Triple Full

And So We Reach the Final Curtain...

2009-02-24T07:24:00.005-06:00

Dear readers,

You're probably wondering why we haven't updated for the last few days, while interesting competitions were being held and newsworthy stories were being reported left, right and center. Well, we're sorry to announce that we've reached the end of our journey, and that this will likely be our last entry, because our editor and main contributor, Mihaela, has come to the conclusion that she is too busy to keep up Triple Full. She has decided (not without considerable agonizing) to give up the blog, which will cease to exist without her. Needless to say, we're all very sorry to see things end this way. We were on to something good, and we regret having to give it up like this.

For what it's worth, we're parting as friends and nearly all our regular contributors have expressed a willingness to go on contributing if we ever decide to give it another go. Chances of that happening are limited, but we're not ruling it out entirely. Who knows, when life gets less busy...

We have enjoyed writing this blog and will probably go on contributing the odd translation or news story to the various gymnastics forums out there. We hope you will do the same, because if there's one thing we've learned over the last few months (other than that keeping a blog like this is a tremendous time sink), it is that there's an awful lot of news out there and that people are interested in reading it, given half a chance. So if you have any news about a certain gymnast or competition, be sure to post it on a message board - in English. If you come across an interesting article in a foreign news source, do your fellow fans a favor, translate it into English and post it where it's likely to be read. Don't be discouraged if you don't get any comments at first; chances are you'll find several weeks later that people did in fact read your story and stored the information in it for later use. We've certainly found that to be true on a few occasions. So we hope you'll take our torch and go on shedding light on what's going on in international gymnastics - if not in this particular place, then in several other places.

We thank you for being great and loyal readers and hope to see you again at some point, in some guise or other.

Yours gymnastically,

The Gym Girls

Sandra Izbaşa: "I'd Have a Hard Time Retiring"

2009-02-17T13:13:00.015-06:00

Gazeta Sporturilor posted an interview with Sandra Izbaşa today. It doesn't contain a lot of new information, but it's a nice read, with some tantalizing tidbits on her new floor routine. Here it is...

(Photo: Gazeta Sporturilor)

"It's like a profession to me"

Sandra Izbaşa explains why she didn't leave Deva after the Olympics
Sandra Izbaşa is still at Deva. This year she will turn nineteen, in June. She is the Olympic champion on floor, as well as a double European champion on the same event. Why hasn't she left the sport she has been doing for fifteen years now?

"Gymnastics has gotten into my blood. I'd find it hard to retire. It's like a profession to me. What would I do at home? Get bored, that's what I'd do!" says Sandra Izbaşa when we catch up with her one evening at the foot of the Deva fortress. She has just finished another one of the thousands of workouts she has had in her career. And the counting is not over yet... No sooner has she finished speaking about boredom than she starts about something else: "At age eighteen female gymnasts begin to mature. What would I do at home? Divide my time between home and school? At least I'm doing something constructive now. This year I'll have to graduate from high school, and then there's a gold medal at the world championships to be won," adds Sandra.

"I'd have a hard time retiring"
The gold medal at the world championships is the only one which has so far eluded her. "World championships are not like the Olympics. If I had screwed up in Beijing, I would have had a problem. But the world championships are held every year," says Sandra. The gymnast from Bucharest has competed in two world championships, where she has won three medals: a silver on beam (2006) and two bronzes, one in the all-around (2006) and one with the team (2007).

The colors of the Olympics
Makeup is part of a female gymnast's job description. Girls made to look older by means of layers of color. Why do gymnasts use makeup? "Ever since I was a child I've been taught to use certain facial expressions and makeup. When I couldn't put on my makeup myself, my female coaches would help me. They taught me that I'm an artist, not on the stage but on four apparatus," explains Sandra. At the Olympics, her colors were black, blue and orange. Sandra would have liked to use white as well, but "I'm quite pale enough as is."

From happiness to sadness
Sandra has taken her Olympic floor routine with her into 2009, even if she is also preparing a new routine. "I've mastered both routines very well. The music is from the same theme I used in Beijing, but it's not happy anymore, but sad," adds the double European champion on floor. [We take this to mean that Sandra is using music from the Bandyta soundtrack by Michal Lorenc again, but a less cheerful part of it this time around.]

(Photo: ProSport)

Even so, what would Sandra like to do once she has retired? "Listen to music, manage to do some sports-like dancing... I would have said handball, but I don't want to have any elbows shoved into my mouth anymore. I had enough of that when I was young. Furthermore, I'd like to take walks and relax," says the gymnast.

But until she gets time for all that, Sandra still has a lot of training ahead of her. Even though she uses makeup, is about to get her driver's license, and will turn nineteen this year, Sandra finishes off our evening chat with the words, "In other respects I'm [still] a child."

The program for 2009
Sandra's first competition of 2009 will take place on February 21, in America, in Oklahoma. Together with Andreea Grigore [nope - Dana Druncea] she will compete in the meet organized by Nadia Comăneci. Before the European Championships in April, Sandra is also scheduled to take part in a friendly against Italy.

Izbaşa and Druncea Leave for Oklahoma; Grigore to Stay at Home Due to Weight Issues

2009-02-17T11:21:00.006-06:00

This just in from ProSport:

Sandra Izbaşa (photo: ProSport)

Izbaşa, off to Nadia's show

Olympic floor champion Sandra Izbaşa and teammate Dana Druncea are leaving for the United States today to compete in the Nadia Comăneci International Invitational. The competition, organized by Nadia, will take place in Oklahoma on February 20 [note: as far as we know, the elite portion of the competition is held on the 21st] and will unite over 600 gymnasts from America and another 25 athletes from the rest of the world.

"It's a club competition, and our national team members also have obligations to the clubs where they were raised and which continue to support them. For us, the competition in America will be to verify everything we have learned and rehearsed so far under the new code," we were told by the national head coach, Nicolae Forminte.

Andreea Grigore (photo: Bernhard Schwall/Gymfan)

Although a third representative of Steaua Bucharest, Andreea Grigore, had also been announced as a competitor, the coaches decided not to send her to the United States.

"Grigore is having great weight problems and may jeopardize her health [if she competes]. We have decided that it's better for her to stay in Deva and try to get rid of the excess weight she has gained," said the head coach.

Sounds like a lot of gymnasts are having weight issues at the moment. Recent reports from Italy, Brazil and China indicate that Vanessa Ferrari, Lais Souza and Zhou Zhuoru have all put on significant amounts of weight and are having some trouble shedding it. We'll spare you the details; suffice it to say Grigore is not the only one who has her work cut out for her.

Meanwhile, doesn't Sandra look great in that picture?

A Bit More on the Antonina Koshel Cup

2009-02-17T04:06:00.014-06:00

A few days ago we posted a story about the Antonina Koshel Cup in Minsk, Belarus, where the Belorussian athletes appeared to do very well, taking nearly all the medals. Well, the Belorussian federation just posted the detailed results (in Russian), and they confirmed our suspicion that the Koshel Cup was in fact a huge Belorussian intrasquad meet with a handful of foreign athletes on hand to make it seem like an international event. Ukraine only sent two athletes, Anastasia Lunkan (3rd AA) and Natalia Gavrilovich (6th AA), both born in 1994. Israel sent four male gymnasts, three of whom contributed one routine each (one of them was Alexander Shatilov, whose floor exercise is a welcome addition to any meet). That appears to have been the extent of the foreign input in Minsk. No wonder the Belorussians seemed so superior...

Anastasia Marachkovskaya, a contender for the vault gold in Milan
(Photo: Bernhard Schwall/Gymfan)

A look at the scores also confirmed that the women's meet was Anastasia Marachkovskaya's to win or lose. She had the highest start values on three events (5.2 FX, 5.4 BB, 5.8 V - guess she threw the double-twisting Yurchenko then), and scored quite well on all three events, only to lose the gold on bars, where some disaster must have befallen her (2.9 difficulty value, 10.15 total score). Halina Ivanets, who impressed some people at last year's Junior Europeans with her clean lines, also performed fairly difficult routines in Minsk (5.5 UB, 5.4 BB, 5.0 FX), but an 11.20 on floor prevented her from medaling. By contrast, the winner, Viktoria Makshtareva, performed far less difficult routines (three of her difficulty values were in the mid-4s), but stayed mostly error-free, proving that it is still possible in modern gymnastics to win with low-difficulty routines, provided your rivals stuff up.

Generally, the routines performed in Minsk looked quite easy on paper. Seven gymnasts performed bar routines with 5+ difficulty values; on the other events only three or four gymnasts exceeded 5 points.

Sadly, it appears that all the girls on Belarus's promising Junior Europeans squad were born in 1994, which means they're age-ineligible for senior competitions until next year. However, it's safe to say that the future doesn't look too dreary for Belorussian women's gymnastics.

Vanessa Ferrari Competes on Three Events in Italian Club Championships

2009-02-16T09:56:00.013-06:00

The first Serie A (Italian club championships) competition took place in Pavia last weekend, and the most exciting thing about it would have to be Vanessa Ferrari's return to the scene. The 2006 world champion competed not on one or two events, as expected, but on three (all but floor), and did a pretty solid job for someone who has been out of action for a long time, scoring 14.15 on vault (Yurchenko-full), 13.45 on bars, and 14.50 on beam (the highest score of the competition). In so doing, she led her team, Brixia, to an easy victory in the first competition of the season (main rival Lissone finished second, 5.25 behind Brixia). We'll be interested to see when Ferrari will start competing floor again, and whether she will in fact make the team which will defend Italy's honor at the European Championships in Milan. She certainly outscored a few of her rivals for a spot on the team on Sunday.

Vanessa Ferrari has some reason to smile again
Photo: Sing Lo/Comaneci Salto)

While Ferrari's return to competition was good news for the Italian women's team, there was some bad news as well. European Championships hopeful Andrea La Spada (representing the home team, Pavia) reportedly broke the thumb of her right hand while doing a round-off double twist in training. She will have to wear a cast for 25 days, although she hopes to have it removed before the 25 days are up. La Spada hopes to compete at the Europeans, even if she's not 100% ready. In yesterday's club competition she was replaced by Belgium's Aagje Vanwalleghem, who, interestingly, was not chosen to compete on what is arguably her best event, vault, competing bars and beam only. Even more interestingly, the other foreigner in the women's Serie A (in this case, the A2, i.e. the second league), Romanian Raluca Haidu, only competed on what is generally perceived to be a weak event for Romanian juniors, bars. Huh?

Other noteworthy news from Pavia would have to include the fact that veteran Monica Bergamelli did not compete, thus reinforcing those retirement rumors (Brixia was represented by Ferrari, Galante, Fasana, and Carnessali instead), and that vault specialist Carlotta Giovannini earned the highest B score of the day, 9.25, on her strongest event, albeit for an easy vault: a layout Yurchenko (difficulty 4.4). Is the European silver medalist returning from injury as well?

Carlotta Giovannini vaulted a layout Yurchenko... (photo: AFP/Getty Images)

In the men's competition, Meda (the powerhouse team represented by Igor Cassina, Andrea Coppolino, Matteo Morandi, and Matteo Angioletti) scored an easy victory over Livorno. Highlights included Cassina's somewhat watered-down 15.55 horizontal bar routine (Kovacs instead of Cassina) and two more 15+ scores on rings by Angioletti and Morandi. Other noteworthy scores of the day included Enrico Pozzi's 15.25 on floor and Jordan Jovchev's 15.25 on rings (obviously).

Complete results of Weekend 1 of the Serie A can be found here. Hopefully some YouTube videos will soon surface as well.

Behold: Nastia Liukin's Max Azria Campaign (The Whole Shoot!)

2009-02-15T12:28:00.009-06:00

Remember the Nastia Liukin fashion shots we posted a while ago, in which the Olympic champion was pictured modeling items from Max Azria's spring line? Well, Max Azria has just posted the whole shoot here, and to our delight, Nastia's flexibility is used to great effect, and her face (well hidden in the previously released images) is visible in many of the shots. Click "IMAGE BOOK" to see the whole shoot, then click "VIDEO" to see the making-of. If you can't watch the video on the Max Azria site, there's a low-res version on YouTube. It's well worth watching for its attempted... moodiness. Yes, let's call it that.

To be honest, we think Nastia looks better without the heavy eye makeup and hair extensions, but there's no doubt she's an interesting model. We can see why the Max Azria people hired her, and we don't think they'll regret their choice!

WOGA Classic: Video Highlights

2009-02-15T10:06:00.011-06:00

Gymnastike has uploaded most of the elite routines shown at the WOGA Classic, and we've had some fun watching them, despite the fact that Anne Philips badly needs a better assistant. Having watched all the top gymnasts' routines, we think it's pretty obvious that Ukraine's Yana Demyanchuk would have won the senior competition if it hadn't been for a few falls. Demyanchuk is a solid all-arounder with excellent presentation on floor, and we look forward to seeing more of her on the senior circuit.

Most beautiful gymnast in the field? Without a shadow of a doubt, junior winner Laura Svilpaite, who looks gorgeous no matter what she does. Watch out for this one - she's going to put Lithuania on the gymnastics map!

The Russian girls, Kristina Kruglikova and Anastasia Karpova, were rather underwhelming, proving that not all current Russian juniors are brilliant.

The WOGA girls generally did a good job. We'll be interested to see how they develop over the next few years.

Here are a few more competition highlights to go with the UB highlights we posted earlier:

WOGA's Sophia Lee does a Teza jump on beam!
(Photo: Stefan Wurzer/Gymnasticsunited)

Beam

Laura Svilpaite, BB: Not quite enough difficulty yet, but tons of style. We just love the way Svilpaite moves.

Natalia Kononenko, BB: She falls on the dismount, but the rest of the routine is very easy on the eye. Nice arms.

Lily Hardin, BB: Some huge problems here, but Hardin's good form and grace make this worth watching. We think she should ditch the sheep jump though. A big boo to her coaches for letting her do a jump like that. Ugh.

Sophia Lee, BB: Lee has got guts, attempting a Teza (sideways Yang Bo jump) here. She falls, but major kudos for trying.

Christa Tanella, BB: Solid routine. Good leaps, nice Onodi-sheep jump combo (albeit not entirely connected).

Sarah Persinger, BB: A bit unpolished around the edges, but promising enough. Interesting combination of full turn with one leg at horizontal and gainer layout, sadly not fully connected.

Sydney Sawa, BB: Sawa is solid as usual on beam. Nice double turn.

Floor

Yana Demyanchuk, FX: Look, it's an actual attempt at choreography, with good interpretation of the music, a lovely smile and some pretty good tumbling too! We like this girl.

Laura Svilpaite, FX: Svilpaite has some trouble on the landings, but she's obviously had excellent, Soviet-style ballet training. With harder tumbles, a bit more expression and slightly more daring choreography, she'll be gorgeous to watch on floor.

Christa Tanella, FX: Good performance. Her choreography is so-so, but she makes the most of it; she expresses her music quite well. Very decent tumbling too.

Natalia Kononenko, FX: Kononenko has excellent forward tumbling, but her dance needs some work.

Briley Casanova, FX: Mature tumbling and nice presentation, but the choreography could do with some improvement.

Vault

Briley Casanova, V: Nice Yurchenko-1.5.

Enjoy!

From the Gossip Columns: Lilia Podkopayeva's Divorce Turns Messy

2009-02-15T09:30:00.009-06:00

A while ago we reported that 1996 Olympic all-around champion Lilia Podkopayeva was getting a divorce from her husband of four years, Timofey Nagorny. At the time, it sounded like an amiable breakup: the children would stay with Lilia, but Timofey would be granted unlimited access. However, it's increasingly beginning to sound as though things aren't going that smoothly. Lately the Ukrainian press has been full of reports in which Timofey claims Lilia is refusing him access to the children. We've translated one of the articles for you (see below).

It is worth noting that newspaper coverage of the case is very one-sided. Lilia herself is not talking to the press. While her estranged husband seems to grab every opportunity to talk to the media, ofting badmouthing Lilia in very subtle ways, the former champion herself is keeping silent. Her ex-husband says this is because she is waiting for the right amount of money to be offered. Apparently, Moscow journalists have offered Lilia $50,000 for her story; Timofey believes she won't talk until she is offered $100,000. For our part, we hope Lilia is refusing to talk to the press out of dignity. We guess we'll find out soon enough...

Anyhow, here's the story, published by Segodnya on February 13.

Lilia and Timofey in happier days (photo: Segodnya)

Nagorny: "They Are Not Allowing Me Access to My Children"

According to Timofey, a guard is stopping him even entering his own entrance hall. The divorce of one of Ukraine's best-known couples, Olympic champion Lilia Podkopayeva and businessman Timofey Nagorny, has begun to take a scandalous turn.

As Timofey Nagorny related to Segodnya on Thursday (let us recall that the first hearing in the Pechersk Court took place on that day; his wife did not come to court and the next session will take place on March 4), he went to pick up the children from kindergarten, but when he got there, it was explained to him that they were ill, after which Nagorny hurried to call on them at home (the apartment in the Pechersk area that he and Lilia bought together and where he is still officially registered). However, there was an unpleasant surprise awaiting him there.

"Only Lilia's mother was at home with the children. I don't know where Lilia herself was. I hung around in the entrance area for four hours, until nightfall, but Lilia did not turn up. Ludmilla Vladimirovna [Lilia's mother] did not let me in. [The author of the article goes on to explain that Nagorny left his keys with his wife when they decided to divorce.] Lilia's mother explained that this prohibition came from her daughter. The next morning I returned once more to the family home, but the guard wouldn't even allow me into the entrance area, explaining that this was on my wife's orders. I can't fathom the reason behind this. My wife has not returned my calls or text messages for a month now. The only way I can explain her behavior is that someone is influencing her against me and my family. But I will fight for my family, for my children to the end, if I have to – in court. I didn't go to the police yesterday, because I don't want to turn this matter into a drama. On Thursday I stood in front of the door to our apartment and listened to my children crying on the other side. It broke my heart."

Segodnya was unable to find out either Lilia's or her close family and friends' view on these events. Either they are not answering their cell phones or they are out of the access area.

To be continued...

Tanella and Svilpaite Win WOGA Classic

2009-02-15T06:33:00.015-06:00

The first American women's elite competition of the year, the WOGA Classic in Frisco, Texas, is over and done with, and 17-year-old Christa Tanella of the home club successfully defended her title, scoring 54.400 to beat Southeastern's Sarah Persinger (53.500) and Ukraine's Yana Demyanchuk (53.050).

AA winner Christa Tanella (photo: Heather Maynez)

Lithuania's 15-year-old Laura Svilpaite, a beautiful and elegant gymnast who we think has a great future ahead of her, won the junior portion of the meet, posting the same all-around score as Tanella and edging out WOGA's Grace McLaughlin and Russia's Kristina Kruglikova for the gold. WOGA promise Briley Casanova only ranked sixth, mainly because of a meltdown on bars (crash on Jaeger and huge trouble on two kips). Russia's young Anastasia Karpova had similar problems on bars, coming off twice (toe-on-full on the low bar, kip) and having great trouble on another kip.

International Gymnast has results.

Upcoming WOGA star Briley Casanova (photo: Stefan Wurzer/Gymnasticsunited)

Gymnastike is doing a good job covering the meet. So far, the site has only posted videos of the elite gymnasts' UB routines, but we trust the other events will follow soon. To get to the videos, go here and scroll down to the bottom left-hand side of the page. We've picked out a few highlights for you:

Natalia Kononenko, UB: Yes, she falls, but that Tkatchev-half-Jaeger combo is wonderful, and the rest of the routine (Hindorff, Pak and Ray, all with great form) isn't too shabby either. Seems Ukraine has produced yet another great bar worker.

Laura Svilpaite, UB: She slightly arches her back on her handstands, but even so she's amazing to watch. Great form, great extension, great lines, and good skills (inner Stalder-full-Tkatchev, Pak, double layout dismount). It's easy to see why this routine got the highest score of the day (14.750). We can't wait to see more of Svilpaite.

Yana Demyanchuk, UB: Good skills (toe-on Tkatchev, hop-full to Tkatchev, Pak, full-out dismount) combined with good form. Yep, here's another very solid Ukrainian bar worker.

Christa Tanella, UB: Not in the same league as Kononenko, Demyanchuk and Svilpaite, but still, solid stuff from the AA winner.

