Russia's head gymnastics coach Andrei Rodionenko tells "Sports Express" who will represent Russia at the European Championships in Bulgaria and why most of the leaders of the women's team will not be able to perform at this tournament (which will be held in Sofia from 12 to 18 May).
- Andrei Fedorovich, is it true that silver medallist of the London Games, Viktoria Komova, is still listed among the injured gymnasts?
- This is true, but I would add that this relates to the ankle joint, which has been an issue for some time. Vika has been treated, recovered, operated, but maybe the last treatment was not entirely successful. Perhaps the fact is that Viktoria is still going through puberty, and therefore everything that is connected with joints is extremely problematic. Now we will have a deeper examination, a final diagnosis.
- Where will the investigations take place?
- In Germany.
- In the same clinic as Anastasia Grishina is currently?
- Yes, Nastia just today (April 23) had surgery. Grishina injured her knee during the execution of floor exercises at the Russian Championships in the final of the team championship. How long it will take Nastia to recover is still unknown, but we expect it will be a long time before she can return to the competitive stage.
- World champion Ksenia Afanasyeva is also not able to help the team?
- Yes, she is still recovering.
These are all those girls who for years went through a pretty high level of training and competitive pressures. Now they just need some time for a normal recovery and to bring their musculoskeletal system back to normal operating condition. This is a normal phenomenon for gymnastics, especially at the end of the Olympic cycle.
Now a new generation is coming into the arena, so those who are older can recover and heal injuries.
- Don't you think that the process of recovery has been rather long? It is almost two years since the Olympics.
- Are there any criteria that determine how long recovery should last? This question is for a doctor, not me. This question is not about athletic training, but is about biomedical support. Questions of recovery are in the hands of doctors, not coaches.
- The only Olympic gymnast who can go to the European Championship is London Games champion and three-time world champion Aliya Mustafina. What about her preparation? Didn't she take some time off this Winter?
- Aliya did not stop training even when absent from Round Lake. She trained on an individual basis, whilst working to pass her January exams at the University. Aliya did not miss a single start last year - she won the Universiade, the World Championships, Europeans. Fatigue ... it really accumulated. After she had finished her break, Aliya resumed full training.
- Should we expect that at the European Championships in Sofia, Aliya will gather most of the awards?
- Not necessarily, let's see. She will perform at the level she can. It's better now not to build any expectations or illusions. I can say that Aliya has fully prepared, but she also has some problems with her programme, and her health. She's just a human being.
- Who will make the rest of the team that went to the tournament in Sofia?
- It's all of those who became champions of Russia on their apparatus. This European Championships does not include an all around competition, only event finals. Virtually all the national champions are new. Alla Sosnitskaya won vault, bars went to Daria Spiridonova, beam to Maria Kharenkova. They will be the backbone of the team. Polina Fedorova won the floor exercise, but unfortunately is having problems with her musculoskeletal system. The problems are small, but appear at higher loads of training. We want to preserve the athlete, so she won't go to Bulgaria.
- Who will go instead of Komova?
- There are seven people in contention for the team. Next week we will begin control training, then model training based on the schedule of the European Championships. After this the Board of coaches will determine the final composition of the team.
http://summer.sport-express.ru/gymnastics/reviews/43746/