Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

As the Russian Championships approach, it seems that almost every leading gymnast is experiencing injury problems or a lack of preparedness for competition - with the exception of David Belyavski, 32, captain of the MAG team - he is always ready, says the head coach. WAG injury list Angelina Melnikova is experiencing low energy, blaming poor nutrition; there is very little protein available at the National Training centre, she says.  Boiled vegetables are the main offering.  She has Achilles pain and is finding it difficult to make her landings and to get through four routines.  Angelina is missing her personal coach from Voronezh, Natalia Ishkova, who isn’t allowed to come to camp with Angelina as she can’t coach bars.  Angelina says that they are in touch daily, and that her coach is always very supportive and encouraging. Viktoria Listunova has back pain and won’t compete her full difficulty. Vladislava Urazova blew her knee last week, and has had surgery on he...

  Ukrainian cultural identity in gymnastics It’s difficult to write about Russian gymnastics at present; I have to keep it contextless.    And yet the news colludes against me.    Yesterday, former Russian President Dmitri Medvedev made a horrible statement declaring that Russia should subsume the whole of Ukrainian identity; Ukraine should disappear and become part of Russia not just geographically and economically, but also culturally.   Let me say that again: Medvedev said that Ukraine’s identity should disappear.   To say that your country’s aim is not just to destroy another’s physical infrastructure but also to make its identity disappear is equal to suggesting cultural genocide.   This statement has a direct relevance to a country’s cultural policy, and the importance of sport within that.    If Ukrainian identity is ‘disappeared’ by Russia, what might happen to its sporting history and legacy, to the unique style o...

A picture froMelnikova training update - the load is very heavy right now: she is building up strength for national champs in a couple of weeks’ time. On bars, she describes herself as ‘like spaghetti’ - her body feels very heavy and she wilts at the top of her handstands, as if she can’t maintain her position. On floor, she can’t take landings well - her Achilles hurts (she has complained of this pain last week, and is taking treatment for it).  She’s doing double layouts on the tumble trak, but isn’t landing them.  Her coach says it’s ‘normalno’ - ‘it’s OK’ - but I think this is a very difficult time for Gelya, and I hope she makes it to the championships without injury.   Just prior to this time, over the winter, Angelina has been taking a break from training to concentrate on her business; she says that this year, the Olympic year, is very important to her.  The change in pace may well explain why she is feeling the effects.

Olympic champion in artistic gymnastics Victoria Listunova, who is not training at full strength due to back pain, will perform at the Russian Championships in Sochi in March. “Listunova is experiencing muscle pain in the lumbar region of the spine, but there is no injury,” Rodionenko said. “We have reduced her loads and are trying to understand the reasons for the problems that have arisen, but the doctor says that it is ‘sore throat’ [translation difficulty] (delayed onset muscle pain syndrome - TASS note). Health "Athletes are the most important thing now, and as soon as they feel unwell, they should immediately pay attention to it. But there is no talk of Listunova missing the Russian Championship." The Russian Artistic Gymnastics Championship will be held from March 11 to 17 https://tass.ru/sport/20126663

Olympic team champion Vladislava Urazova is having surgery for a serious knee injury tomorrow and won’t compete at the Russian Championships, Valentina Rodionenko has reported to TASS.  Vladislava was training acro on floor when she was injured; Russian Champs begin on 11 March.   RRG wishes Vladislava all best wishes for a full recovery.   Update, 3/3/2024 :  Olympic champion gymnast Urazova underwent knee surgery “On Friday, Vlada was operated on, doctors say that the operation went well,” Rodionenko said. “Recovery of the damaged knee joint can last up to six months, but these are only preliminary forecasts of surgeons. Unfortunately, Urazova will be forced to miss this season.” The gymnast injured her knee last week during floor exercise training while performing an acrobatic routine. 📝https://tass.ru/sport/20135459

 A retired Russian elite gymnast, trying to find her way in life, reports the agony of current pain caused by past injuries.  Love to you, if you read this.  Google translate.   I did Pilates today using the equipment😍 I really liked it I gained a knowledge base in the field of exercise therapy and Pilates. But I’ve never worked on equipment. And it’s so interesting to feel your body and consciously control your movements. BUT, during exercises there should be complete comfort. And unfortunately, I feel discomfort and pain in many exercises. And I was so surprised, I often forget about my pain in the body. I look for the positive and say that everything is fine 🤌🏼✊🏻 But that's not true. I felt so sad that there was almost no healthy space in my body. During training, I said “I have this here...” “but here it’s like this” “here I can’t” “and here it hurts”, and I just paid attention to it. I never shared about my injuries and pain. But today I was so surprised mys...

  This story of a 'new girl' on the talented Soviet women's gymnastics team, just prior to the 1968 Olympics, hardly needs to be presented as a fictional drama.  The coach, as in all these films, is tall, dark and handsome, with a brooding sense of being in control of all he surveys, but that's where the fiction ends.  Whoever did the casting for this film had an incredible talent for finding Soviet gymnast lookalikes, and I won't need to tell you who was who in the plot, as it's perfectly obvious.  The only one I'm unsure of is Novenkaya, the new girl, herself.  I think it's Natalia Kuchinskaya, but I'm not completely sure, because the Director of this film has cut the timeframe about a little bit. The members of the squad depicted here are a young Tamara Lazakovitch (no sign of the whisky yet, but very spirited), Ludmilla Tourischeva, who is sweetly played as a smiling but very serious young woman, Larissa Petrik, Olga Karasova, Polina Astakhova (...