Sarah Persinger, UB: Ray, straddled Jaeger, full-in dismount. Some form breaks, but nice enough lines.

Anysia Unick, UB: Canada's Unick doesn't have the best form, but her mount (jump to handstand to closed-leg hecht to high bar) is interesting and difficult.

Last but not least, here is a post-meet interview with senior AA winner Christa Tanella, who says she was inspired by Rocky Balboa. Nice!

Keep an eye on Gymnastike for more WOGA Classic videos...

Jade Barbosa's Doctor: "We're Going to Think Positive, But Only Time Will Tell."

2009-02-14T06:18:00.015-06:00

Cidlover beat us to it, but for the sake of completeness, we'll post our translation of the Globoesporte article that features the latest about Jade Barbosa's hand injury. We don't think it will come as a surprise to anyone who has followed the story over the last few months that Jade is not in a good way. In fact, it sounds to us like Jade's career is over. We'll think positive, as she herself and her doctor are apparently doing, but it sounds bad. Here's the Globoesporte story...

(Photo: Jasmin Schneebeli-Wochner/Gymbox)

Jade's doctor consults specialists and concludes that there is no treatment for her injury

Brazilian and foreign specialists are unanimous: Problem is serious

After consulting almost one hundred colleagues, Sandro Deodato, Jade Barbosa's doctor, arrived at this conclusion: Only time will tell if the athlete will be able to continue in elite gymnastics.

According to the doctor, the gymnast's injury to her right hand was studied extensively at the Pathology and Total Arthroplasty of the Hand course taught by the Institute of Orthopedics and Traumatology of the São Paulo Academic Medical Center (USP). Brazilian and foreign specialists participated in the event, held last weekend in São Paulo. American Brian Adams of Iowa University, considered one of the world's leading experts in his specialty, held a similar opinion to the rest of his colleagues.

"Almost a hundred doctors were there and they all arrived at the same conclusion. There is no curative treatment for her. All we can do now is think about various ways to make things better for her. For now, we will just wait and see how she does in training," explained Sandro Deodato.

(photo: Reuters)

Gymnast must remain in Brazil

Deodato also got a second opinion from American specialist Alejandro Badia of the Miami Hand Center, who received and analyzed the athlete's examinations in the United States. The doctor invited the athlete and her Brazilian doctor for examinations in the USA, but that possibility has been practically discarded.

"We would like to do it, but it's very expensive. I don't know if it would be worth it," said Deodato.

Jade, who is avoiding using her arms while training at Flamengo, will be regularly reexamined by her doctor. If the gymnast continues to feel pain in her hand, she may undergo surgery to remove the bone fragments. However, such an intervention would only serve to alleviate the injury, not to cure it.

"Our objective is to keep Jade in gymnastics. It's a complicated matter. If she had another profession, it would be easier, but elite gymnastics is a demanding sport. She may turn out fine, and then again she may not. We're going to think positive, but only time will tell."

We read that as an announcement that Jade's career is effectively over, and we're genuinely sorry to hear it.

News from the English-Speaking Part of the World

2009-02-13T18:39:00.010-06:00

USA
We still can't get over the fact that Shawn Johnson is going to appear on Dancing with the Stars, but for Shawn herself, it's all too real. She has begun rehearsing with partner Mark Ballas, who won the show two years ago with then-partner Kristi Yamaguchi. ABC Medianet has posted some pics of Shawn and Mark practicing (see below). Meanwhile, Shawn reportedly told Inside Gymnastics that she intends to return to gymnastics after Dancing with the Stars. "Definitely," she said of her return to the gym. "After the show, I'll get back in the gym, start with gymnastics again and see where it takes me." The eighth season of the show will premiere on March 9 with a live, two-hour special.

Shawn Johnson and Mark Ballas (photos: ABC Medianet)

Great Britain
Last year, Becky Downie was crowned British champion and finished 12th in the Olympic all-around final in her first year as a senior gymnast. Now she will start her competition year earlier than ever in a bid to make 2009 equally successful, competing at the American Cup on February 21. This is what Downie told British Gymnastics about her upcoming assignment: "We’ve been working towards the American Cup since New Year, getting solid routines ready for competition. I think Britain was keen to send somebody to this competition, and Claire (my coach) felt it would be a good competition to get me going and focus my training towards. It will be the first time I’ve competed in America and the first time I’ve competed so early in the year, so it has definitely helped me to get into good shape, ready for the European Championships at the start of April.”

Becky Downie, looking forward to going to America
(Photo: Bernhard Schwall/Gymfan)

Australia
Gymnastics Australia reports that 14-year-old Emily Little, who recently won the AYOF vault final, will be Australia's sole representative at the annual Gymnix competition in Montreal, Canada, to be held March 5-8. Little is profiled here. Meanwhile, Little's WAIS club mate Lauren Mitchell will not compete at the Doha World Cup, as previously reported, but at the Salamunov Memorial in Maribor, Slovenia, to be held April 17-19. No news as yet of any upcoming international assignments for Dasha Joura, who hasn't been seen in action since the Olympics.

Emily Little (photo: Mark Nolan/Getty Images)

Upcoming competitions
International Gymnast has a list of participants of the WOGA Classic, which will be held in Frisco, Texas, tomorrow. The host club, which has produced the last two Olympic champions in the women's all-around, will be represented by Christa Tanella, Briley Casanova, Sophia Lee, Lily Hardin, Grace McLaughlin and Taylor Spears. We look forward to seeing which of these young ladies will be WOGA's next star (Rebecca Bross and Ivana Hong are not competing). Foreign competitors in Frisco include Canada's Sydney Sawa (a beam finalist at last year's DTB Cup), young Lithuanian standout Laura Svilpaite, Russians Kristina Kruglikova and Anastasia Karpova, and Ukrainians Yana Demyanchuk, Natalia Kononenko and Yevgenia Cherniy. The same Russian and Ukrainian girls will take part in the Nadia Comaneci Invitational the week after, along with Sandra Izbasa and Dana Druncea of Romania (Andreea Grigore appears to have been taken off the list). Nastia Liukin will reportedly be on hand in Oklahoma to commentate the competition.

Exciting newcomer Laura Svilpaite will also start her competitive year in America
(Photo: Bernhard Schwall/Gymfan)

Belorussians Superior at Antonina Koshel Cup

2009-02-13T17:48:00.011-06:00

This week an international competition took place in Minsk, Belarus, where gymnasts from the host nation took on guests from Ukraine, Lithuania and Israel. Belorussian sports site Sportpanorama posted a report of sorts, which we have translated for you.

We don't know exactly who the Ukrainian gymnasts competing in Minsk were (the report doesn't pay much attention to them), but it sounds like they were comprehensively defeated by the Belorussians. Of course, the latter had the home turf advantage, and the Ukrainians likely didn't send their best team, but even so, we think these competition results are further proof that Belarus may be on the way back. We're expecting decent results from them this year.

And for those of you who despair of the lack of two-vault gymnasts in women's gymnastics and believe things are better in men's gymnastics: have a look at what the article says about the men's vault final in Minsk. Ouch. Now that's worrying.

Anyhow, here's the article. Results can be found at the bottom. With a bit of luck, some videos will surface on YouTube as well. We'd like to see some videos of the Belorussian girls' new routines...

A Clean Sheet

Traditionally our gymnasts open the new season with the Antonina Koshel International Gymnastics Tournament. In 2009 the competition, which this time is not only the first of the year but also of the Olympic cycle, is taking place for the fifth time already.

Our strongest gymnasts, along with guests from Israel, Ukraine and Lithuania, entered the podium in the sports complex on Kalinovsky Street in Minsk. There could have have been more foreign athletes, but not everyone is ready for competitive activity in February.

This tournament is the opportunity for the Belorussians to test themselves, to try things out and to demonstrate to the viewers the routines with which they will be participating in the major events of the year, the European and World Championships. The gymnasts received good food for thought and could see the condition they are in, what form they were capable of, what worked, what didn't and what they need to work on more seriously.

This time the competition, which usually takes place over three days, was compressed into two. On Wednesday the gymnasts competed in the all-around. Let us remember that for two years in a row, no one was equal to Dimitry Savitsky. Last year he scored 91 points, over 8 points more than his closest persecutor, Alexander Pristavko. That time our best all-arounder went the distance evenly, without any errors. This time he was unable to repeat his success. But how could it have been otherwise when Dimitry started on only 3 out of 6 apparatus! Under those circumstances, it is understandable that you can't expect anything in the all-around.

Dimitry Savitsky (photo: Getty Images)

Alexander Tsarevich competed on three apparatus; Dimitry Kasperovich, Igor Kozlov, Vladimir Yermakov and Denis Savenkov each competed on two. And then Denis, after falling painfully right at the beginning of the floor exercise, did not continue his routine. All this gave second-tier gymnasts the chance to force their way up. Pavel Bulavsky was best able to prove himself, ahead of Alexander Demchichin and Artem Bykov.

Viktoria Makshtareva was first among the women, beating Anastasia Marachkovskaya by the smallest of margins. Let us note the fourth and fifth places of the 15-year-olds, Halina Ivanets and Alena Hurhach.

The apparatus finals took place yesterday. On floor no one was equal to the famous Israeli gymnast Alexander Shatilov. Pavel Bulavsky was second, while third place went to the youngest male participant of the tournament, 15-year-old Aleksey Kusherik.

Alexander Tsarevich performed the best routine on pommel horse. Dimitry Savitsky and Vladimir Yermakov were also raised up on the pedestal of honor. Dimitry won his only gold medal of the tournament for his ring routine, where he received one of the highest scores of the day: 15.050. (Only Alexander Tsarevich earned a higher score, on bars: 15.100.) Vladimir Yermakov was second on bars, Pavel Bulavsky was third. As far as bars was concerned, Dimitry Kasperovich was the toughest competition for Alexander, but the first place went to the Minsk gymnast. Kyrill Gorovets placed third.

Dimitry Kasperovich (photo: Getty Images)

Lastly on high bar,one of the most spectacular apparatus, once more no one was equal to Alexander Tsarevitch. Here Dimitry Savitsky dropped out of the ranks of contenders after two falls in a row during flight elements. As a result, the silver went to Artem Bykov.

There were no medals awarded for vault because on the first day only two gymnasts in all performed the two vaults necessary to reach the final.

In the women's competition Anastasia Marachkovskaya won two of the highest kinds of medals. The Minsk gymnast left all fellow competitors behind in the vault and beam competitions. Second on vault was Anastasia Zaitseva, a gymnast from the 1994 age group. Third was the experienced Nadezhda Visotskaya. Halina Ivanets and the very young 12-year-old Anastasia Ozarshinskaya won places on the pedestal for beam. No one equaled Halina Ivanets on uneven bars, but her toughest competitors were Viktoria Makshtareva and Lilia Hoang. Finally Alina Sotnikova won on floor. Also distinguishing themselves: Nadezhda Visotskaya and Veronika Zhdanovich.

"I liked the second day of the competition better than the first", Antonina Koshel told the SP Correspondent. "The athletes performed in a much more together way. They showed their potential, so that it was impossible not to be happy. Anyway, as this tournament is the first of the year, the gymnasts' execution cannot be ideal. But now the coaches could see all the shortcomings which they need to work on eliminating. There is still time – the closest important event is the European Championships in April."

Vault and beam winner Anastasia Marachkovskaya
(Photo: Bernhard Schwall/Gymfan)

Men

All-Around
1. P. Bulavsky (Minsk) 81.700
2. A. Demchichin (Gomel) 79.000
3. A. Bykov (Vitebsk) 78.700

Apparatus Finals

Floor Exercise
1. A. Shatilov (Israel) 14.700
2. P. Bulavsky 14.200
3. A. Kushnerik (Brest) 13.850

Pommel Horse
1. A. Tsarevich (Minsk) 14.800
2. D. Savitsky (Gomel) 14.100
3. V. Yermakov (Gomel) 13.500

Still Rings
1. D. Savitsky 15.050
2. V. Yermakov 14.800
3. P. Bulavsky 14.300

Parallel Bars
1. A. Tsarevich 15.100
2. D. Kasperovich (Minsk Region) 14.950
3. K. Gorovets (Minsk) 13.600

High Bar
1. A. Tsarevich 14.200
2. A. Bykov 13.800
3. Y. Izmaidenov (Lithuania) 13.300

Women

All-Around
1. V. Makshtareva (Vitebsk) 51.800
2. A. Marachkovskaya (Minsk) 51.300
3. A. Lunkan (Ukraine) 50.850

Apparatus Finals
Vault
1. A. Marachkovskaya 14.365
2. A. Zaitseva (Vitebsk) 13.488
3. N. Visotskaya (Grodno) 13.400

Uneven Bars
1. H. Ivanets (Baranovichi) 13.475
2. V. Makshtareva 12.575
3. L. Hoang (Pinsk) 12.525

Balance Beam
1. A. Marachkovskaya 13.800
2. H. Ivanets 13.425
3. A. Ozarshinskaya (Baranovichi) 12.875

Floor
1. A. Sotnikova (Vitebsk) 13.525
2. N. Visotskaya 13.300
3. V. Zdanovich (Vitebsk) 12.625

Italian News: New Serie A Season About to Start; Bergamelli Retired?

2009-02-13T08:30:00.009-06:00

We have some Italian news for you, courtesy of our Italian correspondents, Luisa and Giulia.

Firstly, it has been reported that Italy's WAG team captain, Monica Bergamelli, has retired from competitive gymnastics to take up a coaching position at her own club, Brixia (also home to Vanessa Ferrari, Paola Galante, and promising junior Erika Fasana). Apparently, news of Bergamelli's retirement was published in the print edition of La Gazzetta dello Sport a couple of days ago. Sadly, we have not been able to get hold of the newspaper, nor did an online search result in any confirmation of the news. Interestingly, Bergamelli is still listed on the Italian Gymnastics Federation's website as a competitor in the upcoming Serie A team championships (see below), so either the federation is a bit slow on the uptake or the 24-year-old has retired from international gymnastics but will continue to represent her club team in the Serie A. We guess we'll find out soon enough...

Monica Bergamelli: retired? (photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Secondly, rumor has it that Enrico Casella is no longer Italy's WAG technical director. We don't know whether this means Casella has also stepped down as head coach of the national team (they are two separate positions). The Federation's website provides no news either way. We'll keep you posted...

Thirdly, the Italian club championships, collectively known as the Serie A, are about to kick off. Like the German Bundesliga, the Serie A is a series of matches between club teams from all over the country. Most of the competitors are Italian, but clubs are allowed to hire foreigners, and some do. Over the years, several Romanian gymnasts have competed in Italy, including Simona Amânar, Florica Leonida, Sabina Cojocar, and Anamaria Tămîrjan. Dutchwomen Verona van de Leur and Loes Linders and Belgian Aagje Vanwalleghem (who also competes in the German Bundesliga) have also been known to make an appearance in the Serie A. This year, Vanwalleghem and Romanian junior Raluca Haidu will be among the foreign competitors on the women's side, representing Pavia and second-league Ginnic Bologna, respectively, while Bulgarian legend Jordan Jovchev will represent Varese in the men's league. Needless to say, anyone who is anyone in Italian gymnastics will represent his or her club team in the Serie A. All the usual suspects are listed (including Vanessa Ferrari, who is apparently about to make her comeback to competitive gymnastics), except Francesca Benolli, who is reportedly nursing a foot injury, and may or may not be contemplating retirement, depending on which source you believe.

Vanessa Ferrari: soon to make a comeback? (photo: EMPICS)

This year's Serie A competitions will take place on February 14-15 (Pavia), February 28-March 1 (Genova), April 18-19 (CR Emilia), and May 9-10 (Livorno). Our Italian spies have promised to keep us updated on the results.

A full list of Serie A competitors can be found on the Italian Gymnastics Federation's website.

Meet China's New Stars (Part 1)

2009-02-11T15:41:00.010-06:00

Remember we told you that China would be adding new members to its national teams after Chinese New Year? Well, more news on the recent recruits is steadily trickling in, and our China correspondent JW is right on top of it. Here's Part 1 of her in-depth look at the new girls, some of whom look set to become genuine stars. Enjoy it, all you China fans!

A Brief Introduction to China's New Generation (Part I)

Earlier this week, fifty-seven young gymnasts from all over China reported to the National Training Center in Beijing to begin their quest for world and Olympic gold. Thirty-six of the newcomers are MAG prospects, eighteen of whom will begin training toward the London 2012 Olympics, and eighteen of whom have been selected with an eye to the 2016 Olympics. Nothing like long-term planning!

The other twenty-one athletes are WAG hopefuls for the 2012 Olympics. As we understand it, fifteen of the girls are newcomers to the national team, chosen from the sixty or so youngsters who participated in a December 2008 selection camp. The remaining five seem to be returning members -- juniors who originally joined the National Team in 2006-07, returned to their provincial teams in the summer of 2008, and have now been invited back to Beijing.

Tan Sixin (photo: Mark Nolan/Getty Images)

A complete roster has not been released yet, but recent Chinese news items confirm that the following six girls are among the lucky twenty-one: Tan Sixin and Zhang Yujiao (Shanghai); Chen Shihua (Guangdong); Zeng Siqi (Hunan); and Huang Ying and Zhang Qing (Hubei). Today’s post will introduce the first four girls. Later this week, we’ll profile the two youngsters from Hubei.

Tan Sixin and Zhang Yujiao are already quite well-known to fans around the world. Following an impressive international debut at last month’s Australian Youth Olympic Festival, Tan Sixin needs little introduction. We just hope that her new coaches can improve the technique on her balance beam dismount and help her develop more confidence everywhere. The willowy Zhang Yujiao is an elegant gymnast with considerable potential on bars, beam, and floor. She lacks power, but her artistry is a welcome addition to any competition. Here, we’ve provided three of her routines from the 2008 Massilia Cup:

Zhang Yujiao UB: Her swing is a bit slow, and she misses a LB-HB transition, but oh, the toepoint! The lines!

Zhang Yujiao BB: She’s no Tan Sixin, but it’s still a pretty routine.

Zhang Yujiao FX: The tumbling is less than spectacular, but the choreography and expression are divine. Would that more gymnasts demonstrated such clear evidence of ballet training!

Zhang Yujiao (photo: Stefan Wurzer/Gymnasticsunited)

The following news clip from CCTV5 shows Zhang and Tan moving into the dormitory at the National Training Center. Zhang appears at 0:13 with a large package of toilet paper in tow. (For those of you who haven’t lived in China: Communal living facilities aren’t always equipped with toilet paper. Evidently, Zhang Yujiao didn’t want to take any chances!) Tan appears briefly here and then again at 0:25, when she gets a hand from Olympic champion He Kexin...

Video: Zhang Yujiao and Tan Sixin move into the National Training Center

A related Sina article appears here.

Tan Sixin said, “Although He Kexin jie jie (big sister) is an Olympic champion, she doesn’t put on any airs! She just helped me make my bed!”

Asked about her new teammates, He Kexin said that the infusion of fresh talent would promote a more competitive environment at the training center. “The newcomers have good conditions for development. We [veterans] have already reached a certain level, and it’s difficult for us to make further progress. They have more room for improvement.”

Chen Shihua, wearing both blue and pink eyeshadow (photo: Loo Winnie)

Guangdong’s Chen Shihua is one of the fifteen girls selected at the December training camp. She won her age group at the 2007 Guangdong Junior Championships, but was unable to defend her title in 2008 when a foot injury limited her to UB. She recovered in time for the December selection camp, where she impressed the coaching staff enough to earn an invitation to join the National Team. According to this Sina article, Chen is a strong all-arounder who excels on the uneven bars. Interestingly, she began her career as a rhythmic gymnast but switched to artistic gymnastics four years ago. Chen is one of at least three or four Guangdong gymnasts joining the National Team this week. (Another one is likely to be AYOF competitor Wu Liufang -- we can’t imagine that the national team staff would bypass her considerable talents.)

Major cuteness alert: He Kexin and Zeng Siqi (photo courtesy of Ling Jie's blog)

Zeng Siqi, a protégée of 1999 World BB champion Ling Jie (who’s been coaching the Hunan junior team for several years now), is another of the fifteen from the December camp. Based on this article, it seems that she has also been assigned to the Liu Guicheng/He Hua coaching group. After yesterday’s training session, Zeng Siqi shyly told reporters, “So many of the ‘elder brothers and sisters’ [older athletes] that I respect are here [at the National Training Center]. I certainly won’t let Coach Ling lose face.”

