Four years ago, we were eagerly awaiting the upcoming Youth Olympic Games, and the name on everyone's lips was Viktoria Komova, who was confidently expected to win the gold medal at these Games in the all-around competition. Komova had contributed significantly to her team's victory at the Junior European Championships that spring, and was reigning Junior European Champion.
The 15-year-old was under a great deal of pressure. Expectations ran high as Russia's Prime Minister Vladimir Putin publicly expressed his expectation that Russia's young athletes would win ample gold at this first Youth Olympic Games. Viktoria, well known in the gymnastics world as the daughter of former gymnastics world champion Vera Kolesnikova, headlined many media appearances and was highly touted as a likely gold medallist.
She delivered in style, scoring a total of 61.25 ahead of China's Tan Sixin (58.5) and Carlotta Ferlito from Italy (55.35), and went on to win a further three medals - gold on vault and bars, and bronze on floor. Only an error on beam denied her a clean sweep.
Young Viktoria, alongside President Dmitri Medvedev with Russia's medallists at the last Youth Olympic Games.
Rarely has such a young gymnast faced such high profile expectation at such a tender age. Komova's technical ability was inborn and trained from her very earliest days. She has produced some of the best gymnastics of the past four years, including this superb beam routine from the all around competition in 2010 : http://youtu.be/j4hZ4_b72eA
Surely, injury free, our still young Champion can reconnect with her most brilliant abilities to stamp her authority once more on the world of gymnastics? I doubt there is a gymnast in the world who has better innate technical capabilities.