The atmosphere today was a bit thicker, more urgent. With the competition looming tomorrow, more time was spent on the apparatus and there was less chit-chat on the sidelines. Still, I continue to be pleasantly surprised by the sense of camaraderie among all—coaches, athletes, officials, and even the media. Case-in-point: Although I was politely denied permission to take photos from the floor, I was able to move about freely with everyone else, bumping elbows on the way to the cafe, sharing the same bathrooms, etc. The barriers are surprisingly quite fluid, and the paradox is similar to the accessibility of Russian Gymnastics in general: “outside” media tends to be resisted officially, but a relatively informal culture creates an air of openness. I frequently found myself lost in thought or absorbed in a performance when Evgeny Grebyonkin would take a seat next to me and begin checking his email.
There were two practices in the arena for the women, one the official podium training and the other a standard training. (Though in truth both sessions were pretty relaxed.) After warming up in pairs and small groups, the events appeared to be conquered by preference, a set of coaches sticking to one piece of apparatus as the athletes moved about.
The only exception to this pattern was Viktoria Komova, who warmed up and trained solo under the watchful eye of her personal coach. I’m somewhat surprised by how short her practices have been on the podium, though it’s possible she’s choosing to continue her workouts out of the limelight, purposely leaving a lot to the imagination. From what I have seen, her bars look solid: good technique, nice timing, a full-twisting double dismount when she has the steam.
On balance beam, her lines are exquisite, though it’s uncertain whether she’ll present a routine tomorrow. So far, she has mostly drilled double turns and full turns (leg horizontal) to aerials. I suppose we will continue to hold our breath until tomorrow’s qualifications come to pass. The coaches have made it clear that all members of the Nanning-bound team must be able to perform two events, determined by this competition. Whether Viktoria chooses to present a not-quite-ready routine tomorrow or whether the head coaches choose to retreat from their two-event ultimatum remains to be seen. [Editor’s note: Sara did find out Komova is said not to be competing on beam and intended to change the article but it went on to be published before the updated version arrived.]
The other members of the national team seem to be taking the two-event rule to heart: Maria Paseka has been practicing her 2013 European Championships bronze wielding bar routine as well as a new floor routine, and Daria Spiridonova has spent just as much time on the balance beam as on the bars. On the former she is gorgeous, even cleaner than her international debut at the 2014 European Championships (less rushed, legs glued), and on the former she looks very much at ease with the exception of her dismount. Solid beam routines will be key for her this week if she wants to make the trip to Nanning.
The only world-bound athlete exempt from the Russian Cup was the one showing a real struggle. Aliya Mustafina powered down the vault runway early in the day for a few, mostly clean DTY’s, and she practiced her new floor choreography for a while in the afternoon. Both showings gave the impression she intends to compete those events, if only to fill the void.
The real struggle came on bars when, hampered by a pained shoulder, she consistently resisted attempting her jaeger release. Head Coach Evgeny Grebyonkin measuredly moved closer and closer to the high bar, and only after several last-minute dodges did he finally stack a couple of giant spotting blocks and guide the Uneven Bars Queen through the release. She made each, without much physical help, but winced after each, clearly wishing for the dreadful rotation to be over. (My mouth will be visibly agape tomorrow if she presents an Mustafina-worthy bar routine.)
Moving to balance beam, where she has worked hardest and most consistently the last couple of days, Aliya finished the practice on a higher note. To her credit and what I imagine will be the world’s delight, she seems to be attempting a routine that puts the best of two strategies together: single, high-scoring elements (the Double Turn is still there and still beautiful, and the Standing Arabian is back, almost as consistent as the former), and never-ending combinations. Though I haven’t seen her put it all together yet, an Onodi to free cartwheel to split leap to aerial to aerial to BHS step-out appears to be in the works.
As far as tomorrow goes, I’m not sure what to expect. Maria Kharenkova will certainly come to play hard, as will Alla Sosnitskaya and Aliya. Kharenkova has a distinctly different training style than the other leaders, drilling routine after routine with a seemingly endless reserve of energy and youthful lightness yet intensity. Alla is similar in attitude and endurance, though less consistent. Still, she fills a void for the team on floor and vault. If anything, she hasn’t yet perfected how to harness her power, frequently under or over-rotating. Finding the right balance will be the key for her personally, as well as the key to team cohesion and delivery in the near future.** **
The questions I’m carrying into tomorrow:
-Who will be Russia’s third Vaulter?
-How do these floor routines present at the international level with tumbling passes included? (I’ve yet to see a full floor routine.)
-In the absence of all but one veteran All-Arounder, will someone fill in the ranks and present a spirited program?_ _
_What would you add? _
Article and photos by Sara Dorrien