At least one other Hunan gymnast joined (or rejoined) the National Team this week, and we’re willing to bet that it’s AYOF all-around champion Cui Jie.

To be continued...

Brazil Names a New National Team

2009-02-11T14:46:00.020-06:00

We have another installment in the great Jade Barbosa soap opera, which is beginning to veer from the tragic into the frankly somewhat absurd. Guess what happened to Jade this week, according to Globoesporte? Despite the fact that the gymnastics department of her club, Flamengo, has been saved from perdition, its water and electricity were cut off on Monday, meaning the fans weren't working and Jade, who needs to drink a lot of water because she is passing kidney stones, didn't have any water to drink. Eventually, part of the problem was solved by means of a large cooler with drinks, but still, we couldn't help shaking our heads in disbelief. Jade seems to attract bad luck like no other gymnast on the planet, except perhaps the few truly unlucky ones who are in wheelchairs now due to injuries sustained while practicing the sport. Let's hope Jade is spared that fate.

Anyhow, electricity and water cutoffs are not where Jade's problems end. According to UOL Esporte, she does not enjoy a protected status on the national team. At least, that's what new team coordinator Georgete Vidor says. Off the record, it is assumed that Jade's spot on the team is in fact being kept open for her. UOL Esporte even made that its headline today...

Jade's woes at Flamengo continue... (photo: Globoesporte)

Iryna selects new gymnastics team and keeps spots open for Jade, Daiane, and Laís

This Wednesday [today] Ukrainian coach Iryna Ilyashenko took her first decision as commander-in-chief of the Brazilian WAG team. After three days of work at the Center of Excellency in Curitiba, the coach selected the team that will serve as the basis for the next Olympic cycle.

Iryna selected nine of the twelve athletes she intends to use as the group that will seek to qualify for the London Olympics in 2012. Unofficially, three spots on the team will be kept for Daiane dos Santos, Laís Souza, and Jade Barbosa, who are recovering from injuries and did not take part in the selection camp.

In all, eighteen gymnasts took part in the tests that began on Monday in the capital of Paraná State. After analyzing such aspects as physical fitness and technical prowess, the coaches' committee, headed by Iryna, opted for a group of nine official team members and five alternates.

Of the nine official team members, five were not part of the group that worked with Oleg Ostapenko in the last cycle. They are Anna Carolina Cardoso, Bruna Leal, Nadhine Ourives, Janaina Silva, and Priscila Cobello. Still on the team: Ethiene Franco, Khiuani Dias, Ana Claudia Silva, and Daniele Hypólito, all gymnasts who joined the team last year [or much longer ago in Hypólito's case]. The alternates are Nicole Beltrame, Vitória Sampaio, Caroline Himovski, Letícia da Costa, and Nayara Sobrinho.

Ethiene Franco (photo: Stefan Wurzer/Gymnasticsunited)

"We're selecting the girls who have major potential and who stand out during the workouts held these three days. But it's clear that this team is still subject to change. We are planning another two or three selection camps where Daiane, Jade, and Laís will also be assessed. So it's not as if a girl won't be part of the team anymore just because she wasn't chosen today," said Iryna.

Juliana Santos, who was the alternate to the team that competed at the Olympic Games in Beijing, was not present at this Wednesday's selection camp either, because she is injured. She will be reassessed to know whether she will join the team. The gymnast's club, Grêmio, sent an official letter to the Brazilian Gymnastics Federation explaining the athlete's absence. Flamengo did the same thing for Jade Barbosa. On the other hand, Pinheiros, where Laís and Daiane train, did not send the Federation any notification [about its gymnasts' absence].

However, the new team coordinator, coach Georgete Vidor, insisted on emphasizing that the famous athletes do not enjoy a protected status. "We are not granting Jade, Laís, or Daiane any privileges. We want to work with twelve gymnasts on the official team and we have chosen nine girls who have shown to us that they have what it takes to be on the team. But just because three out of twelve team members are still missing, doesn't mean that we are privileging some gymnast or other," the director explained.

The technical committee has already established the dates for the next selection camps. The first reevaluation will take place at the end of April. Later, in July, the athletes will once again be subjected to analysis at Curitiba. "But if even after all these tests, we still have doubts as to whether a particular gymnast is fully ready, we will make a new assessment at the Brazilian national championship in August," said Georgete. The intention is to have a complete team for the London world championships, to be held in October.

"I'm very happy to be continuing. Gymnastics is my life and I hope to develop even more in this new cycle, together with these new girls who are joining the team," said Khiuani Dias, aged 16, who was a strong candidate to make Brazil's Olympic team, only to finish outside the group that was sent to China due to an injury to her right hand.

Khiuani Dias (photo: Stefan Wurzer/Gymnasticsunited)

The new team has a smaller basis than the one that went into the previous Olympic cycle. In 2005, when the last selection camp was held, seventeen gymnasts were invited to join the national team, which at the time was based in Curitiba. At the end of the four-year period, only nine of the seventeen gymnasts were still on the team commanded by Oleg Ostapenko.

Now, in order to try and diminish the "exodus" of athletes, the team will no longer train together in Curitiba. The gymnasts will normally train at their own clubs, and the team will only convene at certain times of the year, just before certain competitions.

Romania Loses Another National Team Member

2009-02-11T09:27:00.013-06:00

It had been rumored for a while, and now it has been confirmed by ProSport: Andreea Acatrinei, one of the younger members of Romania's bronze-winning Olympic squad, with a nice layout back somersault on beam and a double layout on floor, has retired. This is what ProSport had to say on the matter:

Andreea Acatrinei in Beijing (photo: Reuters)

Andreea Acatrinei Has Retired

Andreea Acatrinei, a member of the national gymnastics team which won the bronze medal at the Beijing Olympics, has announced her retirement from the sport due to medical problems (she has been diagnosed with herniated disks).

"It's a major loss as I was counting on her for the first part of the Olympic cycle. She was very important for the team, but we'll have to make do without her," Nicolae Forminte told us.

Acatrinei is the second athlete to leave the national team in Deva since the Beijing Olympics. Steliana Nistor retired from competitive gymnastics immediately after the Olympics, also due to health problems.

Here's hoping the other injured gymnasts about whom Forminte recently expressed his concern (Cerasela Pătraşcu and Gabriela Drăgoi) won't follow suit...

Andreea Acatrinei on BB
Andreea Acatrinei on FX

Instead of News...

2009-02-10T15:34:00.012-06:00

... we have three videos for you today. We took some time off from translating stories and scouring the web for news to watch Dutchfan33's videos of the recent Sidijk Tournament in Heerenveen, the Netherlands, and we found three routines we'd like to share with you.

Firstly, we guess you all know Sanne Wevers, who does two double turns in her beam routine - one regular, the other one with one leg up. Well, this is Sanne's twin sister Lieke Wevers (a beautiful, somewhat Nastia-like gymnast) proving that she too can do turns. Lieke has a line in her beam routine where she does three turns on different legs: a full turn with one leg up on her right leg, a regular full turn on her left leg, and a double turn on her right leg. The first two turns are connected; the third one obviously requires some preparation, but follows the other two pretty smoothly and looks very confident. We like!

Secondly, this is veteran Fieke Willems, now aged 26 and studying to be a doctor on top of being a competitive gymnast, doing another combination of which we approve: Shaposhnikova to Gienger between the bars. Nice.

Fieke Willems (photo: De Gelderlander)

And thirdly, this is Youna Dufournet's crazy difficult beam routine, featuring, among other impressive tricks, an Arabian to scale (if she ever learns to hit 180 degrees on that scale, it will be an awesome combination) and an Onodi-switch leap-gainer layout combination. As we've said before, Dufournet badly needs to improve her form, but boy, does she have tricks!

Enjoy...

Steliana Nistor Turns Down American Offer to Finish Degree in Romania

2009-02-09T16:05:00.017-06:00

It never rains but it pours. A while ago, we couldn't find anything on Steliana Nistor, but were swamped with stories about Sandra Izbaşa. Now it appears to be Nistor Time in the Romanian press. A week after the Revista VIP story we posted a few days ago, Adevărul posted a story about the former gymnast. Her health issues do get a mention, but most of the article is about Steliana's new life in her new apartment. Interestingly, the article says that Steliana turned down an offer to become a coach in America in order to finish her degree in Romania. It's probably a good thing she did; we doubt someone who can barely lift a cup of water would make a good coach. However, we do hope the offer will be renewed once Steliana has finished her degree and is feeling a bit better...

This is the Adevărul story. It has a very abrupt ending, but that might be because it's only the first half of a two-part story. It wouldn't be the first time Adevărul cut a story into two without mentioning it.

Steliana Nistor: Life After Gymnastics

The specially designed wall in the new home she received from the Sibiu municipal authorities is equipped with shelves full of trophies, medals and photos spanning her entire career. There are dozens of them. There's a story behind each and every single one of them, but Steliana never gets them mixed up. She remembers every single event and has a thorough recollection of how hard she had to work for each of them, as well as of her nerves she experienced and her happiness whenever she got to step onto the medal rostrum.

She doesn't have time to tell all the stories, because doing so would take all day, and she doesn't have much time, especially now that she is trying to make up for the time she "lost" while training and competing.

"Now I know what time is worth, and I'm doing everything I haven't been able to do over the last nineteen years," says the gymnast who became European champion with the team last year.

"She can't get enough of staying in town with friends and fellow students, and of breathing the free air," says her mother, who shares her daughter's first name, Steliana. At the moment her time is divided between studying, friends and recovery from injuries.

Steliana the student (photo: ProSport)

Studying instead of America

No sooner had she announced her retirement than Steliana received an offer to cross the Atlantic, to become a coach in America. The invitation came from her former junior coach, Livia Ponoran, who now coaches at a gymnastics academy in America. [Last thing we heard, Ponoran had just joined the coaching staff at WOGA.] Knowing her former pupil's ambitions and capacities, and also the state of Romanian gymnastics, especially in relation to young gymnasts who cannot compete anymore, Ponoran decided to invite Steliana to the United States.

"I received an invitation from Livia Ponoran, but first I want to finish the degree I have embarked upon," confirms the European champion, who is in Year 1 of the Faculty of Physical Education and Sport in her place of birth. She would also like to study psychology, being goaded in that direction by her older brother Marian, but first she wishes to see how she'll do with the one course on which she has already embarked.

Her flatmate: Puffy

As a thank-you for her hard work and for the fact that she put Sibiu on the sporting map, Steliana received a rental apartment from the town council last year. The moment you enter the house, or rather the living room, you are greeted by a whole wall full of trophies.

Her bedroom is taken up by a few plush dolls which remind her of her glory days and her fans. "I have many more dolls than these, but I'm still waiting for a few pieces of furniture which I've ordered to put them in," says the bronze medalist of the Beijing Olympics. She has already finished furnishing her kitchen. "There's all sorts of equipment in there, but I can't cook. My Mom cooks my meals," adds Steliana.

And because she is living in her apartment on her own, her fellow students have given her a present: a perfectly white rabbit with reddish eyes, called Puffy, who keeps her entertained. "He's my flatmate," says Steliana, amused.

Steliana with Puffy (photo: Adina Blaj/Adevărul)

Help from Mariana Bitang

Health problems clipped her wings at an age at which she still had plenty to give to the sport. "Physically I can't do it anymore. It's hard, but I just can't," says the champion, who suffered a great deal at her last few competitions because of backaches and pain in her joints. She was an all-arounder, a complete gymnast who competed on all four events, and they all made demands on different parts of her body. After that sacrifice, one thing saddens Steliana.

"After you retire, people who used to receive you with eyes sparkling of joy and a smile around their lips close their door before you've even had a chance to ask something... I still have backaches and now I also have a problem with a joint in my hand. I have physical therapy every day, but nobody has helped me, except Mrs. Mariana Bitang."

It's Official: Shawn Johnson to Appear on "Dancing with the Stars"

2009-02-09T11:43:00.008-06:00

It’s official: Shawn Johnson is indeed going to appear on Dancing with the Stars. The 2008 Olympic champion on beam has confirmed the news on her website, saying she is "seriously so thrilled that I’m speechless (haha)." She went on to say: "Dancing with the Stars is by far something that I never imagined myself doing, but is also an experience of a lifetime that I am more then honored to be a part of. I’m actually kind of scared lol. It is going to take me out so far out of my comfort zone! But I’m up for the challenge and ready to take on the world :) and the other competitors. I head to LA this week to meet my partner, start rehearsing and meet the rest of the cast."

(Photo: Al Bello/Getty Images)

We think Shawn needs some grammar lessons as well as dancing rehearsals, but snarkiness aside, we definitely wish her the best in this new endeavor. Here’s hoping she’s given a partner who is not two heads taller than herself, and that she’ll use her new skills to her advantage if and when she finally remembers she is a gymnast as well as a celebrity!

Related:
Lilia Podkopayeva on Dancing with the Stars
Svetlana Khorkina on Dancing with the Stars

If any of you know of any other (former) gymnasts who have appeared on Dancing with the Stars (or whatever the show is called in your country), by all means post links to the videos below!

More Chinese News: Pang Panpan, Yang Yilin, Deng Linlin

2009-02-09T09:45:00.008-06:00

Here’s another long overdue update from China...

The Chinese New Year has come and gone, and China’s gymnasts have thrown themselves into preparations for the 2009 competition season. Both the MAG and WAG teams are currently in the midst of winter training, an intensive period devoted to learning new skills, polishing old ones, and making any necessary adjustments for the new Code of Points. Everyone’s top priority this year is undoubtedly the 2009 National Games, to be held in Jinan, Shandong Province, in September (exact dates TBA). The gymnastics portion of this quadrennial multi-sport event is being held a month earlier than other events to avoid scheduling conflicts with the 2009 World Championships in London. A qualifying meet for the National Games will be held in Jinan from May 9-18. (Separate team/AA/EF and individual national championships will also be held this year, dates and locations TBA.)

Pang Panpan
Conspicuously absent from this year’s winter training is perennial fan favorite Pang Panpan, a key member of China’s historic 2006 World Championships team. Reports from China (among other reports, this Sina story) indicate that Pang has returned to the Hebei provincial team, where she is expected to continue preparing for the National Games. The reasons for her dismissal remain somewhat murky; official explanations suggested that she “needs to lose weight,” but since Pang has always been one of the slimmest members of the Chinese team, this rationale seems fishy at best. We think it has more to do with the chronic ankle problems that have hindered her career since late 2006. Whatever the case, we wish Pang Panpan all the best in her future endeavors, gymnastic or otherwise.

Pang Panpan, slender as a willow (photo: Xinhua)

Yang Yilin
We also have a small update on Yang Yilin, whose condition has been the subject of much speculation since she withdrew from the World Cup Final in December. Fans of the Olympic AA bronze medalist will be relieved to learn that, according to Sohu, she has resumed light training after undergoing treatment for what appears to have been a herniated disc in the lumbar spine. If she makes a full recovery, Yang will certainly be a force to be reckoned with at both the National Games and Worlds later this year.

Photographic evidence that Yang Yilin is alive and kicking: Yang and Li Shanshan at a celebration for Guangdong Olympians last month (photo: Nanfang Daily)

Deng Linlin
Also easing off the injured list is Olympian Deng Linlin, who underwent knee surgery in November. According to Ifeng, Deng told Chinese reporters last week that the knee is now pain-free and she’s training hard in the hope of achieving a “major breakthrough” on vault and balance beam, her two strongest events. She also voiced her intention to continue through the 2012 Olympics.

Despite rumors on several message boards, it does not appear that Deng Linlin will compete at the American Cup on February 21. Her name has not been mentioned in any official announcements from either USAG or the Chinese Gymnastics Association.

Deng Linlin in Beijing (photo: Sina)

Wyomi Masela Wins Sidijk Tournament

2009-02-08T18:12:00.016-06:00

Eight Dutch gymnasts and two up-and-coming French stars competed in the top division of the Sidijk Tournament in Heerenveen, the Netherlands, which was being judged under the new code despite the fact that many Dutch judges aren't too familiar with the code yet. New senior Wyomi Masela, who recently won vault at both Massilia and Arques, continued to impress in Heerenveen, holding off the French favorite, double European junior champ Youna Dufournet, by .365: 53-965-53.600.

New senior Wyomi Masela got off to a good start to the new year
(Photo: Iris van den Broek/Gymnasticsphotography)

Dufournet easily had the most difficult routines in the competition, but big mistakes on 3 out of 4 events cost her the title. The French trickster, who seriously needs to start working on her form, was especially disappointing on floor, where she landed her double Arabian on her derrière and took several big steps backward on her double pike dismount, going well out of bounds. Her teammate Chloé Stanic (like Dufournet a member of France's silver-medal-winning team at the 2008 Junior Europeans) had problems with the same two elements, sitting down a double Arabian and putting her hands down on her double pike (view her floor routine here). By contrast, Wyomi Masela avoided great mistakes, hitting her energetic routines for what they were worth (check out her floor routine here). Masela is a very solid gymnast; with slightly more difficulty than she showed in Heerenveen she'll be a great asset to the Dutch team.

France's Youna Dufournet came second in Heerenveen (photo: Gymcat)

Making a comeback after a lengthy absence, Mayra Kroonen placed third in the competition. Kroonen is a very expressive gymnast whose floor exercise to Andes music is well worth watching. Veteran Fieke Willems (well-presented floor exercise), new star Lieke Wevers (great lines on uneven bars), and Chloé Stanic rounded out the top-6. Suzanne Harmes, Sanne Wevers, Lichelle Wong, and Tahnee Masela did not compete.

Detailed results of the competition can be found here. (Note that the scores listed under the heading "B score" denote deductions rather than actual scores. In other words, deduct the number listed from 10.000 and that's your B score. Or E score. Whatever it's called these days.)

YouTube user Dutchfan33 is uploading videos of both the junior and senior divisions of the competition. More videos will undoubtedly follow later.

Holland's Lieke Wevers has great lines (photo: Gymcat)

Over the next few weeks, 13 Dutch gymnasts will vie for the country's four berths at the European Championships at two qualifying meets in Amsterdam, to be held on February 22 and March 8. The Dutch Gymnastics Federation intends to send three all-arounders and one specialist to Milan.

American News: Johnson, Hagerty, Goryunova

2009-02-08T13:01:00.018-06:00

Rumored: Shawn Johnson to take part in Dancing with the Stars
Rumor has it that Shawn Johnson will appear on celebrity dancing show Dancing with the Stars, Season 8 of which will kick off on March 9. Johnson is listed among 13 celebrities slated to participate in the show in a press release leaked on JJB. If the news is true, Johnson will be the youngest competitor on the show to date... and her return to competitive gymnastics will be deferred even further. However, if her participation in the show ends up improving her dancing chops, which may very well be the case, we are not complaining. We're just wondering if the organizers will be able to find her a partner who is roughly her height...

Shawn Johnson, a dancer?
(Photo: Chris Trotman/Getty Images)

Confirmed: Goryunova to go to American Cup
It now seems more or less certain that Kristina Goryunova rather than Ksenia Afanasyeva will be Russia's representative at the upcoming American Cup. We were just informed by Alan, who maintains Goryunova's official website, that Goryunova herself has told him that she is going to compete in Chicago. We guess that settles it, then. Thanks, Alan!

Kristina Goryunova, slated to compete in Chicago
(Photo: Stefan Wurzer/Gymnasticsunited)

Joey Hagerty wins Winter Cup Challenge
Joseph Hagerty won the all-around at the 2009 Winter Cup Challenge in Las Vegas. Two days after posting the highest all-around score in prelims, Hagerty repeated the feat in the final, posting a total score of 177.900 points. Danell Leyva, aged just 17, and Sho Nakamori came in second and third with scores of 176.350 and 176.100, respectively. Complete results (courtesy of USAG) can be found here.

Following the Winter Cup Challenge, seven gymnasts were named to the US men's team: Guillermo Alvarez, Chris Brooks, Chris Cameron, Steven Legendre, Danell Leyva, Sho Nakamori, and David Sender. 2008 Olympians Joey Hagerty and Jonathan Horton were placed on the national team by petition. Six additional gymnasts will be named later to the team.

