Clik here to view.
The genius of Tatiana Groshkova
Simone Alexander drew my attention to this video. http://youtu.be/DIE0tfdYgosThis is the best video of this outstanding floor routine that exists to my knowledge. Groshkova has never competed at...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Britain 1, Russia 2 in Junior European Gymnastics Championships
Sergei Eltcov, Kirill Potapov, Artur Dalolyan, Nikita Nagorny, Valentin StarikovIt was a close-ish competition, but Britain came out on top everywhere as a team, except for pommel horse where the...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Sport and friendship: from Vladimir to Crayford, and back again
State of the art gymnastics facilities at the Europa Gym Centre, CrayfordI thought it timely to reprint this article, originally published last September 25th, to remember the friendship that exists...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Rodionenko reflects on results of MAG qualifying
Andrei Rodionenko and David Belyavski anxiously await the final score. Courtesy RGFBritain and Russia had another tussle in MAG qualifying yesterday, with Britain coming out on top this time. Both...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Wilson, Starikov, Bevan
Results of today's junior all around competition. Congratulations to all!
View ArticleClik here to view.
Rostov claims Kharenkova as its own
Maria enjoys a quiet moment at the Banquet following last week's European Championships. Courtesy RGFEuropean Beam Champion Maria Kharenkova has been congratulated on her gold medal by officials from...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Russia - European Team Champions
Congratulations to Russia! A gold medal in the team Championships. First in Europe with a thoroughly outstanding team effort.Britain performed well, too, but had a few errors on rings and vault. It...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Teammates
There is a noticeable shift in temperament in Russia's team this spring - perhaps it is just the afterglow of a good competitive performance, but the word 'teamwork' has been important in press...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Denis Ablyazin : Again, into battle
Denis Ablyazin has qualified to three of today's event finals. Courtesy RGFEvent finals begin today at 10 am local time with the juniors, and 3 pm local time for the seniors. Lots of interesting...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Russia 4, The Rest 3
Alexander Balandin in today's rings finalRussia's senior team concluded a strong week of competition today with three more gold medals to its name. For the first time in many years Russia came away...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Ludmilla Tourischeva, the past and present of gymnastics, artistry, andmore
I responded to a question on Gymternet Clan on Facebook recently; which gymnasts did you see in competition first? Being rather old, my reply was that at the 1976 Soviet Display at Wembley, I was...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Mustafina and Ablyazin in Israel - an interview AND INJURY UPDATE
Aliya Mustafina and Denis Ablyazin in Tel Aviv. Photo credit : Oren Aharoni at YNet at http://www.ynet.co.il/articles/0,7340,L-4527406,00.htmlAmit Finkel has linked to the following article on his...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Injury updates - Mustafina, Komova, Afanasyeva, and Garibov
A great montage from Team Russia on Instagram.Many thanks to the All Around and to Laerke and Nico at Gymfever who are keeping me up to date while I am on a Greek holiday in the sunshine. Please bear...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Our Nelli Kim : a new documentary
Nelli Kim at the 1980 Olympics, courtesy of Nellikim.netI have mixed feelings about Nelli Kim. She was certainly one of the most talented competitors the Soviet Union fielded in gymnastics, and that...
View ArticleClik here to view.
'Mustafina is no longer in pain' - Valentina Rodionenko
Picture of Aliya Mustafina, courtesy of RGFValentina Rodionenko has provided some updates on the Russian teams and how their preparation for Worlds (Nanning, China, 3 to 12 October) is progressing, via...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Nikolai Tolkachev School of Gymnastics - past and present
Coach to Nikolai Andrianov, Founder of the Vladimir School of Gymnastics, Nikolai TolkachevIn the historic city of Vladimir, 200 km east of Moscow, the Nikolai Tolkachev School of Gymnastics has been...
View ArticleClik here to view.
'Romka' - Russian Junior gymnast documentary
I love all of those Soviet era sports documentaries - the moodiness of the black and white photography, the silences, the variations in tone, in light and shade, the mystery of it all. There haven't...
View ArticleClik here to view.
The Sports Monograph
I have been lucky enough to be able to collaborate in the writing of a chapter in this book, due for publication on the 31st July and available for order on Amazon...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Russian national identity, the Sochi Olympics, and much, much more ...
Two of the Sochi Olympic mascots, Snow Leopard and Hare, enjoy bobsleighingAnna, one of my students on the MA in International Tourism at the University of Greenwich, is collecting data for her...
View ArticleClik here to view.
Working hard at Lake Krugloye - who will make the team?
Senior team members Daria Spirodonova, Tatiana Nabiyeva, Ekaterina Kramarenko, Viktoria Komova and Maria Paseka enjoy some Sunday fun in Moscow. Picture courtesy of Viktoria Komova on InstagramThe...
View Article