Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

Sports Express reports (Google translate) ‘Russian gymnasts whose applications were sent to the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) to obtain neutral status have begun receiving notifications about their transfer to the international registered testing pool, a source in the Russian national team told SE. Being in such a pool is a mandatory condition for obtaining neutral status. Of the 3,000 francs that must be paid for reviewing each athlete's application, 1,500 go to anti-doping tests, for which the athlete must be included in the international pool.’ https://www.sport-express.ru/artistic-gymnastics/news/rossiyskih-gimnastov-nachali-perevodit-v-mezhdunarodnyy-pul-testirovaniya-2293100/

Match TV reports on a conversation with the Russian head coach.  Seems a bit confused?  Google translate. ‘Some representatives of the Russian national team, primarily the athletes' personal coaches, have decided to refuse to apply for neutral status to participate in international competitions, Valentina Rodionenko, senior coach of the Russian national artistic gymnastics team, told Match TV. Russian gymnasts have the right to participate in competitions under the auspices of the FIG as neutrals from January 1, 2024. In early January, Vasily Titov, First Vice President of the Russian Gymnastics Federation (RGF), told Match TV that applications by Russian athletes to receive neutral status to participate in the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) tournaments were "in process". The information about the inclusion of athletes in the testing pool was commented on by Valentina Rodionenko, senior coach of the Russian national artistic gymnastics team. 💬 This is the firs...

 Google translate from VK.com -  Match TV talked to Victoria Listunova about the Olympic summer without participating in the Games, recovery, and memories of Tokyo three years later. We are copying several fragments, and the full interview is available on the Match TV website ❓ Victoria, how are you feeling? How was your recovery from the injury? Was it an old problem or some kind of force majeure? 💬 The injury may have been cumulative, it was not immediately revealed, I am now trying to train in the same volume as before. I am restoring my program. It took a long time for rehabilitation. From April until mid-summer, I was completely without loads, so that the injury would heal and never bother me again. But it is not like I was resting all summer. I was constantly present at the training camps, went through all the recovery procedures. At first there was complete rest, then I trained as much as possible without pain. So there were trainings, but in a minimal mode. In the sum...

Sports Express says that nine female gymnasts from Russia have applied for neutral status to compete in international competitions later this year.  This includes Angelina Melnikova and Viktoria Listunova. The applications go to the FIG and can take up to about 60 days to process.  We probably won’t hear any news until April, then.

Valentina Rodionenko speaks to TASS.  Google translate - Tokyo Olympic participant Elena Gerasimova has decided to end her career in the Russian national artistic gymnastics team. This was reported to TASS by the senior coach of the national team Valentina Rodionenko. "Lena Gerasimova has decided to end her sports career, but she wants to continue competing in student competitions," Rodionenko said. "The athlete has been plagued by injuries in recent years, which made it very difficult for her to endure the training loads that the members of the national team experience. Gerasimova is a very honest and very responsible person. That's why she came and said that she wants to end her career and compete only in student competitions." "I know how responsible and hardworking this girl is, so we suggested that she think about becoming a coach of the youth team on one of the apparatuses in the future. We will count on her. And now she works as a coach at the Anton ...

MAG Head coach Valery Alfosov has been speaking to TASS about Olympic Champions David Belyavski, Artur Dalaloyan and Denix Ablyazin.    All three remain on the national team (the reserve team) because they are still training, and hopefully plan to compete at the Russia Cup and the Russian Championships later this year. The gymnasts will remain on the roster, even if as reserves, for as long as they train and compete at these two events. The Russia Cup will take place in April this year, in Novosibirsk.  

Angelina Melnikova is currently in Italy, taking a break but also getting some training at one of the clubs there.  She has met up with Anton Stolyar, former Russian national bars coach who now lives and works in Italy. Angelina’s goals this year are to qualify (as a neutral individual) for the World Championships this autumn and, on a business level, to open a new gym in Russia.

It will be very difficult for Olympic champion in artistic gymnastics Vladislava Urazova, who underwent surgery on an injured knee in March, to return to her previous high level. This opinion was expressed to TASS by the athlete's coach Liliya Kazakova. On March 1, Urazova underwent surgery on her injured knee joint during training. 💬"Vlada was given nine months to recover from the knee surgery, but she is still in pain," Kazakova said. "Vlada must send pictures of her knee to doctors in Moscow, after which she will receive an answer. For now, she is not training and devoting all her time to her studies." "It will be very difficult for her to return to her previous level, especially since very strong young girls are growing up. It is difficult to give more precise forecasts, everything will become more or less clear when she resumes training," the TASS interlocutor added. Urazova is not on the list of candidates for the Russian national artistic gymna...

 Match TV reports: First Vice President of the Russian Gymnastics Federation Vasily Titov told Match TV that retired Olympic silver medalist Anastasia Ilyankova is working with young athletes at the Ozero Krugloe base. Ilyankova will turn 24 on January 12. In 2019, the gymnast became the European champion in the uneven bars, and in 2021, she won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics on the same apparatus. ❓ How did you react to Anastasia's decision to end her career? 💬 Ending a career is a personal matter for every athlete. It's a shame she decided to end it, she's a very talented gymnast. She's very strong on the uneven bars, she's a talented person. Unfortunately, there were injuries. Despite the fact that Anastasia is ending her career, she continues to be a part of the national team, but is no longer a member of the national team. She works with young athletes at the Ozero Krugloe base. ❓ A coach? 💬 No, but she helps. ❓ And if she expresses a desire to become a...

Russian gymnast and World and Olympic champion Angelina Melnikova is applying for neutral status to be able to compete in international competition later this year. Angelina communicates via her Instagram page, and has recently been updating her vlog channel.  There are training videos, a look at the Voronin Cup, and injury news.   Very professional and you can use the translate function to provide English language captions.   https://m.youtube.com/@gelyamelnikova?

 The Russian MAG team have their first squad training at Round Lake, Moscow, beginning on 5th January.  Missing from the line up will be Daniel Marinov and Sergei Naidin, who are both recovering at home after shoulder surgery.  

Former Olympic and World Champion Nikita Nagorny spoke to TASS on the 23rd December.   Nagorny speaks for himself here, trashing the IOC/FIG ban on Russia’s participation in international competition and suggesting that world sport is running back to Russia with its tail between its legs, desperate for his country’s return to World and Olympic tournaments. Of course, I personally would like to have the Russian teams back - but only after peace has been restored!  I’ll be delighted if Melnikova, Listunova and their like can secure neutral status to compete as individuals, and I do think that the sport will be the brighter for their originality, technique and artistry.  But the world can do without Nagorny’s bullish pretence about the whole situation - which is all very sad and difficult for everyone.   I prefer the RGF’s official, calm and professional approach to Nagorny’s rather charmless blustering.  The fierce confidence that made Nagorny such an exciting gy...