Newcomer Seda Tutkhalyan did well to improve her floor performance for her team.
It was a tough competition today for Russia. Put simply, they fell too much for a better outcome.
The girls were on a swell following a great vault performance and two top class bars exercises. Next, however, returning champion Viktoria Komova went for an extra dimension on one of her pirouettes - and fell. It was a domino effect that ran through to first time World championships gymnast Seda Tutkhalyan on beam, and carried over via Kharenkova, back again to Komova. 4.5 points were lost as the checkers tumbled one after another. In the end, Moscow's Maria Paseka steadied the boat with her fluent floor exercises, and Tutkhalyan held things together with a routine that was much improved since Monday. Afanasyeva topped things off.
At the end of the comp, the girls were all cheers and smiles. But there were glum looks behind the ironic smiles. I think that all the team will be very unhappy after losing the medal in such a way.
What's the learning here? It's not the fact that you fell, that can happen to anyone. More the manner of the reaction to the fall.
There were some good moments. Vault saw a significant improvement since Sofia, and floor was much better than in qualifications. There is clearly much potential on the team. But potential does not win medals. Russia needs to learn how to balance on the crest of a wave and exploit the adrenalin of success to pursue gold or silver in future. This is exactly what the USA does so well and, today, China and Britain did better than Russia.
Valentina says that all the coaches and gymnasts are upset by this performance. And so they should be. Even President of the RGF, Vasily Titov, looked a bit sheepish at the medal ceremony. Perhaps heads will roll, and Romania won't be the only ones seeking coaches after this. After qualifications Russia looked to be respectable silver medalists here. But they weren't even scratch bronze medalists. Home advantage for rivals Britain or not, they should have done better.
In quals, Komova seemed to have mastered her nerves and to be on track in her revival as a team leader. Hmph - it is back to the drawing board there. Something has to change if the Olympian is truly to have profited from her career break. The youngsters have more grace from me for their errors, understandable under the pressure of competition and the strain of seeing their returning hero collapse at the first hurdle.
I don't want to blame any individual for a team failing - and the coaches have to take much of the responsibility - but Russia needs more confidence than that. Phoney smiles and shrugged shoulders are probably a sarcastic or philosophical reaction to adverse media and fan reactions to tears - what do you expect, they seem to say? But I would suggest that the girls need to start building themselves back up during EFs. I hope that everyone will reflect and realise that this was a lost opportunity to pressurise America in the run up to Rio. A close fight without Mustafina here could have been even closer with her next summer. Now, the exclamation mark will remain a question mark, and the pressure is all on Russia to prove themselves once more. The psychology of winning has to be more positive than we saw today.
Congratulations to the medalists, who all fought hard for their booty. To all the finalists, who truly deserved to be at the top table of gymnastics. Good luck for the coming days, and bring home some medals. Keep heart in the coming months as you prepare for the Olympics.
If Komova wins a medal on bars on Saturday, I hope she gives her beam finals place to Maria Kharenkova - who deserves a boost after a disappointing time here. The young girl has been competing with a painful right leg throughout quals and finals. She and Seda both looked very downmouthed about this result. They are Russia's future and both are much better gymnasts than we saw today. Russia cannot survive on past glories forever.
Full results are here. Fetch a handkerchief, a gin and tonic or a bar of chocolate. No, all three. http://www.longinestiming.com/File/Download?id=00000E0001000103FFFFFFFFFFFFFF03