Joey Hagerty soared above the rest of the field in Las Vegas
(Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Chinese News... and Some AYOF Videos You May Have Missed

2009-02-08T08:15:00.023-06:00

We have a lot of Chinese news to catch up on, and we expect to have enough time over the next few weeks to post most of it. But before we dig into the older stuff we somehow didn't get around to posting before, here's some recent news...

Chen Yibing and He Wenna dating?
Lately the Chinese gymnastics headlines have been dominated by Olympic still rings champion Chen Yibing's presumed relationship with Olympic trampolining champion He Wenna. Chen and He have been spotted and photographed together on several occasions, having dinner, doing some window-shopping, attending a concert, and generally looking quite close (watch this video for images of them together), leading some to believe there is more between them than mere friendship. According to Sina, Chen Yibing is quite upset about the constant speculation about him and He, saying that people should focus on his sporting achievements rather than his private life. A few days ago the ring specialist told the Chinese press: "It is said on the Internet that we are in love, which I will neither confirm nor deny. We are friends, so it's normal that we should share a meal every now and then. I've haven't done anything to feel guilty about. I don't want to give an explanation, nor should I have to. I don't want to pay any attention to this sort of thing." For her part, He Wenna is supposedly laughing the whole thing off, saying she finds the hullabaloo about her supposed relationship with Chen Yibing "pretty ridiculous." We'll keep an eye on the situation...

Chen Yibing and He Wenna: an item?
(Photos: Matt Dunham/AP Photo (left) and Reuters (right))

Jiang Yuyuan wants to receive more applause...
In women's team news, Jiang Yuyuan was reportedly very surprised to hear that her province, Zhejiang, had nominated her for the provincial Athlete of the Year Award despite her failure to medal in the Olympic all-around competition. It seems Jiang is determined to do better in 2009. According to Sina, her goal for 2009 is "to show myself and receive more applause." We don't know about you, but we like the sound of that!

Jiang Yuyuan, keen to "show herself" in 2009 (photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Finally, some more videos from the Australian Youth Olympic Festival...
We never got to finish our AYOF coverage last month, partly because of other demands on our time, and partly because we were waiting for those who attended and filmed the competition to upload their videos of the final day of competition. Well, by now all the women's finalists' routines and a few men's routines have been uploaded, and just in case you hadn't discovered them for yourselves, we thought we'd link to some more videos of the young Chinese stars who wowed the crowd in Sydney.

This is Wu Liufang's winning routine in the balance beam final (score: 15.600). As far as we're concerned, Wu needs to learn to work a bit faster, but the style and skills are all very much there. We can't get over how gorgeous Wu's Yang Bo jump is. She is quite promising on bars and floor as well, although she will need significant upgrades on both events to become a serious contender for medals.

New Chinese star Tan Sixin at the AYOF (photo: Mark Nolan/Getty Images)

Secondly, this is the reason why our new favorite beam worker Tan Sixin didn't win the AYOF beam final: she had two major balance checks (punch front, sheep jump) and landed her dismount on her head. Her dismount looked pretty scary in prelims as well, so that's obviously something she needs to work on. Still, outstanding work from the young gymnast from Shanghai; it's obvious why she won the silver in Sydney despite the mistakes. Just look at the way she works in relevé (on her toes)! We can't wait to see more of this girl...

Finally, this is Cui Jie's gold-medal-winning 14.825 floor routine. The dance obviously needs some work (there are far too many breaks in the routine), but the tumbling has a lovely effortless quality. Give the girl a couple of years and she'll be a beautiful floor worker.

Cui Jie on the podium after winning the AYOF floor final
(Photo: Matt King/Getty Images)

And for the sake of completeness, here are two Chinese men's vaults from the AYOF, a nice double twist from Liu Zhanteng and an OK single twist from Wang Yongchao. Wang's floor exercise can also be viewed on YouTube. He'll need to upgrade the difficulty, but there's definitely some potential there.

More Chinese news to follow soon...

Competition Report

2009-02-07T06:08:00.013-06:00

Sidijk Tournament
Several (though by no means all) top-ranked Dutch gymnasts will compete in the Sidijk tournament in Heerenveen, the Netherlands, this weekend. Although the lineup is overwhelmingly Dutch, three promising French gymnasts will be on hand to give the competition some foreign flavor: double European junior champion Youna Dufournet, fellow European junior team member Chloé Stanic, and youthful promise Océane Grigny. We'll keep you posted on the results.

Youna Dufournet, slated to compete in Holland this weekend
(Photo: Stefan Wurzer/Gymnasticsunited)

Winter Cup Challenge
Meanwhile, the American men are competing for spots on the national team at the Winter Cup Challenge in Las Vegas, USA. After Day 1 of the two-day competition, Olympian Joseph Hagerty leads the all-around standings. His total score of 88.150 points included four 15+ scores. Sho Nakamori and Danell Leyva are in second and third after Day 1, with scores of 87.400 and 87.300, respectively. National champion David Sender is currently ranked 12th, despite an excellent 16.10 vault. Olympic high bar medalist Jonathan Horton only competed on two events, parallel bars and high bar, but failed to impress, scoring a mere 14.10 on his signature event.

The second half of the competition will be contested today. Detailed Day 1 results can be found here, courtesy of USAG.

African champion Sherine El Zeiny (photo: Jasmin Schneebeli-Wochner/Gymbox)

African Games
Finally, the gymnastics component of the African Games was held in Cairo, Egypt, last week. Thanks to Gymworld poster Sri Ea, who attended the competition and was kind enough to share her impressions on the message board, we know that Egypt's Sherine El Zeiny, who lives and trains in the Netherlands but represents Egypt in international competitions (she was Africa's sole representative at the Beijing Olympics), won the women's all-around competition despite a bad outing on floor (even with a significantly watered-down routine, she suffered a nasty fall). South Africa's powerful Jennifer Khwela, who has an impressive beam set, placed second, and Egypt's Salma Mahmoud Said third. Egypt's Israa Afifi, a tiny and promising gymnast who used to have a Ukrainian coach and now has a Chinese one, won the junior competition with a nice beam set that featured an interesting front aerial to scale straight into a full turn with the
leg up. Now there's a combination we wouldn't mind seeing a bit more often...

Junior winner Israa Afifi (photo: Sri Ea)

The women's team competition was also won by Egypt, despite the fact that one of the team's stars, Farida Shoukry, broke her leg just days before the competition. South Africa placed second, Namibia third.

Results of the various all-around competitions (men's as well as women's) can be found here. Competition videos, courtesy of Sri Ea, can be viewed here (click on the apparatus initials to see the routines).

About That Steliana Nistor Story...

2009-02-07T03:46:00.006-06:00

Over the last few days we have received several comments and e-mails from readers asking what was being done to help Steliana Nistor and whether they could donate money for her treatment. We regret to say that as far as we know, nothing is being done yet. What is even more worrying is that we're not sure anything can be done about Steliana's health issues. If there's anything we've learned from translating all those stories about Jade Barbosa's hand, it is that necrosis cannot be cured, although complete rest has been known to bring some relief. As for Steliana's back, if it's really as great a mess as several doctors have apparently attested, we're not sure anything can be done about that either. But we obviously hope for the best...

We regret to say that we cannot establish a fund for Steliana ourselves as we're just a little too busy to manage that kind of thing. However, we would like to make the following request of our Romanian readers (we know we've got a few): if you hear anything about any fund-raising activities being conducted on behalf of Steliana, will you please let us know so that we can tell those of our readers who wish to contribute to her recovery how to go about it? Mulţumim frumos anticipat and all that!

(Photo: ProSport)

Daniela Silivaş: "We Were a Team in the True Sense of the Word"

2009-02-06T15:49:00.014-06:00

Although the Romanian women won the lion's share of their impressive number of gymnastics medals in the 1990s, many fans of the sport would agree that the heyday of the team was in the late 1980s, when stars like Daniela Silivaş, Aurelia Dobre, Ecaterina Szabo, Eugenia Golea, Camelia Voinea, Celestina Popa and Gabriela Potorac did not just make fewer mistakes than their rivals, but actually wowed friends and foes alike with their flair, originality and brilliance. Undoubtedly, the greatest star of that generation of Romanian gymnasts was Daniela Silivaş, who won seven world titles and three Olympic titles between 1985 and 1989 before retiring and moving to the USA in the 1990s.

Last month two Romanian publications, Adevărul (twice) and Click, almost simultaneously posted interviews with the former star, all compiled by the same reporter, Adina Blaj. We finally had some time to translate the articles, put the different parts together and post this story about one of our all-time favorite gymnasts...

Seoul 1988: Daniela Silivaş with her Olympic medals

The Heroine of the Last Communist Olympics

Like many Romanian gymnasts, Silivaş started doing gymnastics in kindergarten. "I was about five and a half when I took part in a selection procedure conducted by Bela Karolyi. Like all children, I had a lot of energy, but more than that, I was flexible," says Daniela Silivaş about the qualities which led her to take her first steps in the sport. She only trained under Karolyi for half a year. "I didn't get to experience that period about which the girls are complaining, the Bela Karolyi era. I was too young. I was only six, so I hardly remember him," says the triple Olympic champion about the legendary coach, who left for America in 1981, never to come back. That very same year she won the national junior title. But she didn't have to compete in that age category a lot, being whisked straight into the national senior team.

Silivaş was forced to quit the junior league by means of a ruse. Seeing her ambition and the incredible progress she made year after year, the Romanian Gymnastics Federation changed her date of birth in 1985, claiming she was born in 1970 rather than in 1972, so as to allow her to compete in the Montreal World Championships. Although the age falsification was suspected at the time, it has never really been looked into.

"At competitions, I would say the same thing my passport said, but away from competitions, among friends, I would tell people my real age," says the former gymnast. But in 2002, Silivaş came clean, admitting that her age had been modified at the time and that the Romanian officials had given her a new passport and drawn her attention to her new age.

Thus Silivaş got an opportunity to follow in Nadia's footsteps, in the same place where Nadia had scored her tens. At age 13, she scored a perfect 10 on the beam, winning her first world title and defeating the reigning Olympic champion on the event, her friend and teammate Ecaterina Szabo. In the all-around competition she finished behind Russia's Elena Shushunova and imposed herself as the leader of the Romanian team.

Silivaş in 1985 (photo: Tom Theobald)

Two years later came the 1987 European Championships in Moscow, where Silivaş obtained her greatest triumph - on Russian soil of all places, at a time when the Russian gymnasts were deemed invincible in women's gymnastics. She took four titles (all-around, bars, beam and floor) and placed second on vault. Later that year, at the World Championships in Rotterdam, she missed out on the all-around title, placing third behind Aurelia Dobre and Elena Shushunova, but took the gold with the team and added two more golds on bars and floor.

"1987 was the most beautiful year of my life as a gymnast," says Silivaş. "On top of the competitions I won, the atmosphere on the team was one of great harmony. Everything just worked for me that year. It was even better than the 1988 Olympics in Seoul, where I won a medal in every single event."

Two decades later, Silivaş is of the opinion that the Romanian women's gymnastics team of the 1980s was the best ever. "We were a team in the true sense of the word. That's what I liked most about it," says the former gymnast, who has stayed in touch with all of her former teammates. Even though they have scattered all over the globe and are separated by thousands of miles, she is as close as ever to Ecaterina Szabo, Eugenia Golea, Aurelia Dobre, Lavinia Agache and Celestina Popa.

"We are all still friends. It's impossible to be anything else, after all the happiness and pain we shared for seven years," says Silivaş. "Once every two weeks we ring each other to catch up. When I have a bit of time, I even meet up with the girls. Last year I specifically went to the European Championships in France to meet up with Cati Szabo, who now lives there. We also met with our former coaches, Adrian Goreac and Adi Stan. Last Christmas my family and I visited Eugenia Golea, who lives in New York," says Silivaş.

Silivaş, right, with Ecaterina Szabo

And she's not limiting herself to the gymnasts of her own generation. "Gymnastics is one great family to me. I owe pretty much everything I have to the sport. I also keep in touch with the younger girls: Lavinia Miloşovici, Maria Olaru and Andreea Răducan. When I go back to Romania, we always look each other up."

The last time several of them got together was in 2006, when Romanian gymnastics celebrated its 100th anniversary. "About three years ago quite a few of us met up at the Romanian gymnastics anniversary. About 25 of us got together, from several different generations. Then we went to a restaurant, where we all reminisced," remembers Silivaş.

The triple Olympic champion from Seoul still has a few souvenirs from the time she competed in major championships. "Many of my souvenirs are just memories. The tangible things are my medals and the leo and track suit I wore at competitions in 1989," says Silivaş, who ended her career with three more titles (bars, beam and floor) at the 1989 World Championships in Stuttgart.

After the 1989 Revolution, the Deva training center was closed, forcing the Olympic champion to end her career prematurely. [Note: As far as we know, Daniela's premature retirement was partly due to a knee injury.] She officially withdrew from competitive gymnastics two years later, when she left Romania and settled in Atlanta, USA. In 2002 she became the youngest gymnast to be inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. In May 2003 she married Scott Harper, a manager at a food company. They have two kids together, Jadan (aged 5) and Ava (aged 4), who are every bit as energetic as their mother. If it's up to Silivaş, they will follow in her footsteps. "I want to enroll Jadan in soccer, swimming and gymnastics. Ditto Ava. They absolutely love to run. I also take them to the gym with me."

Silivaş with her husband, Scott, and children, Jadan and Ava

The gym is where Silivaş works. Like many of her former teammates she has become a coach. After teaching American children the first steps of elite gymnastics for a while, the former world champion switched to a sports center, Hammond Park Gymnastics, where she teaches kids aged 3 to 12 the basic secrets of gymnastics. "I never wanted to become a coach for kids who want to compete at the highest level. That kind of thing takes up all your time, leaving you with no time to do anything else. And right now, I want to be with my family," says Silivaş.

Most of her students are future cheerleaders. "The kids are brought in by their parents so that they can learn some acrobatic elements, which will later help them to get into a cheerleading squad at high school or college. In America there are many contenders for spots on cheerleading teams, and the kids' parents are all too aware of that."

She only coaches three hours a day. "The rest of the day I'm at home, with my kids," explains Silivaş.

Although she is firmly settled in America, she is trying to give her children a taste of Romania. She usually spends her kids' vacations in Romania, in Deva, where her family lives. However, when she can only take a few days off, she usually spends them on the beach in Florida. "It's a four-hour trip from our house to the beach. But we usually spend our summer holidays in Romania," says Silivaş.

Her children have learned a few sentences in Romanian. "When Ava gets up in the morning, she often comes to our bedroom and says: "Mama, vino cu mine!" (Mom, come with me!) so that I can give her some milk. Or when I drop her off at her kindergarten, she will say: "Mama, dă pupic." (Mom, give me a kiss). When we go to Romania and stay with my mother, who does not speak English, she will tell her: "Vreau supă!" (I want soup!).

Silivaş has a Facebook account, both to keep in touch with her friends and to communicate with her fans. "Many people who have seen me compete leave messages for me. Some thank me, others congratulate me," says the champion, who is obviously glad not to have been forgotten.

Daniela Silivaş's proudest moments:
FX, event final, 1987 Worlds
Compulsory FX, 1988 Olympics

Finally, Some Followup on the Verona van de Leur Case...

2009-02-06T06:03:00.005-06:00

We have some more gossip for you in the ongoing Verona van de Leur saga...

Many Dutch sites (including news aggregator Nu) are reporting that Van de Leur is taking her father to court. Apparently the 2002 vice-world champion on floor is suing her father, who managed her finances while she was a minor, for €62,000 (nearly US$80,000), the amount she says he took from her prize money and sponsorship deals to pay for vacations and family expenses. Mr. Van de Leur denies the allegations, claiming that all the money in Verona's account was spent on Verona's career, to pay for leotards, trips to overseas competitions, etc.

The court case is the latest development in an acrimonious and very public family feud which started in November. For more background information, click the tag at the bottom of this post.

Verona van de Leur in happier days
(Photo: Iris van den Broek/Gymnasticsphotography)

Brazil: The Great Injury Post

2009-02-05T11:04:00.029-06:00

After a considerable period of time during which all eyes were on the Rio de Janeiro gymnasts, the Brazilian press is finally paying some attention again to the São Paulo girls, Daiane dos Santos and Laís Souza, both of whom are recovering from surgical interventions.

Daiane dos Santos underwent osteotomy at the end of October 2008 to realign the bones of her right leg. According to an October 21 Globoesporte article, Daiane had become so knock-kneed that she needed surgery to straighten her leg. At the time, her doctor, orthopedic specialist Wagner Castropil, explained that he was going to make a ten-degree (!) correction to Daiane's right knee, using a titanium plate. He predicted the athlete would be able to jump again within six months. After the operation, Daiane (who intends to go on competing until the 2012 Olympics, when she will be 29) jokingly said that she was going to use the time away from the gym to find "the best floor exercise music ever."

Daiane dos Santos watches as her doctor explains at a press conference what he is going to do to her knee (photo: Agencia Estado/Globoesporte)

For her part, Laís Souza underwent arthroscopy (a relatively minor procedure) in late October to remove some cartilage from her right knee. She was expected to be out of action for two months at most. However, we guess her recovery wasn't as straightforward as expected, because three months onward, Laís is calling the situation "complicated" and seems pessimistic about her chances of taking part in the World Championships in October. Sounds like something didn't go completely according to plan there...

Anyhow, UOL Esporte caught up with the two girls last week. Here's a translation of the story, which also features a tidbit on Jade Barbosa's competitive plans for the new year.

Daiane speeds up recovery and "boycotts" the first half of the year to be able to take part in the World Championships

Daiane dos Santos is engaged in a race against a clock to recover from the surgery carried out at the end of last year and to take part in the World Championships in London, in October. In order to be able to compete in high-level competitions [later on in the year], the gymnast from Rio Grande do Sul has decided not to take part in any competitions in the first half of 2009. Now aged 25, Daiane still hopes to be a contender for a podium place at the English competition.

"I'm following all the medical recommendations I've been given and I'm taking care of the physical side of things," said the gymnast. "Even though I can't run and engage in many aerobic activities because of my knee, I'm trying not to gain too much weight." Staying away from competitions for the time being, Daiane will skip at least six World Cup competitions.

Daiane holding her troublesome right knee

At the end of 2008, Daiane underwent osteotomy in her right knee, a surgical procedure aimed at correcting skeletal deformities. It was Daiane's fourth knee operation. In 2001, the gymnast was operated on the patellar tendon of her left knee. In 2003, just weeks before the Pan-American Games in Santo Domingo, Daiane underwent arthroscopy in her right knee. The third operation took place in June 2004, in the runup to the Athens Olympics, when the athlete once more had a piece of cartilage removed from her right knee.

Despite the fact that she has not competed since the Beijing Olympics, Daiane still weighs about 41 kilograms, the same weight she had in China. The gymnast finished sixth on floor and was part of the first Brazilian team to make an Olympic gymnastics final. Before the Games, Daiane was considering retiring in 2009. However, she now believes she will be able to obtain better results in London. The 2003 world champion on floor did not manage to qualify for the final on her best event at the last world championships, held in Stuttgart, Germany. Even so, she is confident. "I feel I can still do a better job. If I didn't feel that way, I wouldn't compete," she stated.

Although she prioritizes floor, Daiane has not been able to train on that apparatus since undergoing her most recent surgery. For the time being, the gymnast uses the equipment at Pinheiros, the São Paulo club where she trains, only to work out on the uneven bars. However, she is not risking any landings. "[Bars] is an event where you don't have to put any strain on your knees. It's the only event I can do at the moment. But in the second half of the year I will be ready to work on my floor exercise," she said.

Pinheiros teammates Laís Souza and Daiane dos Santos (photo: Globoesporte)

Laís Souza, who, like Daiane, trains at Pinheiros, is not quite so optimistic about the World Championships anymore. She, too, is recovering from surgery on her right knee. Last year she had some pieces of cartilage removed from her knee, and now she is trying to recover.

"It's complicated. I only have limited time to get back in shape, and I don't want to go to London just to participate. Right now I don't want to give a prognosis. We'll wait and see how I'm doing in October," said the gymnast.

