1997 born Dmitri Lankin, a rising star on the men's team The FIG has now updated the nominative registration listings so you can have fun perusing them and seeing who are on the latest teams - there have been plenty of changes across the world. One alteration - which has almost gone unnoticed so far - is the substitution of Vladimir-based gymnast Alexei Rostov with the up and coming youngster, Dmitri Lankin. Rostov finished fifth in the Russia Cup all around, but his selection for the Worlds team was a small surprise as his name does not even appear on the national team listings on the RGF website. 1997 born Lankin, on the other hand, has been tipped by Valentina Rodionenko as a shining light amongst the promising ranks of the Russian team. His strongest pieces are floor and parallel bars, where the Russians are already relatively strong. Often when a youngster is substituted in at this stage, it indicates that the gymnast has earned it in training, and is con...
Reporting and analysing Russian gymnastics since 2010. Includes original and exclusive interviews with leading coaches and gymnasts, and historical issues dating back to the Soviet Union. The first blog to report extensively on the sport using Russian language sources. I read, I argue, and I have opinions. Be warned.