MAG Qualifications - results so far

There are also live results at the FIG website : http://www.fig-docs.com/live_results/5529/5529.php

Russia did pretty well everywhere except pommels, where they suffered one of their magnificent disasters, carrying four falls on that one event ... Ignatyev performed disappointingly in the all around, carrying two marks in the 12s.  Newcomers to the team, Stretovich and Polyashov, both performed creditably but unremarkably.  There is still time for them to make their mark at upcoming competitions as they progress to Rio.  The results show a team that appears more robust than this time last year; despite the pommel horse tussle, the team revived and regrouped in the following apparatus and, even without Garibov and Balandin, managed to stay in touch with their closest rivals.

The team is in 5th place, closely matched with Britain, and all the gymnasts will have a chance to improve in Tuesday's team final.  On floor, Russia recorded the highest team total.  On pommels, they registered 13th position.  Russia ruled rings, came fifth on parallel bars and fourth on high bar.  Their best all arounder, David Belyavski, stands in second position and will be joined in the individual final by Nikolai Kuksenkov (9th) barring a recurrence of the back injury that prevented his participation on all pieces in the Russia Cup. (A surprise here is that Britain's Max Whitlock, one of the front runners for silver behind King Uchimura, failed to qualify; he will be replaced by Daniel Purvis, and newcomer Nile Wilson.  This opens up the all around competition, with almost anyone in the top ten capable of medalling, although Uchimura remains regally in that top spot and looks unlikely to be toppled.)

Ablyazin qualified in first spot for floor, and second for rings, where he will be joined by Ignatyev.  He also stands second in vault.  Surprisingly, as it is their weak piece, Russia is the only country to have two representatives in high bar final, Kuksenkov (4th) and Belyavski (7th).

So despite that terrible pommel horse rotation, Russia has held its head high and will continue to participate in all finals except for p-bars and pommel horse.  All four senior members of the team have qualified to at least one final.  The men's competition is deep and intriguing - I think we can look forward to a great team final!

Germany and Azerbaijan compete in the final subdivision - we will have to wait and see what difference that makes to the final standings.

Molodyets to Russia, and good luck for the future!