The women's team has not yet been named by the Brazilian Gymnastics Federation, but Laís is not the only uncertain case on the team. Jade Barbosa, who suffers from a rare condition called necrosis in her capitate bone, which causes bad blood circulation in her central bone, does not know either whether she will be in a position to compete in London.

In the event that [Jade] is not 100 percent ready for the competition, it is possible that she will only do beam, which will not require her to put a great strain on her injured hand. Daniele Hypólito is the only one of the stars of the team who is in good shape. The rest of the team will be determined by means of a selection camp whose date has not yet been established.

And finally, there's this bit of news, from another source...

Up-and-coming star Juliana Santos, an elegant gymnast who recently represented Brazil at the Arthur Gander Memorial and the Swiss Cup, is recovering from the shoulder surgery she had at the end of last year to cure the repetitive strain injury from which she had been suffering ever since March 2008. According to her coach, Adriana Alves, Santos is expected to be back in full training by the end of April. "The stitches have been removed and she's using a sling. She has begun training without the use of her arms, doing exercises for her lower limbs," Alves was quoted as saying by the site of Santos's club, Grêmio of Porto Alegre.

Juliana Santos (photo: Stefan Wurzer/Gymnasticsunited)

All Is Well That Ends Well in Brazil

2009-02-05T10:39:00.009-06:00

Today we have two Brazilian updates for you, one regarding the goings-on in Rio de Janeiro, and another one regarding the injuries of some of the country's top gymnasts. Let's start with the latest developments in Rio de Janeiro...

As some of you may have learned from other sources, the financial crisis at the Flamengo sports club, which threatened to leave Diego and Daniele Hypólito and Jade Barbosa without a place to work out, was averted at the last minute. According to this January 26 UOL Esporte article, Flamengo's elite gymnastics program will continue to exist, thanks to the generosity of the city of Niterói, a Rio de Janeiro suburb. Reportedly the Niterói authorities will inject R$80,000 (nearly US$35,000) per month into Flamengo's gymnastics program. In exchange, the Hypólitos and Barbosa will take part in the city's projects to stimulate local kids to get involved in the sport. Now that's what we call an excellent deal...

Happy again: Diego Hypolito (photo: Lydia Gismondi/Globoesporte)

That is not all, though.

According to this February 3 Globoesporte article, the Brazilian Gymnastics Federation may get a new training center in Rio de Janeiro. As those of you who have been following our Brazilian news for a while are aware, the old center in Curitiba (the seat of the Brazilian Gymnastics Federation) was closed last year after a coaching scandal. Now the Brazilian Olympic Committee and Rio de Janeiro State University are in talks to open a new training center on the university campus. If the plans go through, the center will be equipped with the apparatus used at the 2007 Pan-American Games, which is currently in a storage facility owned by the Brazilian Olympic Committee. The establishment of the new training center is a response to the recent crisis at Flamengo, and part of Rio de Janeiro's campaign to raise its profile to further its bid for the 2016 Olympics. Presumably, the facility will be used for pre-meet training camps rather than on a permanent basis. Either way, one more fully equipped training center in Rio won't hurt...

Steliana Nistor: "Right Now I Can Barely Lift a Cup of Water to My Mouth"

2009-02-04T12:41:00.018-06:00

A few days ago the Romanian online magazine VIP posted a story on Steliana Nistor in which the former Romanian national champion once again complains about her injuries (click here for an earlier interview in which Nistor mentions her problems) and the fact that the powers that be are doing nothing to help her. According to the VIP interview, Steliana's back is a "complete wreck" and her hand has been diagnosed with necrosis, an affliction which will sound awfully familiar to those of you who have been following our updates on Jade Barbosa. Perhaps Steliana should give Jade a call one of these days, to compare notes...

Anyhow, we are not familiar with VIP Magazine, but they seem to have done their homework in this case, talking not just to Steliana, but asking her former coach Raluca Bugner, national team coach Nicolae Forminte, former national team coach Octavian Belu, FRG President Adrian Stoica, and the doctor treating Steliana, Cătălin Cîrstoiu, to comment on the case. Nobody seems willing to accept the blame for the unpleasant situation in which Steliana currently finds herself, and Steliana herself doesn't seem to know what she wants or needs; all she knows is that she's in pain and needs money. Here's the story...

(Photo: Iris van den Broek/Gymnasticsphotography)

European Champion Steliana Nistor Does Not Have Enough Money to Get Treatment in Canada

The case of European gymnastics champion Steliana Nistor, who prematurely retired from competitive gymnastics due to recurring pain in her left hand and back, made waves at the end of last year. At age 19, Steliana left the training center at Deva and went home, to Sibiu, where she is a first-year student at the Faculty of Physical Education. Initially, Steliana did not want to quit the sport; she just wanted to take a break. Unfortunately her pain never disappeared, even when she stopped training and competing. It even got worse. At present, Steliana can only just support herself.

"Mr. Belu and Mrs. Bitang helped me to get a checkup at the Academic Medical Center in Bucharest, with Dr. Cătălin Cîrstoiu, who diagnosed me with necrosis in the left hand. I can tell you the pain is still there. Right now I can barely lift a cup of water to my mouth. No doctor has been able to give me a proper diagnosis of my backaches yet. They all said my back was a complete wreck! I still get physical therapy and kinetotherapy, but I can't say I'm noticing any results. Mr. Cîrstoiu promised to try and help me to go to Canada, but I'm not sure whether that would be for treatment or for surgery. Unfortunately, I don't have any money, because I'm not receiving any wages from anyone. I tried to be a fitness trainer for a while, but I wasn't up to it. Mr. Topescu [a famous Romanian sports commentator] promised he'd help me get a job as a gymnastics commentator for TVR, when my former teammates are competing in Romania," confessed a sad Steliana.

She is waiting for help from the Romanian Gymnastics Federation
Since she doesn't have the funds required for treatment abroad (she can barely even support herself in daily life), Steliana has decided to ask for her dues. "I can't and won't recover at my own expense. I worked hard for Romania and to have some meaning in my life, not to get treatment. But many people have already forgotten about me. The normal thing to do would be for the Romanian Gymnastics Federation to help me, but nobody is asking after my health anymore. I tried to ask Mr. Adrian Stoica, the President of the Federation, for help. He seemed happy that I had called him and told me to wait... I asked him to help me earn some money by commentating gymnastics competions on TV. Since then I haven't heard from him..." said the former athlete.

(Photo: Reuters)

Doctors blame repetitive trauma
With regard to Steliana's case, Dr. Cătălin Cîrstoiu told us [VIP Magazine]: "As with other sports champions, this is a case of repetitive trauma injuries. She was a competitive athlete at a very high level, and all high-performance athletes suffer from this problem. From my point of view, until she leaves for Canada (if indeed she does), she would probably benefit from conservative treatment, as she is still a young girl. I can't say yet how much her trip to Canada would cost, because Steliana hasn't even decided yet whether she wishes to undergo surgery or just to have treatment."

Adrian Stoica: "We will study the case"
The President of the Romanian Gymnastics Federation, Adrian Stoica, seemed surprised when our magazine [VIP] contacted him. "I should tell you that I'm currently at a judging course in Doha, Qatar, and I have no idea what's going on in Romania. Until just now, I didn't know anything about Steliana's problems. Color me surprised... It's true, I did talk to her about the possibility of commentating gymnastics competitions on TV, but that was all I did. Right now I can't say anything about money for potential treatment. I'll study the case. Right now I can't deliver a verdict!" Mr. Stoica declared.

Repetitive strain, the key to the problem
Regarding the causes of Steliana Nistor's problems, Octavian Belu explained: "This is an occupational disease. Tennis players often get epicondylitis [tennis elbow]; gymnasts get problems in their joints. Over time, the joints get worn down, even if you try to keep the problem under control by bringing in the latest equipment, etc. Some athletes experience such problems when are in their thirties or forties, others earlier than that. As a sport, gymnastics barely even makes the top-10 of dangerous sports; boxing, skiing, ice hockey and contact sports are more dangerous. Someone recently told me that soccer players are more prone to broken bones than K1 fighters. Anyhow, elite athletes all have [health] problems afterward, but some are stronger than others," said Octavian Belu in conclusion.

(Photo: Reuters)

Belu urges prudence
The [former] head of the National Sports Agency, Octavian Belu, recommends prudence before the former gymnast decides to go to Canada. "First of all, we should check whether there isn't some hospital closer to Romania, in Hungary or Slovenia. The problem is that many athletes have gone abroad without recommendations from Romanian doctors, and their treatment didn't sort any effect. Marian Drăgulescu also went far away to have kinetotherapy, and he still messed up at the Olympics. If it's necessary, we will help her with everything, from our own pockets. There is no clause for this in the ANS's budget. Neither the Federation nor anyone else can make public funds available, but organizing TV appeals or enlisting the help of business people who want to help out financially might be a solution," said Belu.

Nicolae Forminte: "Steliana was in pain when she joined the national team"
As for us [VIP Magazine], we have tried to find out when the health problems troubling the European champion began. Nicolae Forminte, the coach of the national women's gymnastics team, told us: "Steliana never had any injuries in Deva, not while training with me. In 2000, when I was coaching the juniors at Oneşti, she was healthy when I left the place. In the meantime, she trained there [in Oneşti] under several coaches, so I don't know if she ever had a serious injury, and if so, when. What is certain is that she was complaining of backaches by the time she came to Deva. And just a short while ago, when I last spoke to her, she told me her back wasn't hurting too badly anymore and the main problem was her hand. While she was training at Deva, she never told me her hand was hurting. But be that how it may, our door will always remain open for her, whenever she needs help."

The champion's first coach says accusingly: "The problems with her hand started in Deva!"
Coach Raluca Bugner is the one who discovered Steliana Nistor when the future national team member was only six years old. Accompanied by Raluca Bugner, Steliana later trained at Oneşti and won three titles at the Junior Europeans. After that she went to Deva. When we asked her about this subject and told her that Nicolae Forminte denies that Steliana sustained a hand injury in Deva, Mrs. Bugner fulminated: "He's blaming others! The problems with the hand started at Deva and Mr. Forminte knows it. Prior to that Steliana never had any [hand] injuries. As for her backaches, I myself went to Germany with her for treatment back in 2005. I was always worried about her when I coached her, and I believe Steliana's problem was caused by repetitive strain."

To be continued, we expect.

The troublesome left hand (photo: VIP)

Romanian News

2009-02-04T05:32:00.021-06:00

This week's big news from Romania would have to be Nicolae Forminte's indignation at the news that marathon runner Constantina Diţă-Tomescu rather than Sandra Izbaşa was named Romanian Sportswoman of the Year 2008 at the Romanian Sports Gala on January 31. "If we had known Sandra wasn't going to win, we wouldn't have come," an angry Forminte reportedly told Gazeta Sporturilor, adding that he felt the award should have gone to the athlete who had won most medals in 2008. On top of her Olympic title, Izbaşa won two European golds (team and floor) in 2008, whereas Diţă-Tomescu "only" won an Olympic gold medal. Izbaşa herself has not publicly commented on the row.

Sandra Izbaşa in Beijing (photo: Reuters)

Meanwhile, ProSport posted a videotaped interview with Forminte in which the head coach said he hoped Sandra Izbaşa, Anamaria Tămîrjan and Gabriela Drăgoi would be healthy enough to represent Romania at the European Championships, to be held in Milan, April 2-5. He also identified newcomer Diana Chelaru as a possible fourth representative at the Europeans.

Newcomer Diana Chelaru, slated to compete at the Europeans
(Photo taken from the website of the Blanc-Mesnil tournament)

Forminte also said in the ProSport interview that rising star Ana Porgras was recovering well from the knee surgery she recently underwent in Italy; she will miss the Europeans but is expected to recover in time for the World Championships. However, Forminte is concerned about the slow recoveries of Cerasela Pătraşcu, Andreea Acatrinei and Gabriela Drăgoi, saying that some of the gymnasts struggling with injuries are contemplating retirement.

In men's news, Gazeta Sporturilor reports that Romania will probably be represented in Milan by Flavius Koczi, Răzvan Şelariu and Marius Berbecar.

Meanwhile, judging from this ProSport interview with head coach Nicuşor Pascu, Adrian Bucur (not Flavius Koczi, as reported earlier) will represent Romania at the American Cup.

Finally, former star Steliana Nistor and new men's coach Nicuşor Pascu have recently given interviews which we hope to translate for you soon.

Mitja Petkovšek Possibly Out for the Season

2009-02-04T02:50:00.006-06:00

Last week, the Slovenian Gymnastics Association reported that parallel bar specialist Mitja Petkovšek and occasional beam finalist Adela Šajn were named Slovenia's Gymnasts of the Year 2008.

Mitja Petkovšek (photo: Anja Niedringhaus/AP Photo)

According to the print edition of Delo, Mitja Petkovšek is still suffering from a finger injury he has had for a while now; it is not sure whether he will compete this season. High bar specialist Aljaž Pegan, on the other hand, is said to have recovered from his back injury and is training for the new season.

Thanks to our reader Brina for pointing us in the direction of this news!

European Championships Draw

2009-02-04T01:10:00.012-06:00

Hello, everyone... Sorry for the recent hiccup in our updates. We had some technical issues and needed some time to do other things, as well. We hope to catch up on the week's news soon. Expect a lot of updates over the next couple of days!

One first news item concerns the upcoming European Championships in Milan. According to the European Gymnastics Federation, this is the draw for the first day of the women's competition (qualification), while this is the draw for the first day of the men's competition. The draws for the AA and apparatus finals can be found here (top right-hand corner of the screen, where it says "Downloads"). As you can see, the gymnasts will not compete as teams. For instance, host Italy has two girls in the first subdivision and another two in the third subdivision, starting on vault and bars, respectively. Romania has two girls in Subdivision 2 (start on bars) and two in Subdivision 4 (start on vault), while Russia has two girls in Subdivision 2 and another two in Subdivision 3, all starting on vault. The men's competition has three subdivisions. There, too, gymnasts from one country will compete in two different subdivisions.

Andrea La Spada, named as a likely competitor in Milan
(Photo: Stefan Wurzer/Gymnasticsunited)

On its website, the Italian Gymnastics Federation says it is satisfied with the outcome of the draw, although it would have preferred to see the Italian gymnasts avoid the morning subdivisions, which they didn't. The site names two of the likely Italian competitors in the women's competition, new seniors Andrea La Spada and Elisabetta Preziosa, saying it is a good thing the girls won't have to start on beam, as it is such a risky start to a competition.

Meanwhile, a third Italian team member, Francesca Benolli (third on vault at last year's Europeans), is reportedly in a cast at the moment. Although the Federation's site does not mention it, Benolli apparently reported on her Facebook last week that she had injured her foot in training (a small fracture, it seems) and would be in a cast for three weeks. We don't know whether the injury will affect her chances of taking part in the Milan Europeans. We'll keep you posted.

Francesca Benolli, said to be nursing a foot injury at the moment
(Photo: Sing Lo/Comaneci Salto)

Svetlana Khorkina: "It's My Year!"

2009-01-28T20:49:00.011-06:00

As many of you undoubtedly know, Svetlana Khorkina turned 30 on January 19, which brought about a flurry of interviews with and articles on the former star in the Russian media. It took us a bit of time to get around to it, but here, finally, is an update on Khorkina - a long but interesting interview made up of two separate Khorkina interviews published just before her birthday by Altapress and Sport Express. The first half of the interview focuses on Khorkina's involvement with politics and gymnastics; the second half focuses on her creative endeavors and family life. Enjoy!

Svetlana Khorkina: "It's My Year!"

The fifth convocation of the State Duma, which was formed one year ago, beat all records as far as the number of "stars" and "starlets" of sport and show business is concerned. Most of them came to legislation on the party lists of "United Russia." On New Year's Eve, Olympic champion Svetlana Khorkina, one of the icons of current Russian politics, shared with our readers her legislative and creative plans.

Q: What drew you to political activity and what does it give to you?

A: I always wanted to take up politics, but first there was sport, then motherhood. But everything worked out well. In the fifth convocation of the State Duma there were quotas for young people, and I was selected to fill one of these quotas. Now I am the Deputy Head of the Parliamentary Commission for Youth Policy in the Russian State Duma. As a deputy [translator's note: members of the Duma are referred to as deputies], I occupy myself with the advance of legislative initiatives concerning youth policy. My colleagues and I are working on setting up a public Youth Chamber, where active young people would have the opportunity to present their interests to Russia's legislative organs. A further important task of our committee is to push through a federal law on state youth policy. All Russian youth is waiting for this.

Q: Do the habits and strengths you acquired during your sporting career help you now in politics?

A: Without a doubt. This is how sport has contributed to my personality, toughness and discipline. I have a plan, and I work on it. It is necessary to understand clearly what you are going to do on any given day, and to rely upon your energy. I dream of there being 48 hours in the day, because besides my basic work in the Duma, there is so much else that needs to be done!

Q: You have been a deputy of the State Duma and Deputy Head of the Parliamentary Commission for Youth Policy for more than a year now. This year must be especially important to you, as it was named the Year of Youth by the President of Russia?

A: I think that it was no coincidence that fate arranged that precisely 2009, such a complicated year, was proclaimed the Year of Youth. Certainly, my colleagues on the committee and I are facing a lot of serious work. This year will be the most significant. We young deputies have enormous responsibility, especially in the legislative plan. Young people should have their own law. This is highly necessary. I can say that the parliamentary hearings apropos this bill will be held already in February, so that work is in full swing.

Work in the Duma is in full swing

Q: Is youth policy now your main occupation?

A: Naturally, this is my main work. But I cannot but note that I have by no means completely left sport. I have my finger on the pulse. I'm in the middle of all things. I will see to what is going on, especially in artistic gymnastics.

Q: You are not only following from the sidelines, but you are also participating in the process. During the Olympics in Beijing, for example, you worked for television as a commentator. Does such an occupation feel right to you?

A: Yes, it was interesting, but... You know, when you are on the other side of the Olympic podium, you often get the impression that things should be done differently than they are. You think: "Well, girls what are you doing?" or "Well, boys what is that supposed to mean?" It's intolerable! But it was a useful experience. I think it really did come in handy. Who knows what the future holds in store for us? Perhaps soon I will be the one doing and not giving the interviews? In any event, this kind of work will not have been in vain.

Q: So you do not exclude the possibility of returning to the position of commentator as an expert?

A: No. I am open to dialog for various kinds of joint projects. I see it like this: who, if not the athletes themselves, can comment clearly and professionally on their own sport?

Q: How do you rate our athletes' performance at the Beijing Olympics?

A: I'm not going to appraise the performance of our athletes, but I think that they all worked with only victory in mind. The Beijing Olympics was a long-awaited holiday for me. My entire sporting life I was on friendly terms with my rivals [editor's note: really?] and there was very often a contest with the Chinese athletes. But in Beijing I took on the role of correspondent and it was very difficult. I was sitting in the commentators' box and understood that our team was having a hard time. It was taking place right in front of my eyes... It was incredibly difficult to observe that struggle, which was wreaking havoc on the Olympic podium, from the outside. I so wanted to get involved in that fight! To work for that victory!

Khorkina in Athens, with Carly Patterson and Zhang Nan
(Photo: Stuart Hannagan/Getty Images)

Q: At the time of the Beijing Olympics we were told that you were thinking about returning to top-level sport. Were they having us on?

A: In my time, we taught everybody that artistic gymnastics is a form of sport where medals are won for Russia. And it really did bring in rewards - gold, silver and bronze medals, and lots of them. It is understandable that now, too, the entire country expected medals of whatever color from our gymnasts. And here, many journalists approached me and asked cautiously: "Well, how is this? Can it be that you will return?" And I joked and laughed and said: "And why not?", although I myself understood that my sporting career, especially the professional part, would remain a thing of the past.

Q: We already discussed our gymnasts' performance in Beijing. Now I will inquire: what results did you yourself expect? Did you assume that everything would turn out just as it did or did you reckon with something more?

