These pictures of young Ivan Stretovich, taken by Elena Mikhailova at last week's European Gymnastics Championships, are available in a gallery at the Russian Gymnastics Federation website. I wanted to share a sequence of them with you.
Stretovich turns 16 in October, and comes from Novosibirsk in Siberia, where he is coached at the Dynamo club by B Konvissar. This young gymnast emerged at April's Russian Championships, where he took gold or silver medals in every event final except for vault. In Montpelier, he contributed to the Russian team's silver medal.
But pictures speak louder than words, and medals aren't all that matters. Stretovich's start values (in qualifying 5 (F), 5.1 (PH), 4.8 (SR), 5.4 (V), 5.1 (PB) and 4.9 (HB) leave some room for development, but the special quality of his work is even rarer than a double twisting double back somersault. That quality is the ability to elevate the simple to a pitch of perfection, and to make the difficult look simple: consider here the amplitude, line, pointed toe, outstretched hands, that exquisite positioning of the head, the alignment of the shoulders. The Code should value this ability more highly than it does: who needs difficulty when simple gymnastics can be this beautiful?
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Little wonder that Valentina Rodionenko occasionally gets a little stroppy about standards of international judging, when you compare this junior gymnast's performances to those of some of the senior elite women who are regularly scoring in the high 50s all around.
I know I should be updating the results from the senior event finals, but this picture sequence seemed even more important to me at this particular time. You will probably all know by now that Garibov and Balandin both achieved gold medals on their events (high bar and rings), and that Ablyazin achieved two bronzes on floor on vault. I will provide a fuller account tomorrow.
Stretovich turns 16 in October, and comes from Novosibirsk in Siberia, where he is coached at the Dynamo club by B Konvissar. This young gymnast emerged at April's Russian Championships, where he took gold or silver medals in every event final except for vault. In Montpelier, he contributed to the Russian team's silver medal.
But pictures speak louder than words, and medals aren't all that matters. Stretovich's start values (in qualifying 5 (F), 5.1 (PH), 4.8 (SR), 5.4 (V), 5.1 (PB) and 4.9 (HB) leave some room for development, but the special quality of his work is even rarer than a double twisting double back somersault. That quality is the ability to elevate the simple to a pitch of perfection, and to make the difficult look simple: consider here the amplitude, line, pointed toe, outstretched hands, that exquisite positioning of the head, the alignment of the shoulders. The Code should value this ability more highly than it does: who needs difficulty when simple gymnastics can be this beautiful?
Little wonder that Valentina Rodionenko occasionally gets a little stroppy about standards of international judging, when you compare this junior gymnast's performances to those of some of the senior elite women who are regularly scoring in the high 50s all around.
I know I should be updating the results from the senior event finals, but this picture sequence seemed even more important to me at this particular time. You will probably all know by now that Garibov and Balandin both achieved gold medals on their events (high bar and rings), and that Ablyazin achieved two bronzes on floor on vault. I will provide a fuller account tomorrow.