making the program more difficult.  We can single out Sasha Kartsev, who has finally recovered from his injuries. We were counting on Mukhammadzhon Yakubov: he was the favorite, but, unfortunately, he did not perform so well. Perhaps he does not have enough experience of performing as a leader yet - maybe his nerves gave in. His program is good; we know that he is capable of performing it at a high level.  Lyudmila Roshchina showed herself well, but Anya Kalmykova's situation turned out the same as Mukhammadzhon's - either nerves or the burden of responsibility affected...

At 82, Rodionenko must wish for some rest.  He hasn’t looked well for years, and it can’t have been easy leading a team which has been less than visible since 2016 (when the Russians were neutral at the Rio Games).   Andrei’s solid work on clearing the way for Russian athletes to compete as neutral was swept to one side by some power or other recently.  That must have been exhausting, humiliating and very discouraging.  I wonder which side of the fence his successor, Andreev, sat on then?  For or against Russian gymnasts competing?  Who will be in, who out?  What is the weather like in Round Lake today, for coaches and athletes?   Melnikova describes this change as a ‘new era’.  During her recent visit to Italy she was keen to emphasise how friendly people had been towards her, and how much she wanted to compete internationally. Let’s hope that Andreev is as good a diplomat as was Rodionenko.  And let’s hope for rest and improved health ...

Andrei Rodionenko speaks about his new role in Russian gymnastics :  ‘Andrey Rodionenko - appointed advisor to the President of the Russian Gymnastics Federation for work with the Russian National Artistic Gymnastics Team President of the Russian Gymnastics Federation Oleg Belozerov noted the high level of professionalism and unique experience of Andrey Fedorovich: 🎙️ "It is such professionals who lay the foundation for successful performances of the national team athletes. Over the years, he has proven this with the results of our athletes at major international competitions. Such experience is always unique, and, of course, it must be used for the further development of our artistic gymnastics." Andrey Rodionenko said that his knowledge and experience will be in demand in the future: 🎙️ "I really want Russian artistic gymnastics to only strengthen its leading positions and set the tone on the world stage among other teams. This is what we have always worked for, and ...

 Google translate, via TASS. Despite a three-year ban from major international competitions, Russian gymnasts remain competitive at the world level. This opinion was expressed to TASS by the senior coach of the Russian men's team, Valery Alfosov. 🔎 "We are very closely monitoring how the strongest foreign athletes perform," Alfosov said. "We have carefully studied the video recordings of the recent European Championships, the main Asian competitions, and even watched the Pan American Games. We study everything, and then tell everything to the guys and other coaches so that they know in which direction they need to move and where they need to improve. The base [complexity] of the programs of our leading gymnasts is high, we just need to improve the quality of execution, but we are not standing still in this component either, and the Strongest Athletes Cup is proof of this." 💪"Yes, we remain competitive at the world level. But it is difficult for me to say ...

Russia’s new head coach of gymnastics speaks about his new role.   ‘DMITRY VALERIEVICH ANDREEV Dmitry Andreev commented on his appointment as head coach of the Russian National Artistic Gymnastics Team "Of course, for any coach, heading the country's main team is the most important stage in their career. I thank the Russian Ministry of Sports and the Russian Gymnastics Federation for their trust. This is a great honor and a huge responsibility, first of all, to the country. We have very talented athletes and the team has a very good potential for victories at any level. And in order to achieve our goals, we need to unite the efforts of all parties - athletes, coaches, and staff. We will work hard to fulfill the tasks set."’

Sergey Lisin from "SE" spoke on the eve of the "Strongest Athletes Cup" with Ilya Zaika, a native of Donbass, who competes for the Vladimir region. At the moment, Ilya has the second difficulty base in the world on the rings, and before the start of the tournament, he told "SE" about plans to increase it. 💬 There is no need to do it now, because the purity and, in any case, high base are enough. I think this will be the maximum score on the rings. Well, and I hurt my leg a little, the ankle joint, I also need to take care of it. ❓ Do you follow the world scene, what other guys are doing on the rings? 💬 Of course. ❓ To what extent are they at your level now or are you at their level, are you close or are there guys who are more stable or have a noticeably higher base? 💬 I won't say that I am the strongest, but I can compete. Especially if I finish my dismount, which is in the plans. Either two with two straight, or three somersaults, but the latter i...

 Via VK.com.  Google translate. Olympic champion in artistic gymnastics Victoria Listunova, who suffered a serious leg injury in February, is currently undergoing rehabilitation and hopes to compete in the Russian Championships, which will be held in the fall. The athlete told TASS about this. Listunova tore her Achilles tendon in February during training. The athlete was immediately operated on, after which she began a long medical rehabilitation. 🤸"Recovery is going well, everything is on schedule, everything is as it should be - we are not ahead and not late," Listunova said. "Of course, yes, there are difficulties, but I am slowly and gradually bringing myself up to some exercises, as well as landings or even a push-off. As for the timing of my return to competitions, everything will depend on my physical condition." 💬"The doctors say that the recovery is going well, there are no problems. Of course, there is a desire to return to competitions as soon as ...