A: I was present both during the national team's control trainings and at the Russian Nationals, which are considered as part of the selection process for the national team. So I was able to get a good picture of the situation. Before that, the results had not been bad: the juniors won the European Championships, and one girl [Ksenia Semyonova] became world champion on the uneven bars. And indeed the World Championships is a very significant tournament. The boys were expected to be in the medals. Not gold, of course, but it was expected that there would be medals. It was also hoped that the girls would manage to win a medal on bars, but here you see... Our girls are good, but they are still very young.

I'd like to say that we – Alexei Nemov and I - are former Soviet athletes. We witnessed and experienced the Soviet school of preparation. But Russia has not yet managed to educate its gymnasts. There were too many problems. For instance, the Round Lake Center required a complete makeover. So it came about that first there was one distraction, then another. But that's OK; the situation is righting itself now. I think that we will be better prepared for London than for Beijing. I hope to see our boys and girls making bright appearances in 2012. I want to believe this!

Q: Do you keep up with other kinds of sport, other than gymnastics? Are you a fan of anybody in particular?

A: When I was in Beijing I went to other competitions: tennis, swimming, synchronized swimming, diving. Unfortunately, I did not make it to the rhythmic gymnastics competition. I did not risk the track-and-field events – it was too hot. And I was very tired. Alas, I did not have the strength to do everything. On the whole, I would like to note that the Beijing Olympics was interesting and bright. It was great to be there!

Q: What else do you do, other than your work as a deputy?

A: I enjoy trying out anything new. It was interesting to act on the stage, in Sergey Vinogradov's play "Venus." I played the role of a young actress, lover of the famous 85-year-old dramatist Henry Miller. I also enjoyed participating in various television show ventures. And I wrote a book about my life. I'm going to write some more books about exercises for body and soul, where there will be photographs of the exercises, so that any woman can do them at home. And on top of that I sing - thus far only for myself, but I plan to put out an album soon. And the family is sacred.

Q: In 2001 you acted in the theater. Don't you want to return to the stage?

A: I have had proposals of scripts of plays and cinema films. In theater, certainly, everything is great, everything is interesting. However, my debut play was so powerful that everything that they suggest now doesn't seem very inspiring.

Q: In that case, what are your creative plans?

A: I like to sing. I must confess that I have written six songs. Of course I am not going to release a disc for the general public; for now I am simply going to distribute it among my family and friends, in order to hear their opinion and receive reviews. After that, we will see.

Q: If you permit – a little about your personal life. How is little Svyatoslav?

A: He is already three and a half years old. He is a very energetic, inquisitive, likable chap. He really loves sport – we are inculcating in him a love for a healthy way of life. He adores his parents and grandparents. And we love him.

Q: You are bringing up your child and you are working in the State Duma. You do not reject contact with the press and you participate in a television show. From where do you draw so much energy?

A: A strong family, and on top of that, of course, the feeling of love gives me inspiration, emotions and my strength. I love! I love to improve myself, I love to do interesting things. So all this is only the beginning!

Q: Did your life change significantly with the birth of your son?

A. Of course my life changed with the birth of a child. Now I plan time to spend with my child. I really love being with my little one. Thanks to my child, I am learning to see the world from other perspectives. We go to museums, exhibitions, zoos, dolphinariums together... When the weather is good we spend time outside. At home we play football [soccer], hockey, basketball and skittles. If I take any kind of exercise, my son joins in. My boy is very active.

Q: What style of clothing do you prefer: classical, sporting?

A: Quality is what interests me most. But I select the style depending on the situation. You will agree, for example, that however suitable a sporting style is for some occasions, there are critical situations where it is necessary to wear a business suit. The same applies to other situations where I appear in front of people.

Q: At the moment it is fashionable to have a personal stylist. Do you have one?

A: I try to choose the right style for myself. No one knows better than I myself what suits me best. Although sometimes it is necessary to run to professionals for help.

Q: Who makes up your inner circle? With whom do you spend the most time?

A: Most of all I love to relax with the family! Of course, I have a lot of friends, and we meet up frequently and do things together, but nevertheless family – that is sacred!

Q: You are now 30 years of age. Is this a watershed?

A: Of course. Indeed, it is an anniversary. Perhaps in some sense it is a kind of resume of my life. It has come about that my thirtieth birthday fell in the same year as this critical year for young people, meaning that it really is my year. I think that we should use this alignment only for good, in order to realize serious projects, and at the end of the year to sum up the results.

And a few more tidbits from the Altapress article...

Information
Svetlana Khorkina was born on January 19, 1979 in Belgorod. This famous Russian gymnast was two-time Olympic champion on uneven bars and a multiple European and world champion. She finished her sporting career in the autumn of 2004. She gave birth to a son, Svyatoslav, on July 21, 2005 in Los Angeles. In 2007 they put up a statue to Khorkina in Belgorod. She is a member of the party "United Russia" and is a deputy of the State Duma.

Fact
There are 62 women in the fifth convocation of the Duma (eighteen more than in the previous convocation). Among this number are seven businesswomen, three politicians and twelve officials. But there also two former cosmonauts (Yelena Kondakova and Svetlana Savitskaya), one ballerina (Svetlana Zakharova) and five sportswomen: gymnasts Alina Kabayeva and Svetlana Khorkina, speed skater Svetlana Zhurova, figure skater Irina Rodnina and the boxing master of sport, attorney Natalia Karpovich.

Svetlana Khorkina and Alina Kabayeva in the Duma (photo: AFP/Getty Images)

And for Those of You Who Still Don't Believe the Chusovitina Coaching Story...

2009-01-28T17:58:00.010-06:00

... here's a little story from Financial Times Deutschland, a German newspaper which is usually very well informed on the goings-on in the German team (we have posted several of their articles before). Aside from some interesting news on the rest of the German team, the article contains a mention of Chusovitina's involvement with the Uzbek team.

Olympic Gymnast Joeline Moebius Must Call Off Training Camp

Around eight weeks before the European Championships in Milan, from 2nd to 5th April, Olympian Joeline Moebius from Chemnitz has had to call off her participation in a training camp with the German national team in the USA. This was confirmed by head coach Ulla Koch. "She has back problems, which it is better to keep treating here," said the 53-year-old coach. The national team will be training in Plano, Texas, from 2nd to 10th February, together with the American Olympic champion, Nastia Liukin.

This means that Anja Brinker from Herkenrath will be the only gymnast from the Beijing Olympic team who is making the trip. Katja Abel from Berlin and Daria Bijak from Salt Lake City have ended their careers. Marie Sophie Hindermann from Tübingen and Olympic silver medalist Oksana Chusovitina from Cologne will both be missing as a result of operations to the Achilles tendon. Chusovitina, originally from Uzbekistan, is currently taking care of the national women's team of the Central Asian country. Six gymnasts from that team are currently spending time at the training center in Bergisch Gladbach.

Joeline Moebius (photo: Jasmin Schneebeli-Wochner/Gymbox)

So there you have it. Abel and Bijak, retired (from FIG gymnastics anyway). Hindermann and Moebius, injured. And Chusovitina, injured and looking after the Uzbek girls.

We think we have enough evidence now that the Chusovitina story is true. Now if someone will please fill us in on the Kozich situation...

Australian Girls to Focus on Training Rather Than Competitions for the Next Few Months

2009-01-28T09:40:00.007-06:00

The Australian national women's team is currently attending a training camp at the Australian Institute of Sports in Canberra. Apart from Ashleigh Brennan, who is not sure yet whether to continue in the sport or not, all the usual suspects are there, including stars Dasha Joura and Lauren Mitchell.

Dasha Joura, who sustained an ankle injury in Beijing, is finally back in action
(Photo: Jasmin Schneebeli-Wochner/Gymbox)

One of the goals of the camp is to determine which athlete will attend which competitions this year. According to the Gymnastics Australia website, head coach Peggy Liddick has announced that Australia will not attend the WOGA Classic and the Nadia Comaneci Invitational this year, "as we need to continue work on our new skills and programs." However, Lauren Mitchell will attend the Doha World Cup in April. It is also rumored that Emma Dennis and Amber Fulljames will attend Canada's Gymnix competition, but the GA website makes no mention of this.

Apparently, another camp will be held in April, to select the candidates for the Pre-Olympic Youth Cup (to be held in Dusseldorf, Germany, May 23-25). Meanwhile, the remainder of the team will continue to train for the Australian Championships in Perth in July, where Liddick hopes Australia can also host a friendly with another country, to prepare the gymnasts for the 2009 Worlds in London and other European events held at that time of year (DTB Cup, Massilia Cup, Voronin Cup).

When questioned on the notion of routine/skill upgrades, Liddick only said, "I am very happy with some of the upgrades and there will be a few surprises to be revealed soon."

More information on the Australian girls' training camp can be found on Gymnastics Australia's website.

Spain's Top-Ranked Male Gymnasts All Out With Injuries

2009-01-28T08:52:00.012-06:00

A while ago, while checking some Federation sites for news, we found an update on Rafael Martínez on the Spanish Gymnastics Federation's website, detailing the 2005 European all-around champion's recovery from the shoulder surgery he had recently undergone. A few weeks later, we asked our Spanish reader Jordi to translate the article for us, which he kindly agreed to do. He did more than translate though. Not content with providing us with "old" news, Jordi contacted the Spanish Gymnastics Federation for the latest on Martínez. The Federation proved extremely helpful, providing news not just on Martínez, but on Gervasio Deferr and Isaac Botella, both of whom have also gone under the knife recently. It appears, then, that pretty much all of Spain's male stars are currently out of action. None of them is expected to attend this year's Europeans; their earliest possible international appearance is likely to be at the Mediterranean Games in June.

Many thanks to Jordi and the Spanish Gymnastics Federation for providing us with the following update!

Rafael Martínez in Beijing (photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Rafael Martínez
Spain's most complete all-arounder of all time, aged 25 and 4th AA at the 2005 Worlds, saw his hopes of Olympic success dashed by a shoulder injury which prevented him from working to 100 per cent of his capacity. Despite his sore shoulder, Rafael Martínez finished 10th in the all-around competition in Beijing, scoring the second-highest score on high bar (15.575). He missed qualification for the floor final (his specialty) by a mere 0.05 points. On October 27, Rafael Martínez underwent surgery to treat the os acromiale and acromioclavicular arthropathy in his left shoulder. He was fully discharged on January 19 and is now working on shoulder rehabilitation and conditioning exercises with physical therapists. He can already do supports and some handstands, and will start training on the apparatus within a month.

View Rafael Martínez on floor at the 2007 Worlds here.

Gervasio Deferr in Beijing (photo: Amy Sancetta/AP Photo)

Gervasio Deferr
Two-time Olympic vault champion and Olympic silver medalist on floor Gervasio Deferr (aged 28) had to withdraw from the World Cup Final due to a neck injury. He is still suffering some discomfort in his neck, but is expected to be back in training in a month's time.

Watch Gervasio Deferr's silver-winning floor exercise at the 2008 Olympics here.

Isaac Botella in Beijing (photo: AFP/Getty Images)

Isaac Botella
More recently, Isaac Botella (aged 24) was successfully operated on a tendon in his biceps and a partial tear in his rotator cuffs. The gymnast from Elche (Alicante), who had endured problems with his right shoulder for months, waited until the end of the season and the World Cup Final in Madrid (where he won the bronze medal on vault) before finally going under the knife at the Cemtro clinic in Madrid on January 22. Botella must now stay with his arm immobilized in a sling for six weeks. What happens afterward will depend on how quickly he recovers. Botella has been discharged from the hospital and is currently at home. He hopes to resume training as soon as possible.

Check out Isaac Botella's vaults at the Glasgow Grand Prix here.

Igor Cassina: "If I Don't Win a Medal in 2009, I'm Ready to Retire"

2009-01-28T06:59:00.006-06:00

According to Eurosport Italy, 2004 Olympic horizontal bar champion Igor Cassina is determined to win a medal at the upcoming Europeans in Milan. The competition, which Cassina calls “the most important meet of my life,” may end up being his swan song, because if he doesn’t medal, he is ready to leave competitive gymnastics and devote himself to coaching instead. “If I don’t at least win a medal in 2009, I’m ready to retire, commit to my degree in sports science and take up gymnastics coaching,” stated Cassina, with particular reference to the European Championships, which will take place in Milan in late March and early April.

“I’m 31 years old,” said the former Olympic champion, “and knowing I can win is no longer enough. I need to bring home a medal.” And to do that in front of his home crowd (Cassina was born in Seregno and now lives and trains in Meda, near Milan) would be fantastic - the crowning achievement of a very successful career.

Igor Cassina in Beijing (photo: Getty Images)

The new Code of Points has brought Cassina a couple of bittersweet changes. He has decided he will no longer compete his supremely difficult “Cassina 2,” a double-twisting Kovacs, as the additional twist will not be awarded any bonus points (see Cassina perform the skill here). However, his famous other signature skill, the “Cassina” (a laid-out full-twisting Kovacs), formerly an F, now carries a G value, which means the skill will be worth 0.7 from now on (up from 0.6 last year). Cassina hopes the skill will help him defeat rivals such as Hambüchen and Zonderland in Milan.

“I feel the will and pleasure to get to my appointment in Milan in top form, to give a great performance in front of my home crowd, and to postpone the day of my retirement as far as possible,” Cassina told Eurosport.

Here’s hoping Cassina will get his medal and stick around for a bit longer!

(Many thanks to Luisa for providing the translation on which this post was based!)

Alina Kozich: "I Have a Very Difficult Nature"

2009-01-27T09:29:00.009-06:00

Ukraine's Alina Kozich is currently the subject of some extremely interesting rumors. First there was a rumor that she was retiring from competitive gymnastics in order to join a circus, a rumor she just debunked in the interview included below. And now there's an even more interesting rumor to the effect that Oksana Chusovitina, in her capacity as the new Uzbek national team coach, has asked Kozich to compete for Uzbekistan, and that she has consented to do so. We have no idea whether there is any truth to the rumor; we certainly haven't found anything in the Ukrainian media to suggest there is. But even if Kozich does indeed want to compete for Uzbekistan, there are formalities to be observed which make it unlikely that she will be doing so any time soon. As far as we know, athletes can't just swap nations at the drop of a hat; it takes a while (usually a few years) for them to be allowed to compete for their adopted country. We can't imagine a gymnast who looks like she's headed for the end of her career would go through such a process. Then again, if Ukraine were willing to let Kozich go, and if she could prove that she had some Uzbek blood running through her veins (we have no idea if she does), that might speed up the process considerably.

Let's put it this way: We don't think it's likely that Kozich will compete for Uzbekistan, but it's not inconceivable - no more so than Oksana Chusovitina taking over the reins of the Uzbek national program, and that appears to be true. We'll keep an eye on the situation.

First of all, though, here's an interview with Kozich from Segodnya/Sport, published on January 24. Uzbekistan doesn't get a mention, but that doesn't mean it isn't true...

(Photo: Jasmin Schneebeli-Wochner/Gymbox)

Alina Kozich: "I Have Not Exchanged Gymnastics for the Circus"

The [former] European champion described to Yevgenia Poddubnaya at Segodnya/Sport how she very nearly finished her career and what she will be doing in the future.

Alina Kozich: For a time I was sure that I would leave gymnastics for the circus. I was so enraptured of the idea that I wanted to drop sport. Many well-known athletes are working in the circus. I know from their tales that it is really interesting performing there, and the working conditions aren't bad either! Only it's not the easiest work, even if you come from a professional sports background. Imagine performing five shows in one day! It's crazy! Moreover, if I decide to join the circus, I would be constantly on tour. I would rarely be home, but I can't do that; I need to feel the constant support of my family! So that means that for now, I want to go on training. My health is still good enough, although I don't know whether it will last to the next Olympics. After all, there is my age to consider. (Alina is 21 years old. Ed.)

Q: If not the circus, then what?

A: I will either become a choreographer or a coach. I am really good at thinking up complex exercises and composing routines! It's also simpler, and it is closer to me professionally.

Q: You live in Kiev, but you spend a large part of your time at the center in Koncha-Zaspa. How have you arranged your living area?

A: I have arranged my favorite keepsakes around my room. Earlier, before they redecorated the center, we would stick certificates and diplomas and various photographs on the walls instead of wallpaper. But after they had redecorated, they forbade us to hang anything on the walls. It's a shame, as it would be much cosier that way!

Q: How do you get on with your neighbors? Don't you ever get fed up with each other?

A: In general I have a very difficult nature. Although I am very communicative and know how to talk to people about what interests them, if I have already set my heart on something, then you can't change my mind. I have my own opinion on everything, which I always defend to the end! If I say something is so, then that is how it is. I guess I have been the team leader, the number one, for a long time.

(Photo: Jasmin Schneebeli-Wochner/Gymbox)

Q: Is there really no person who is close to you and to whose opinion you do listen?

A: Certainly there is! My sister Olya. She is also a gymnast, but she now trains for herself. The fact that we no longer compete at the same competitions has drawn us still closer. And, of course, my mother and grandmother – they are very dear to me! And on top of that my coach, Sergey Mikhailovich Butsul. He is the very closest person. We have lived through my victories and defeats together over the last seven years. And unlike my relatives I see him every day. I share everything with him.

Andrey Rodionenko: "I Would Call This the Year of Renewal"

2009-01-26T06:35:00.004-06:00

On January 20, the Russian Artistic Gymnastics Federation posted an interview with head coach Andrey Rodionenko which contains some interesting tidbits. For one thing, it appears that this year's Russian Nationals will feature a team competition despite the fact that neither the 2009 Europeans nor the 2009 Worlds will have a team component, all with an eye to preparing the Russian gymnasts for the Olympic team qualifying process, which will commence next year. We guess this means the Russians are taking the 2012 team competitions very seriously indeed. For another thing, Rodionenko says that all the juniors who are considered good prospects for the 2012 Olympics are now training with the seniors. It seems the Russians are already carrying out the plans Nicolae Forminte recently suggested for the Romanian women's team...

Andrey Rodionenko

Andrey Rodionenko: The Season of Renewal

The new gymnastics season has begun. Andrey Rodionenko, head coach of the Russian national team, tells us about what lies in store for Russian artistic gymnastics this year.

Q: Andrey Fedorovich, let us begin with what is bothering everybody both inside and outside sport – the economic crisis. Has it affected the gymnasts in any way?

A: The crisis has not touched us, but the only reason it has not touched us is because of our Federation. I'm sure you remember that at the recent conference, our President, Andrey Kostin, promised that gymnastics would not suffer. And he is keeping his word! A significant part of our funding is currently coming from the Federation. Even now we are carrying out a training camp with the Federation's money. Although state funding is provided, the money has not yet been transferred. But these are problems faced by all forms of sport, not just by artistic gymnastics. We believe that everything will be OK, thanks to the efforts of both the Ministry of Sport and the Federation. On that point, I will say this to avoid the next question: we will carry out the World Cup competition in Moscow, although there are problems.

Q: With regard to the global crisis, has the International Gymnastics Federation changed its conditions for carrying out World Cup competitions, which stipulate that the party that is running the competition must make all the necessary provisions?

A: I have no such information. This is a question for the FIG. At the moment we are proceeding on the premise that everything is as before.

Q: Then on to purely sports-related questions. The new Olympic cycle has started. What are the main competitions in this first post-Olympic year?

A: As far as the international level is concerned, we will only have individual competitions this year. The European Championships will take place in Milan in April and the World Championships will take place in London in October. However, the Russian Championships (to be held in Bryansk in the first week of March) will take place with the full program, as we call it – team final, individual all-around final and the various individual apparatus finals. Moreover, we will run the team final according to Olympic regulations, meaning three scores count.

Q: Why will the Russian Championships have a team competition if this year's international competitions only have individual competitions?

A: The thing is, this is the preparatory year for team competitions. The pre-Olympic selection will already begin next season. The fact is that the FIG has changed the selection rules for the Olympic Games. From now on, the first eight teams will be selected for the Olympics in the second season after the Games, and an additional selection will be made in the World Championships directly preceding the Games, where four more teams will join the eight teams which are already known. We must qualify for the Games in the first selection, so we consider this a preparatory season. And, now that we're starting our preparation for the Olympic competitions in London, we believe that the teams ought to train with this rule in mind from the very first.

Q: I see that there are many junior gymnasts training with the main team. Why are they training with the main national team and not with their own age group?

A: It's all for the same reasons. We selected the children who can "aim" for 2012, and included them in training with the main team. I would call this year the year of renewal. We have taken girls born between 1994 and 1996 and boys born between 1991 and 1992 for this training.

