Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

Anastasia Grishina in typical flowing movement at last week's Europeans.  Courtesy : RGF I am convinced that we have yet to see the best of Anastasia Grishina.  The 17 year old native of Moscow gave us a glimpse last week of the consistency, purity of technique and sheer amplitude that makes her one of the brightest upcoming lights in world gymnastics.   Anastasia ('Nastia') has had an action-packed first year in senior gymnastics, with all the ups and downs one might expect of a young adult starting out in a fiercely competitive sport.  It certainly has not been plain sailing.  A painful leg injury hampered her preparation for the Olympics, and meant that routines presented last week at the European Championships were still work in progress.  She and her new coach, Viktor Razumovsky, attracted criticism from Russian head coach Valentina Rodionenko for their failure to deliver upgrades and to increase start values.   But Rodionenko ...