 Via VK.com.  Google translate.  The winner of the 2024 BRICS Games in the individual all-around, Leyla Vasilyeva, is performing at the Strongest Athletes Cup in artistic gymnastics in Moscow after breaking her leg, which happened less than two months ago. The athlete told TASS about this. 💬"I did not perform in the all-around on Friday because I was injured and was not allowed to compete," Vasilyeva said. "I was only allowed to compete on the uneven bars. The thing is that I had a broken leg, it happened on May 12 at the competition, when I was doing an acrobatic combination. At first they said that I twisted it, but then it turned out that it was a fracture." 💪"But by the Russian Championships, which start only at the end of September, I expect to fully recover and work it out completely," added the gymnast, who will perform in the uneven bars final on Saturday.It 

Dmitry Andreev has replaced Andrei Rodionenko as head coach of the Russian national artistic gymnastics team. This was announced on his Telegram channel by the Russian Minister of Sports and head of the Russian Olympic Committee Mikhail Degtyarev. 💬"I signed an order to appoint Honored Coach of Russia Dmitry Andreev as head coach of the Russian national artistic gymnastics team," Degtyarev said. "He is a highly qualified specialist with modern views, but at the same time he will be able to ensure continuity and support for the rich traditions of the Russian school of artistic gymnastics. Since 2015, Andreev has been working as a senior coach for the preparation of the national team's reserve. As an international judge, Dmitry Valerievich has extensive experience working at major international tournaments and participated in four Olympics (2012-2024). Since 2010, he has headed the All-Russian Collegium of Judges. 👏I would like to thank Andrei Rodionenko for his work...

Nikita Nagorny has announced his retirement from competitive gymnastics on his Telegram channel.   Nagorny does not rule out a return to professional sports.  "We are not giving up. We are not upset. We are holding on together." Nagorny said on his Telegram channel.

You can read the Examiner article below for details if the FIG’s somewhat disappointing financial performance.  Perhaps you have some ideas how it could be improved?  Live streaming of quals could be one new income stream. In the meantime, my opinion.  Never forget that Russian bank VTB was a sponsor of FIG before the sanctions took hold.    Russia’s withdrawal from the sport has directly reduced income - firstly, no VTB sponsorship; secondly the sport has less entertainment value without the artistic, innovative and technically proficient gymnasts of Russia.  This again affects income levels as reduced spectator interest and the resulting decrease in sponsorship and broadcast revenues. I’m not arguing about the need for sanctions, either way.    Just pointing out that if you cut off the limbs, the body will be affected. https://www.thesportsexaminer.com/gymnastics-fig-2024-financial-report-shows-very-modest-19-million-in-2024-revenue-but-good-res...

According to the Russian Gymnastics Federation via sports.ru.  Google translate. ‘The Russian Gymnastics Federation announces the return of the Russian gymnastics community to the world arena. 🤸Participation of athletes: 🔸Participation in the 2025 Trampoline World Cup stages in Portugal (July 5–6), Germany (September 20–21), Bulgaria (September 27–28), and France (October 3–5) has been confirmed. 🔸Participation of Russian athletes is planned in the Trampoline World Championships (Madrid, November 2–10) and the World Championships (November 10–17). 🔸A preliminary application has been submitted for the participation of Russian athletes in the 2025 Candidates' Cup in artistic gymnastics, which will be held in Paris on September 13–14. The final number of participants will be determined by July 16, 2025. ✍Participation of judges in competitions: 🔹Alina Gusarova and Irina Berek will work as neutral judges at the Tbilisi Cup in rhythmic gymnastics from June 11 to 15, 2025. 🔹RGR Vic...

I don’t understand why Russia would bother to try to register for Worlds,  as they had said they didn’t want individual athletes to take up neutral status.  Russia is effectively banned from competing as a team internationally in all Olympic sports. Via Sports Express, Google translate. ❗Russia has applied to participate in the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships The preliminary application for the World Championships, which will be held in late October in Jakarta (Indonesia), includes 14 neutral athletes, eight men and six girls. A maximum of six men and four girls can be registered from a country for this World Championships. Thus, at least two men and two girls have been registered from Russia, provided that Belarus has used its full quota. However, it is possible that each country has registered four men and three girls. On April 5, representatives of all Russian gymnastics disciplines announced that they were refraining from international competitions due to unjustifi...