Q: Does this indicate that the men's team will fall into the famous "demographic hole" of the early 1990s?

A: I wouldn't say that. Happily, there are many fully functional veterans on the men's national team, and thanks to them, we should get over this "hole" relatively painlessly.

Q: Then on to personal issues. The most acute question - has Maxim Devyatovsky been selected for training (with the national team)?

A: He has been selected. He is trying very hard. In principle, I would not want to make a problem out of Devyatovsky. What happened with him is normal in a group which is adapting to each other. These are growing pains. Now he is proving his right to be on the national team just like anybody else.

Maxim Devyatovsky

Q: What about Anton Golotsutskov and Yulia Lozhechko?

A: Anton has started preparations for the all-around. We will give it a try. If God wills, it will work out. After all, he started off as an all-arounder. Then he concentrated on two apparatus. Now we want him to return to six apparatus. Yulia Lozhechko is currently preparing two apparatus: beam and floor exercise. Her challenge is to prepare routines with maximum difficulty on these two apparatus. If it then becomes possible for her to return to the all-around, we will only be glad. For now she is an essential member of the team for these apparatus.

Q: Are Sveta Klyukina and Dasha Yelizarova not taking part in the training camp?

A: They are recovering (from injuries). For now they are preparing by themselves. They will take part in the Russian Championships and then the question of their return to the national team will be resolved. The same applies to Anna Pavlova, Lena Zamolodchikova and Sasha Safoshkin.

Q: Andrei Fedorovich, this is the start of the second Olympic cycle for you as national head coach. What are the differences between the current start and the one three years ago?

A: This time we are starting straight away with the preparations. Then it was necessary to resolve an awful lot of organizational problems, which interfered with the work with the team.

Now, on the Chusovitina Coaching Story...

2009-01-25T16:38:00.018-06:00

We received remarkably few comments on our most recent entry on Oksana Chusovitina, in which we told you that she was going to coach the Uzbek girls while continuing to compete for Germany herself. Perhaps the lack of comments was due to the fact that you didn't actually believe the story. That wouldn't surprise us. To be honest, we had a hard time believing the news ourselves, despite the fact that it came from a source we consider reliable (Chusovitina's own team).

(Photo: AFP/Getty Images)

We have now received a confirmation of sorts. One of our readers posted our story on the WWGym message board, where it was picked up by a poster called SFPFCT10, who is in touch with now former Uzbek national head coach Svetlana Kuznetsova. After reading the news, SFPFCT10 e-mailed Kuznetsova to ask if it was true. She confirmed the story, after which SFPFCT10 posted her e-mail on the message board, apparently with Kuznetsova's consent.

Judging from the e-mail, Kuznetsova does not bear Chusovitina any grudges for replacing her as the national head coach under such unusual circumstances (the e-mail ends with a sincere wish for Chusovitina's well-being). However, she does express bafflement at the new arrangements, which she feels are unworkable, and added that not all the national team members will join the training camp which Chusovitina is supposed to supervise in Germany in early February. According to Kuznetsova, six girls and one acrobat will fly to Germany, without their personal coaches (i.e. without Kuznetsova herself or her assistant, her daughter Elena). Apparently Luiza Galiulina, Uzbekistan's sole representative in Beijing (60th in prelims), will not be among the six girls who will make the trip to Germany. According to Kuznetsova, Galiulina will stay in Tashkent, where Kuznetsova herself will prepare her for the Cottbus Grand Prix.

We can't help sharing some of Kuznetsova's concern at the new situation. We have no idea how Chusovitina is supposed to coach the Uzbek team while representing Germany herself. Unless the Uzbek girls and their personal coaches move to Germany for a longer period of time, the plan doesn't sound feasible to us.

However, one thing is for sure: Chusovitina keeps making history. We don't think any athlete before her has represented one country while coaching another country's team. If you know of any precedents, do let us know!

Finally, Something Akin to a Solution in the Belgian Crisis

2009-01-25T16:09:00.006-06:00

It's been a while since we last posted any news from Belgium, where a group of national team members recently left the national training center because they did not want to work under the new head coach, controversial Frenchman Yves Kieffer. The last thing we heard was that 8 rebels were training at Wevelgem (Aagje Vanwalleghem's club) under 3 of their former coaches, and that when Yves Kieffer and his wife Marjorie Heuls finally showed up in Ghent on January 15, only a handful of girls were there to meet them.

Belgian national champion Aagje Vanwalleghem
(Photo: Sing Lo/Comaneci Salto)

Now, finally, more news about the situation has emerged, and from a very reliable source, Sporza.

It seems the rebels' insistence on getting former head coach Gerrit Beltman reinstated has finally paid off, to some extent. Minister of Sport Bert Anciaux is making funds available for the reinstatement of Beltman, who will guide national champion Aagje Vanwalleghem and the other rebels at the Wevelgem club. The girls themselves will have to pay the wages of the other coaches to be employed at the club (presumably the same coaches who were previously fired from the Ghent center for sticking with Beltman). The girls' parents are looking for private sponsors to help them carry the financial burden of employing the coaches. Meanwhile, 6 other national team members will remain at the national training center in Ghent, where they will train under former French head coach Yves Kieffer and his wife Marjorie Heuls. One of the 6 girls remaining in Ghent is Gaëlle Mys, who represented Belgium in Beijing.

Els De Nil, the official representative of the parents whose daughters have moved to Wevelgem, explained the situation to Sporza.

"Two weeks ago, we, along with Aagje and Beltman, spoke to Minister Anciaux. The next day he spoke to the other party," said De Nil. "The Minister established that the 2 parties were irreconcilable, as there is a serious crisis of trust. So elite sports manager Ivo Van Aken proposed this setup, and on Sunday we agreed to it."

De Nil continued, "It was a difficult decision to make, as our children were building up social lives in Ghent. But there was too much injustice in the situation. Basically, what is happening at the moment constitutes a rift in the Flemish Gymnastics Federation. When we had our meeting with Van Aken, a member of the Federation admitted that they had made mistakes, but insisted that management would never step down. Our children have become the victims of a power struggle. But they are prepared to take the risks associated with the move to Wevelgem, to Aagje's club. The club is willing to help us out (financially). We are now looking for host families for the girls."

A happy ending for all parties involved? That remains to be seen. The Ministry of Sport will only pay Gerrit Beltman's wages; the other coaches will have to get their wages elsewhere. It is to be hoped that the 8 rebel girls will find sponsors to help them carry the financial burden. At a time when much more famous athletes than them are losing their sponsorship deals, that may be a tall order.

Diego Hypolito: "Flamengo Gymnastics Is a Thing of the Past"

2009-01-24T19:44:00.007-06:00

Things continue to be highly unsettled in Rio de Janeiro, where a distraught Diego Hypolito left a meeting with Flamengo President Marcio Braga on Friday saying, "Flamengo gymnastics is a thing of the past. It was a huge blow for me, in a year in which I was supposed to rise from the ashes."

Diego, his sister Daniele and Jade Barbosa met with Braga on Friday to discuss the future of the elite gymnastics program at Flamengo, one of Brazil's foremost multi-sport clubs. According to Globoesporte, the trio were told by Braga that he wasn't telling anyone to leave, but did not have the means to renew contracts. "We have run out of money. We cannot sign contracts that we cannot fulfill," stated Braga, who blames the global economic crisis for the situation. The only solution, he said, would be the arrival of new sponsors or public funds.

Diego Hypolito, Daniele Hypolito, and Jade Barbosa with Marcio Braga
(photo: Globoesporte)

According to other Globoesporte and UOL Esporte articles, Braga once again blamed the Brazilian Olympic Committee (which receives 2 percent of the revenues of the national lottery) for not doing enough to solve the crisis at Flamengo. "We are going through a crisis, but the resources are there," Braga stated, referring to the fortune the Brazilian Olympic Committee recently received to strengthen Rio de Janeiro's candidacy for the 2016 Olympics. "If part of those resources were made available to us, the athletes wouldn't be so unhappy today." He went on to say, "The current system cannot continue. It's a crime against society and the practice of sports."

According to Braga, the directors of Brazil's leading sports clubs (including Pinheiros, where Daiane dos Santos and Lais Souza train) will meet with the Brazilian Minister of Sport on February 4 to find a financial solution to the crisis.

After the meeting with Braga, Daniele Hypolito was quick to point out that the gymnasts still had a month to figure out what to do. However, it was obvious that her brother Diego was not inclined to wait. "I've been cast adrift. Unfortunately, we will have to start looking for a new club. We have places to go, but all I really wanted was to stay here at Flamengo. I don't have much time. I've lost my sponsors. I'm a professional. I don't want things to be like they were in the past, when I didn't have anything to eat," said the double world champion on floor, who reportedly hasn't received his wages for three months and has lost his other sources of income as well.

Apparently Diego told UOL Esporte that he and Daniele had already found a new place to train, but refused to disclose where it was. One of the options would be the new gymnastics club Flamengo's traditional rival Botafogo has offered to set up for the gymnasts in a shed adjacent to the club's stadium. Alternatively it might be an existing top club, like Pinheiros. However, that would require a move from Rio de Janeiro to São Paulo, and we are not sure the Hypolitos are prepared to do that.

To be continued...

Marian Dragulescu: "I Have Time to Get to the Stage Where I'll Coach the National Junior Team and the National Senior Team"

2009-01-23T15:04:00.015-06:00

Quite a few Romanian sites are posting stories about Marian Drăgulescu's new career as a coach. First there was the ProSport story we quickly referred to in our news roundup, whose headline ran, "Kindergarten Cop" (a reference to the Arnold Schwarzenegger movie of that name). Then Adevărul interviewed Drăgulescu about his new career, and finally Confidenţial asked him some questions about life in general. We have translated the Adevărul article for you, as well as a few questions from the Confidenţial interview. Enjoy!

(Photo: ProSport)

"I want to take it to a higher level step by step"

Marian Drăgulescu is working alongside his former teammates, Marius Urzică and Dan Potra. Less than a week after he announced his retirement from competitive gymnastics, the former champion is back in the gym.

Adevărul: How was your first day at work, Marian?

Marian Drăgulescu: It's tiring, because there are a lot of kids and you constantly have to keep your eyes on them, just in case, God forbid, something happens. As you've seen for yourself, there are kids of many different ages, and that's what kids are like. They run, they jump... Other than that, I had a good feeling about it. This is my environment, with the sole exception that I'm not training anymore myself. Yes, I'm still moving around a bit, because you can't just suddenly quit like that, and afterward you have to explain things to them...

Q: Can you remember what it was like when you were their age?

A: I started doing gymnastics when I was seven. I've been an athlete for 21 years... I started at Triumf, as it was called at the time, and I also trained at Lia Manoliu. I was selected at school. That's what we will do too if we don't get enough children. They probably noticed I was energetic and liked getting around, so they took me. As I remember it, it was all a game at first. We did rolls, we jumped, we hang from all the apparatus, we climbed onto the horse, but after a while it became a "systematic game", and we got some compulsory elements, and we played truant...

Q: What was the crucial moment in your career?

A: My happiest moment was when I was selected for the junior team at age 14. Until then I'd been transferred from one group to another, because many groups were being abolished because so many boys were leaving the sport. In 1995 I was selected for the junior team and I felt quite proud, because apparently I was a good gymnast. I don't remember exactly when I won my first medal at a national championship, but I won my first European medal in 1998. [Gold on pommel horse, silver on floor and bronze on floor at the Junior European Championships.]

Q: What did your parents say when you joined a gymnastics club?

A: My Mom was happy, as she had done gymnastics herself. I hail from a sports-loving family. My Dad used to practice several sports: boxing, body-building and wrestling. And that's not all; he was also a musician... My two brothers also practiced sports - gymnastics and soccer - and they were quite talented, but they didn't stick with it. So basically everyone around me supported me when I was young, taking into consideration that I went into an systematic program to practice my sport and had a strict schedule. I didn't spend time anywhere else.

Q: Why did you quit in order to coach children?

A: I didn't quit. Actually, this is just the first stage. If I had gone straight to Mr. Pascu [the new head coach of the national men's team] to help him out with the national team, it would be as if I'd skip a few stages. This is where kids take their first steps. This is where we give them their basics, and we need to do that on a step-by-step basis. Mr. Pascu, too, used to coach much younger boys. I'm starting at the bottom, only to arrive at the top. I've only just begun. I have time to get to the stage where I'll coach the national junior team and the national senior team.

Q: What are your objectives with these kids?

A: I want them to win domestic competitions and medals at international competitions, but what I'd really like and what I'm hoping very much is that they will make the national junior team and then the national team.

Q: What will you miss most?

A: If I had changed my environment, I would have said gymnastics, but this way I'll stay in the gym just like before - just in a different position. We will be able to recreate the atmosphere we had on the national team in this gym, because I'm working alongside Marius Urzică and Dan Potra, who have also been hired to work here. As for competition nerves, I will still have those, but definitely in a different way and probably more intensely than before, because things won't depend on me anymore, but on those I've coached. My work will be seen in their routines.

Together with the rest of the Dinamo team, Marian Drăgulescu will coach 22 boys, aged between 6 and 14. "For the moment we have enough kids to coach. If, at any point, we won't have enough kids, we will start visiting schools. And on top of that there are groups of girls," says the multiple champion.

On his first day on the job (Thursday, January 15), he worked for a good five hours, from 1 to 6pm. "That will be my schedule, more or less, but we'll take it in turns, which means I'll also work on the mornings sometimes."

He would like to be remembered by the world in years to come for his five medals at World Championships and his three Olympic medals. "I hope people will remember I was a gymnastics champion," says the current coach.

(Photo: Adina Blaj/Adevărul)

In addition to the Adevărul interview, Romanian magazine Confidenţial recently published an interview with Marian Drăgulescu. Sadly, we don't have access to the whole interview, but Gazeta Sporturilor kindly reprinted a few questions from it:

- If you could swap lives with anyone, whom would you pick?
I like my life and I wouldn't swap with anyone or anyone in the world.

- What would you like to invent?
I'd like an invention which would help all children to be born healthy.

- What's the heaviest blow you have received?
My daughter's health problems.

- What do you have that you wish you didn't have?
I'm content with everything I've achieved and with everything I have.

We're glad to hear Marian is content...

Tămîrjan Pulled Out of American Cup; Racea to Go Instead

2009-01-23T09:42:00.010-06:00

The American Cup news just keeps on coming...

ProSport just announced that Ana Maria Tămîrjan will not be going to Chicago after all. The European bronze medalist on floor will be replaced by a junior who has only been in Deva for a few months, Amelia Racea. Racea was second on beam and third on floor at the 2008 Junior Europeans. She was also Romania's highest AA qualifier after the team competition, placing fourth, well behind Tatiana Nabiyeva, Aliya Mustafina and Youna Dufournet.

Amelia Racea (photo: Iris van den Broek/Gymnasticsphotography)

Head coach Nicolae Forminte had this to say about his decision to send a junior rather than the senior who sacrificed her Christmas break to prepare for the American Cup: "We have decided to spare Ana, who has returned to training after a long break. Ever since she resumed training, she has worked very hard with an eye to going to the American Cup. However, she is now suffering mild discomforts in her tibia and we don't want to take any risks, so we are giving her some rest. Racea will go to see what it's like to compete at a competition of this scope, and to get used to the atmosphere. She is a promising junior and we think she will do well."

We are mildly baffled by the fact that Forminte seems to think the American Cup is a bigger deal than the Junior Europeans, but we guess the competition does attract more spectators and media attention. So in that respect he's right - Racea will be in for something new. It will be interesting to see how she holds up against Jordyn Wieber, the other junior competing in Chicago,

As for Tămîrjan, we guess she should have enjoyed a nice Christmas break after all.

View Racea's performances at the 2008 Junior Europeans: beam and floor.

Lilia Podkopayeva to Get a Divorce

2009-01-23T07:12:00.009-06:00

Several Russian and Ukrainian sites (among others, this one) are reporting that 1996 Olympic champion Lilia Podkopayeva is getting a divorce from her husband of four years, Timofey Nagorniy. Apparently, Lilia initiated the divorce, but Timofey made the formal application. The couple's two children, Vadim (adopted) and Karolina (their own), will stay with Lilia, but Timofey will have unlimited access to them. It sounds like the couple are parting on good terms.

Click the above link for a picture of Lilia, Timofey and the children in happier days, and a look at the tabloid headlines their divorce is making...

Lilia in a recent photo shoot (photo: Volodymyr Shuvayev)

Kim Bui to Compete at American Cup

2009-01-23T06:43:00.006-06:00

The German Gymnastics Federation, DTB, has named the female gymnast who will represent Germany at the American Cup in February. Apparently it is Kim Bui who will join Fabian Hambüchen on the trip to Chicago. According to German head coach Ulla Koch, the 20-year-old from Tübingen has earned the right to make an appearance at the American Cup: "Kim gave a great performance in our training competition and so more than deserves to go to the US."

Bui was not part of Germany's Olympic squad, but did recently win a bronze medal on floor at the DTB Cup.

Kim Bui (photo: DTB)

Jade Barbosa and Hypolito Siblings Lose Club Contracts

2009-01-22T22:03:00.025-06:00

It's official: Brazilian sports club Flamengo has axed its elite gymnastics program. According to Globoesporte, Flamengo President Marcio Braga announced on Wednesday that the club, most famous for its highly successful soccer program, will eliminate several of its elite sports programs, keeping only its rowing and basketball programs (and soccer, we presume). The Vice-President of the club, Delair Dumbrosck, has confirmed that the contracts of the club's three most famous gymnasts - Diego Hypolito, Daniele Hypolito and Jade Barbosa - will not be renewed, leaving the trio without a club to train at and largely without an income. Needless to say, the gymnastics-mad Brazilian media are all over the story.

Diego and Daniele Hypolito (photo: Jasmin Schneebeli-Wochner/Gymbox)

Globoesporte reports that Diego Hypolito wants to meet with Flamengo President Marcio Braga to discuss the matter. He is dismayed at having to hear about the club's plans from the media, and has asked for a personal meeting with Flamengo's President. "I want to meet Marcio Braga. In all my years at the club, I've only spoken to him a few times. It's bad to have to hear things from the media."

Hypolito has even thought of a way to help the club raise funds for its gymnastics program. "There are many ways in which Flamengo could market the Diego Hypolito brand name. If they want to make a club doll to sell, that's fine with me. If that's what it takes to keep my sport afloat, I'm obviously willing to help," Hypolito was quoted as saying.

We're not sure whether he is referring to an action figure or a doll, but we assume it's the latter - probably something like this Flamengo merchandise doll, only with his name on it.

The floor specialist also told Globoesporte: "I'm a double world champion and I know I shouldn't have to be worried about such contract matters. I'm doing my bit, but I'm dependent on sponsors. OK, I did not become Olympic champion, but that's not the end of the world, is it? I know that Flamengo's financial situation hasn't been good for years, but I should do better in 2009."

For her part, Diego's sister Daniele laments the fact that the club's officials aren't communicating with the gymnasts. According to Globoesporte, Daniele has yet to hear an official confirmation of her status from the club, having been informed of the non-renewal of her contract by the media rather than by club officials.

"Flamengo will last for years, but officials go by," Daniele was quoted as saying. "I think they should participate more in the active lives of the athletes. You can't make budget cuts without talking to people. They should speak to the athletes before doing these things," Daniele told Globoesporte.

Daniele also feels the club should be more grateful to the gymnasts who have won it acclaim over the last decade, such as Diego, Jade and herself. "I'm grateful to everyone at Flamengo, but I can't work for love alone."

Thankfully, Daniele is not entirely dependent on the club for her income. She also has a personal sponsor who pays her as much as Flamengo does.

Jade Barbosa (left) with the emblem of her club, Flamengo (photo: Globoesporte)

Meanwhile, Jade Barbosa's father, César Barbosa, says that the non-renewal of his daughter's contract indicates "a lack of respect for the athletes" on the part of the Brazilian Olympic Committee.

According to Globoesporte, Mr. Barbosa was quick to remind reporters that the Brazilian Olympic Committee receives 2 percent of the revenues of the federal lotteries. He feels that some of that money should be made available to major multi-sport clubs like Flamengo, which currently receive no support from the Olympic Committee, although they produce a large percentage of Brazil's athletes.

