Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

Arrived safely in Brussels and very much looking forward to the gymnastics.  I hope you are reading the excellent quick hits available at the All Around and the Gymnastics Examiner – see the links at the bottom of this page.  My coverage of Europeans is bound to be much more personal, and significantly less technical!  There are also now some videos of podium training available at the Full Twist - worth a look at the Russian girls' bars and beam. Tomorrow afternoon the real action begins, with the junior girls competing for the team title and also for qualification to Friday's all around competition.  My guess is that Kharenkova and Shelgunova will represent Russia in this competition which will be one of the highlights of the Championships.   This is my seventh European Championships and I'm joined here by friends who have been to at least as many competitions as me.  My friend Tracey, whom I met at the Rotterdam World Championships in 1987...

Twitter the Europeans : #Brussels2012 I am on my way to Brussels and will be providing a daily diary of all the excitement from the point of view of a well seasoned gymnastics traveller who loves the Russians.  These Championships are one of the most keenly anticipated of any I have attended in the past 25 years.  In the coming days we should expect to discover : Who of the latest crop of juniors are likely to be fighting for spots on the senior teams in coming years? How are the Russian team's preparations going for the Olympics? Which of Russia's first time seniors will be in the fight for places on the team for London? Can the Romanians pull off a surprise and win lots and lots of gold? The Russians have brought a very young team to Brussels; of the five gymnasts nominated three are first time seniors.   Some bright person noted that this is in fact the 2010 European Junior Championships team, with Aliya Mustafina in the place of Violetta Malikova. I cann...

For so many of my generation, Olga Korbut opened the door to the wonders of gymnastics.  Her performances at the Munich Olympics embrace so much of what the Russian gymnasts uniquely now present on the competitive podium : tantalizing personality, complex expression and unique, original skill. As we begin the final run up to the 2012 Olympics, the BBC remembers Olga in this video coverage , available to viewers in the UK. It is hard to believe that it is almost 40 years since I saw Olga for the first time, on my little black and white TV screen.   I had never known gymnastics before that day, and have never ceased to be enthralled by the sport since.  She spawned an unprecedented surge in gymnastics participation, and inspired emotion that has endured for almost half a century.  There has never been anyone quite like Olga. I wonder what memories we will have of London?

Vault specialist Maria Paseka will take Ksenia Afanasyeva's place at next week's European Championships, reports Alan Owen. This raises an interesting question - will we see Komova or Mustafina on vault in Brussels next week at all? Thanks to Alan for the update. And with thanks to Nora for this earlier link to Allsport , via the All Around Forum.

More information is now available about the BBC's coverage of the upcoming European Championships. In addition to the red button transmissions which I listed earlier (details repeated below) there is now also terrestrial TV on BBC1 on Saturday 19th May. R ed button : Saturday 12th May 14.00 - 16.30 European Team Gymnastics Sunday 13th May 12.45 - 16.30 European Team Gymnastics (12.45-16.00 on Freeview) BBC1 : Saturday 19th May, 14.30 - 16.30 Do please check these details in your local guides and make sure you are not missing out; they may be incomplete, or the timings may change.  I'm afraid that the information given on the BBC website is minimal - I will take a guess that the red button on Saturday and Sunday will cover Team Finals (Saturday) and EF (Sunday) live.  There may be some repeats or highlights factored in, explaining the rather long duration on the Sunday. The BBC's website does not suggest that the live red button programm...

I-g.tv has recently been updated with some stories from the diving world as well as gymnastics, including a commentary from Vladimir Zaglada on the gymnastics contribution of 2000 Olympic Champion Alexei Nemov.  This is soon to be supplemented by a video montage of Alexei's amazing work on the high bar. There is also a dual (Russian/English) language version of a profile of Alexei : Alexei Nemov – last of the Soviets, first of the Russians Writing a profile of 2000 Olympic Champion Alexei Nemov has not been easy.   There is something so completely intangible about Nemov’s gymnastics, something that defies simple description.  The beauty of his work goes beyond line, technique or acrobatics.  There is a softness that transcends the mere physical. At first, I wanted to write about Alexei’s heroic qualities, of how he reminds me of Detiatin, Tkachev and Mogilnyi.  Mentioning Nemov’s place in the role of honour of Soviet gymnastics seemed to be t...

Vladimir Zaglada's latest book, Gymmy the Owl and His Friends Do you want to know the difference between flexibility and plasticity?  Find out why it is so difficult to do a handstand on a balance beam?  Know what it is that your pet cat can do easily that you have to spend hours practising?  Vladimir Zaglada's latest book will help you.  A charming collection of poems and colourful, humourous pictures (by Katya Korobkina) explains some of the vital facts about gymnastics and is full of wonder at the gymnastic feats of the natural world as well as those we humans perform in the gym..  This book is for children, but parents and carers will love it too - it's perfect for a shared read. The book concludes as the King of Beasts, Lion the Coach in his Dynamo club tracksuit, introduces himself: " Gymmy's told me all about you And he knows a thing or two. You are all with gifts endowed, And I know you'll make me proud." This beautiful book is ...