I didn’t rate yesterday’s mixed team competition very highly.  For all its trumpeted strategic complexity, the gymnastics just wasn’t that good. This experiment is one reason that media shouldn’t be allowed to dictate how sports are run.  Mixed pairs competitions have always been a sideline and this one was just a distraction from the historic weight of Euros.  Boguinskaia was 9 times European Champion and now we have gold medalists alongside her who didn’t even score the highest in the competition.    After the AA Esposito will have competed three times across four days with only one break.  It seems wrong that the best WAG gymnast in the competition was made to exhaust herself for this frippery. Personally, I preferred Race Across the World .. I think those two men should get a medal 🤣

I’m not happy about this … the RGF has run a masterclass in what they are calling the Donetsk People’s Republic.  Of the Russian Olympic gymnasts I can see Nagorny there, and Urazova, don’t recognise the others apart from Stretovich, whose Instagram this is. It would be nice if this were an olive branch for peace, but I think it’s more of an Empire for President Putin.   Translation : ‘i.stretovich96 A significant event for the Donetsk People's Republic The Russian Gymnastics Federation held a master class in Donetsk For me personally, this is an important and significant moment. Gymnastics in the republic was, is and will be! Thank you for the warm welcome.’

 Hooray!  British gymnastics has published the broadcast schedule for the European Gymnastics Championships.  They start on Monday 26th May.  Soon!!! 

  ‘Here in Saudi Arabia I have already gained experience in composing floor routines, this was my first experience. I composed 5 floor routines remotely for Chinese gymnasts. And I will continue composing for our team here I really like this creative process. Plus I know the intricacies of gymnastics and I know what will be best for the gymnasts during the floor routines.’ ‘I also try to individually compose floor exercises. to select the movement specifically for the gymnast. the first experience was very successful! Although, I was very worried‘ Good luck, Elena, with this new branch of your increasingly successful career.

Even though I don’t trust scores as a way of ranking gymnasts - especially not when cross-competition comparison is concerned - I found this data from the Gymternet interesting.   It’s still early in the year and many gymnasts have not yet competed.  Necessarily, all of the Russia scores are from domestic - and domestic junior - competitions.  I’m surprised to see them faring so well in a world listing.  Kalmykova is leading AA.  Russian floor workers are back at the top. If Stretovich is right and the sanctions continue for another ten years, such notional thinking may be all we have, even if the Russian gymnastics system holds up and continues producing more elite athletes. You can treat all of these scores with a pinch of salt … it would be interesting though to hear some well informed opinions.   See the rankings at  https://thegymter.net/2025/05/03/the-best-wag-scores-in-2025-april-update/?fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR7k3DcD29uqegLqo3WbcwaTtH3rWTv0n...

Coach Vera Kiryashova speaks of Elena Eremina’s new life as a coach in Saudi Arabia.   Via TASS/vk.com.  Google translate Russian Elena Eremina, winner of silver and bronze at the 2017 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, has moved to Saudi Arabia, where she now works as a coach at one of the local gymnastics clubs. Eremina's personal coach Vera Kiryashova told TASS about this. 💬"Lena has been working in Saudi Arabia since February. She signed a contract with one of the local clubs, where she trains both girls of different ages and adults," Kiryashova said. "She has a work visa, Lena can travel with her gymnasts to competitions and training camps around the world. Of course, she shared her impressions of working there with me. In principle, everything is going well for Lena, despite the fact that there are certain specifics in working with local athletes. She is already planning to bring her gymnasts to Russia, to our training camp in Pushkin." 💬"Arti...

This is an interesting interview, if rather long.  You can auto translate captions into English. Interesting that Stretovich implies that his local region is expecting Russia to be out of international competition for ten to fifteen years.  This is mainly Stretovich’s personal opinion, and he says he knows it is very unpredictable (‘like sitting on a powder keg’).  But Siberia is putting its efforts into the youngest generation; no point preparing interim generations, he seems to say.   https://m.youtube.com/watch?feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwZXh0bgNhZW0CMTEAAR7mmZJ9dREm5I5MHhQaRsZIZ0ZvzlJzzkxPR_l5zs5vCufsfgQnruYcv-0R3Q_aem_4W17x7Y-zUJDlM1YTR_OEQ&si=fJrsSfHjUd2qDahy&v=vQxj84h1K6M

"I was in complete shock, I cried." Listunova on the causes of her Achilles tendon rupture Gymnast Listunova spoke about the causes and circumstances of her injury. Sergei Lissin, Sports Express The Olympic champion will do everything to return. On December 7, 2024, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic champion in artistic gymnastics in the team event Victoria Listunova competed at the Voronin Cup, her first major tournament after the athlete sustained a back injury, which forced her to miss the BRICS Games. Then, in early February, she went to Italy to participate in the national club championship and scored 53.650 in the all-around at the very beginning of the season, the same as the Paris Olympic champion on the uneven bars Kaylia Nemur. At the end of February, it became known that Victoria had a new and very serious injury - an Achilles rupture. As a result, instead of performing at the Russian Cup, the athlete came there as a guest, was present in the hall all days of the finals, afte...