"The Brazilian Olympic Committee is showing a lack of respect for our athletes," said Mr. Barbosa. "Artistic gymnastics has grown over the last few years and the Olympic Committee needs to adopt a more affectionate attitude toward it. It is not right that we, with three world-level gymnasts like Diego, Jade and Daniele, should find ourselves in this position. All the other gymnasts in the world are already training for the London Olympics, but without any incentive to train, [our athletes] will of necessity lag behind," said Mr. Barbosa

He hopes the club will find a way to keep the gymnasts. "Even with its problems, Flamengo is still the ideal club for the gymnasts. It has room, equipment and coaches to provide for the athletes' needs."

Semyonova to Compete at Europeans; Afanasyeva By No Means Certain for American Cup

2009-01-22T17:37:00.008-06:00

Some interesting news from Russia today...

Moscow sports club CSKA reports that Ksenia Semyonova is recovering well from her wrist problem. She is back in full training and is slated to compete at both the Russian Nationals and the European Championships in March, albeit on two events rather than four. Meanwhile, Ksenia Afanasyeva is said to have recovered from what sounds like a torn muscle in her side, but according to her coach, it is by no means certain that she will compete at the American Cup. Here's the article...

Ksenia Semyonova (photo: Jasmin Schneebeli-Wochner/Gymbox)

Semyonova and Afanasyeva Train Seven Hours a Day

Let us recall that at the end of last year, world champion Ksenia Semyonova was forced to forego participation in the World Cup Final in Madrid because of painful sensations in her wrists. However, doctors diagnosed nothing dangerous, explaining the pains in her hand as the peculiarity of a young gymnast's growing organism. Ksyusha did not even stop training; she simply reduced the burden on her sore wrist a little.

"Now Ksenia feels considerably better," says Marina Nazarova [Semyonova's coach]. "The painful sensations have practically disappeared, and it is now possible to carry out full training. We hope that by the time of the Russian Championships, which will take place in Bryansk from March 5th to 14th, Ksyusha will be back in good form. Although we will only be preparing two routines for the European Championships in April – bars and floor exercise."

According to Marina Nazarova, the extent of Ksenia Semyonova's participation in the Russian Championships has not yet been determined. Everything will depend on the gymnast's form. For the present Ksyusha is training seven hours a day: a one-hour session in the gym in the morning, and two three-hour sessions in the afternoon and evening.

Ksenia Afanasyeva (photo: Stefan Wurzer/Gymnasticsunited)

"Ksenia Afanasyeva is carrying out a similar regime," continues Marina Nazarova. "We are preparing her for the European Championships, both for the individual apparatus and for the all-around. Ksyusha's muscular problems in her side are a thing of the past, thank God. She is training intensively, spending sufficient time on all four apparatus of the all-around."

Meanwhile, it is far from settled that Afanasyeva will take part in the American Cup mid-February, although currently Ksenia and yet another CSKA representative, Kristina Goryunova, seem to be the most likely candidates for the trip across the ocean. "Control workouts will show Afanasyeva's degree of readiness for the American Cup," says Marina Nazarova. "But we are inclined not to send Ksyusha to this tournament. Really, the main thing for her at the moment is to prepare successfully for the Russian and European Championships."

So there you have it. Don't be surprised if it's Goryunova rather than Afanasyeva who shows up in Chicago next month.

Now with a Link: Liu Xuan's Second Single

2009-01-21T22:54:00.008-06:00

A while ago we told you that 2000 Olympic beam champion Liu Xuan was about to release her second single, "Like a Baby." We now have a link for you, courtesy of one of our readers (thanks!). Here it is. In our opinion, Liu doesn't have a truly great voice, and she seems to overenunciate her syllables a bit, but it's pleasant enough music - better than most gymnasts-turned-singers'. We'll be interested to see how the single fares in China.

And for those of you who missed our post at the time: this is Liu Xuan's first single, an infuriatingly catchy rock tune called "Setting Out."

Hambüchen Confirmed for American Cup

2009-01-21T21:45:00.005-06:00

Fabian Hambüchen has confirmed that he will compete at the American Cup in February. According to the DTB site, the young German has recovered sufficiently from the little finger surgery he underwent in December to make an appearance in Chicago.

(Photo: Eurosport)

"My finger feels completely normal, and for the last 2 weeks I've put as great a burden on it as I normally would. Training is going very well. As far as that's concerned, I really look forward to [the competition] and will give it my all in Chicago," the horizontal bar world champion told the DTB site.

Germany's female competitor in Chicago will be announced next week.

Oksana Chusovitina Appointed Uzbek National Team Coach

2009-01-21T21:12:00.013-06:00

It had been rumored for a while, and now it's been confirmed on the website of Chusovitina's own team, Cologne's Toyota Team: In addition to her own competitive gymnastics career, Oksana Chusovitina has been appointed head coach of the Uzbek national team. The news is somewhat surprising in that Chusovitina recently said in an interview that she didn't want to coach elite gymnasts as she didn't like having to be tough on her pupils. Looks like she has changed her mind...

Oksana Chusovitina is about to embark on a fourth life - as a national team coach
(photo: Marine/Gymnet)

This is what the Toyota Team site had to say on the matter, in an entry about Chusovitina's receiving a major German sports award:

She is currently recovering from two operations on her Achilles tendon and back and is now getting ready for a third operation on her shoulder. [Note: As far as we know, Chusovitina has already had her shoulder surgery and is currently getting ready for back surgery.] She responded in her own characteristic way: "Now all I need is new arms, and then I'll have had a complete overhaul and will be able to compete in a world championships without pain for once." In the meantime, however, some new and important tasks are awaiting her. As of January 1, 2009, she is no longer just a gymnast, but national coach of the female gymnasts of her fatherland, Uzbekistan. She will try to run the program from her adopted home country, Germany, and will get her pupils together for a first training camp in Germany in early February."

We have no idea about the logistics involved in this arrangement - whether the Uzbek girls will travel to Germany on a regular basis (does the Uzbek national program have that kind of money?), whether Chusovitina will travel to Uzbekistan on a regular basis, or what. We hope to find out more soon.

Well, Hello Everyone...

2009-01-21T15:24:00.017-06:00

First of all, apologies for getting so dramatic on you all the other day. We didn't mean to scare you. We just reached a point where two of us were getting a bit overwhelmed by all the demands of running a blog and wondering if it was worth it. We have since realized it is worth it, so we'll continue to write Triple Full. We just reserve the right to take a break every now and then, that's all.

So what's happened here over the last few days? Well, we've had an Anti-Triple Full blog named in our honor, we've been compared with Hitler, Stalin, and Castro for our comment moderation policy (which amused us to no end), and last but not least we've had a few discussions about our course of action, which resulted in a decision not to make any drastic changes for the time being.

Firstly, we've decided to keep the competition reports, since they appear to be popular and since we're aware that not all of our readers frequent the message boards where we get much of our information. There is, however, one caveat: in times of great busyness we reserve the right to drop the competition coverage. If, for some reason, we can't cover a certain competition without detriment to other things which matter to us, we simply won't. We're not going to go out of our way to cover every competition. We may even miss out on a big competition on occasion. The emphasis will remain on translated interviews, profiles, and news stories, and meet coverage will be of secondary importance.

Secondly, we will go on posting our stories anonymously for the time being. Personal bylines are definitely an option for the future, but for now we're going to continue to post as a group.

Thirdly, we've decided to adopt a zero-tolerance approach to trolls and people who try to use this blog to further their own agendas. So far we've always given people the benefit of the doubt. We will not do so anymore. If we suspect someone is trolling or otherwise abusing the comment function, we will simply reject their comments - no ifs or buts, and no discussion afterward. If we think people are being overly disrespectful of the gymnasts we're writing about, we will reject their comments too. Criticism (of us or of the gymnasts being discussed) is welcome, but only if it's constructive. We will gladly post any suggestions you may have for the improvement of this blog, so if you have any constructive criticism, by all means let us have it. Also, feel free to point out any factual errors you may come across in our reports - we'll be glad to have our mistakes corrected. And needless to say, any additional information you may possess on any given subject will always be welcome, as long as it's relevant.

Now, as for our wish list...

Several of our readers have written in to express a wish to help us run this blog, which meant a lot to us. Thank you so much, everyone. We've decided to be undignified and take you up on the offer. So...

1. If you're attending an international competition or national championships and would like to share your impressions with our readers, please get in touch with us, either by leaving a comment or by dropping us a line at mightymihaela at gmail dot com. More spies are always welcome. Thanks in advance.

2. If you speak Japanese, Korean, Ukrainian, Slovenian, Spanish or Italian and would like to contribute to the blog, please get in touch with us. We don't actually need anyone to translate entire Spanish or Italian articles for us (we can do that ourselves), but we'd like to have a few native speakers on standby to verify parts of our translations that we may not be entirely sure of, and to point us to any interesting stories we may have missed. Drop us a line if you want to help out in this capacity. A native Ukrainian speaker for helping out with those articles about Ukrainian gymnastics which are written in Ukrainian rather than Russian would also be very welcome. Finally, we'd like to pay much more attention to Japanese, Korean, and Slovenian gymnastics than we have so far, but not being remotely fluent in those languages, we haven't been able to come up with any interesting stories. If you speak Japanese, Korean or Slovenian and can spare the time to do some translating for us every now and then, please get in touch at mightymihaela at gmail dot com. Thank you very much in advance!

3. Finally, we could do with a good North American correspondent - someone who keeps an eye on American/Canadian gymnasts' (male and female) homepages, club sites, and other news sources, and lets us know whenever there's a story that's worth reporting, a video that's worth posting, etc. If you're interested, drop us a line!

And now, back to our scheduled programming...

Just So As You Know (Updated)

2009-01-19T06:58:00.006-06:00

This blog is on hiatus while we try to figure out a few things. Sorry.

ETA: Just to clarify, we're OK and intending to keep up the blog. We just need a bit of a break and a brainstorming session to decide on our future course of action. We'll probably be back in due course, in some form or another.

Yours,

The Gym Girls

Yernar Yerimbetov: "After Such an Injury It Is Difficult for Any Athlete to Return to Sport"

2009-01-18T18:17:00.008-06:00

For years Kazakhstan's Yernar Yerimbetov was a fixture at men's competitions. He finished 6th AA at the 2001 Worlds (after leading the pack at the halfway stage) and 4th AA at the 2003 Worlds. He also made a number of major vault finals over the years, although he seldom medaled in them, mainly because he seemed to have trouble sticking his second vault, a Yurchenko double back (watch Yerimbetov's vaults in the final of the 2006 Worlds here). Then he disappeared, after being sidelined by a serious shoulder injury. Now he's attempting a comeback. Which is to say: he hopes to compete at the World Championships this year.

Recently, a Kazakhstani site, Gazeta, caught up with Yerimbetov, who will turn 29 next month. The interview below was published on January 15.

(photo: Laurent Fievet/Getty Images)

The Return Of Yerimbetov

Yernar Yerimbetov, one of Kazachstan's most experienced gymnasts, is intending to return to his former glory in the coming season. He is as ever the number one in Kazachstan. However, fate has dealt him some surprises. Recently the gymnast has disappeared from view because of a severe injury to the shoulder, which he suffered in Moscow two years ago. He missed the Olympics in Beijing as well as a number of international competitions. But now that the injury has healed, he is again back in circulation. In any case he himself considers himself to be so. What could be more important?

"I was really badly injured," Yernar remembers. "I've already spent a whole year recovering, which is enough to really lose your physical form. I've needed a considerable amount of time to restore my former physical condition. I'm now participating in international competitions. I'm attempting to rebuild the confidence of the Kazachstanis, who had already started to forget about me little by little. The main thing is that I believe in myself and I'm not going to throw in the towel."

Q: Does the injury bother you?

A: Generally it aches a little when the weather is overcast or when it is cold. It hurts particularly in winter. I try not to think about it.

Q: The national coaches, Timur Amirbekov and Alexander Kalish, are constant in their support of you during their interviews with our journalists. They always include you as a member of the national team, so that you will return to form as soon as possible...

A: This flatters me. I think they do this out of fellow-feeling for me. Nevertheless, after such an injury it is difficult for any athlete to return to sport. It is impossible to do without support. Mid-December I competed in Moscow, at the Mikhail Voronin Cup, and many there recognized me: judges, athletes, other people. Everyone is very happy that I have returned to gymnastics. Remember, I sustained my injury in front of them. All the good wishes warm my soul. This is very important for me. It would be important for any athlete. I thank them for everything!

Q: Did your results [at the 2008 Voronin Cup] differ from those which you received prior to the injury?

A: Of course, and noticeably so. Earlier I could compete in four disciplines. Now I'm only competing in vault. Therefore, this could not but affect my results.

(photo: Sing Lo/Comaneci-salto)

Q: What you do expect from the new season?

A: This year I will only take part in one large competition: the World Championships in London, which are scheduled for October. The other tournaments, for example the World Cup competitions, are unfortunately not for me. I will dedicate all of these ten months to preparing for competition in London.

Q: Yernar, what can you tell us about the coming generation?

A: It has come about that we don't have too many gymnasts on the national team. Our young gymnasts (Sado Batsiev, Maxim Petrishko, Stanislav Valiev) obviously do not have enough experience yet. Of course they certainly have enormous potential. They have a great future ahead of them.

Q: And the more experienced ones?

A: We have outstanding lads. And they are good athletes. I am thinking of Timur Kurbanbaev, Eldar Valeev and Stepan Gorbachev. They are constantly taking part in important competitions. That says enough.

Q: Are you training somewhere at the moment?

A: Yes, of course. I can't allow myself to rest too much. I am now conducting daily training sessions in Almaty. I would like to return to my earlier form as soon as possible.

Ariella Kaeslin: "I Notice That the Other Girls Now Have Respect for Me"

2009-01-17T18:43:00.016-06:00

We have a stack of interviews we'd like to share with you, all waiting to be translated. Many of these interviews will probably have to wait until February, when things will quieten down considerably at the Gym Girl headquarters, but we hope to post a few before that time. Here's a nice chat with Ariella Kaeslin to kick things off. Meet the 21-year-old who is currently one of the top-ranked female vaulters in the world, not to mention Swiss Sportswoman of the Year 2008...

Ariella Kaeslin, Swiss Sportswoman of the Year 2008 (photo: Reuters)

The interview below was published by Neue Zürcher Zeitung (a Zürich-based newspaper) just before Christmas. Enjoy!

"Perhaps We'll Find a Fitness Center"

Gymnast Ariella Kaeslin Has Earned Her Vacation

Q: Ariella Kaeslin, we are happy for you.

A: Why?

Q: At last you can go on vacation.

A: Thanks. I haven't gone on vacation in a whole year. Even after the Olympic Games I only took 3 or 4 days off training. But school was still going, so there was always something to be done. So on the one hand I'm happy to be able to take a rest.

Ariella at the Olympics (photo: Keystone)

Q: And on the other hand?

A: I'm traveling with mixed feelings. Actually I'm happy, I really need to allow myself these 10 days. But I know that afterward it will be really difficult. So I'm doing some training while on vacation.

Q: You are training while on vacation?

A: I'm on vacation with Linda Stämpfli and Danielle Englert, two gymnastics friends [both Swiss national team members]. First we will spend a couple of days in New York. After Christmas we are flying to Florida. There we are going to Disney World and bargain shopping in the factory outlets. Perhaps we'll find a fitness center, but we can also work on our strength and flexibility in the hotel.

Q: But in New York you will restrain yourselves and enjoy the city?

A: Not only. Late at night when the city is asleep... well, it never does sleep, but when it is quieter, we want to go jogging. Nighttime jogging.

Q: How can you relax like that?

A: I don't know any different. Since I was a small child, I have always been on the move when I was on vacation. I couldn't lie around on the beach doing nothing. I need the excitement of New York and I need sport. If I do nothing, I get fidgety and nervous. I wouldn't like that.

Q: Then we have to feel sorry for you?

A: No, perish the thought! I would lose everything really quickly [if I didn't work out]. Two weeks without exercise would really throw me back. Once back in training, it would take a lot of effort to manage even the easiest exercises. I would suffer like a dog. But you know, that's gymnastics for you.

Q: Do you have to bring yourself to go on vacation?

A: Yes, in the past I have needed to. But nowadays I find it a bit easier. I have earned it.

Ariella (left) in Madrid, with Cheng Fei and Aagje Vanwalleghem
(photo: Volker Minkus/FIG)

Q: You were placed fifth on vault at the Olympics, and one week ago you were second in the World Cup Final, winning the first Swiss medal ever in this competition. What is 2009 going to bring?

A: I finally want to make it onto the pedestal at the European Championships.

Q: You are starting training again already on January 3rd. The European Championships are at the end of March. What are you focusing on?

A: In the all-around I want to be in the top 6, which means I have to improve on all 4 apparatus. But the Chusovitina, my first vault, can't be improved upon. It's a very difficult vault. Only two gymnasts perform it.

Q: Can you describe it?

A: It's funny that you should ask that. Since the Olympics I have had to explain my vaults again and again.

Q: And you don't like doing that?

A: That's not the problem. I find it difficult to explain, because most people can't really visualize it. I usually tell them to look the vault up on YouTube. But I can give it a try: I do a handspring and a layout somersault with one and a half twists.

Q: When we phoned earlier during your training and wanted to leave a message, your mailbox was full. Have you had a lot of appointments since Beijing?

A: Everybody wanted something from me - media, colleagues, fans. But I love it.

Q: At the beginning of [2008], you were barely known outside of the gymnastics world. Now you are [Swiss] Sportswoman of the Year. Crazy, isn't it?

A: It's nice that so many people know me now. When young gymnasts write to me that I'm their role model, I'm flattered. Strangers talk to me on the street. I'm happy that people recognize my achievement.

Q: What is admirable about it?

A: You will have to ask someone else that, not me!

Q: While we are on the subject...

A: Well, OK. We have 10 female gymnasts on our national team. The Chinese girls have thousands at the same level. I am proud that I could prevail.

(photo: Jasmin Schneebeli-Wochner/Gymbox)

Q: Does the gymnastics world recognize that?

A: I notice that the other girls now have respect for me. As a new girl you are barely visible, but now everybody greets me. That is important to me.

Q: You are 21. That is relatively old for gymnastics. What is more difficult for you now?

A: Taking a break, and then getting back into form. I notice that I have demanded a lot from my body. It is all still working but the little aches and pains are becoming more frequent.

Q: What are you going to do for Christmas, in the middle of New York, far away from your family?

A: I hope that Linda, Danielle and I will not be sitting under the huge Christmas tree at the Rockefeller Center all on our own. But actually, I think that something good will occur to us.

We hope Ariella enjoyed that vacation. We wonder if she bumped into Jade Barbosa and the Hypolito siblings at Disney World...

And since Ariella obviously loves posing, we felt it our duty to include a non-gymnastics photo... (photo: Fabienne Buehler/AP)

External link: Ariella's homepage (some good portraits there... mostly fully clad ones!)

AYOF: Event Finals, Day 1

2009-01-17T07:44:00.009-06:00

Day 1 of the event finals finally saw the host nation win some individual medals, with Emily Little and Britt Greeley going 1-2 in the women's vault final and the Australian men picking up three medals on floor and rings. The Chinese men also got a few medals, including the gold on rings, but it was the Brits who were the most successful nation, picking up two golds, one silver, and one bronze to add to their tally. We'd dearly love to see some videos of their performances now...

Vault winner Emily Little (photo: Stefan Wurzer/Gymnasticsunited)

WOMEN'S FINALS

Chachakid has videos of the women's event finals. Have a look for yourself and see what you think!

Vault
The girls had one vault each, and aside from Fu Bo, who did a handspring-piked front, they all chose Yurchenko-entry vaults. Pre-meet favorite Natsumi Sasada threw the only double-twisting Yurchenko in the final, but fell, only to finish fifth. She shared that position with Cui Jie, who sat down on her 1.5-twisting Yurchenko. Cui has a strange twisting technique; she twists very late and very fast. We're not sure whether that is good or bad. Emily Little and Britt Greeley nailed their Yurchenko-1.5s for the gold and silver, respectively. Little is a pretty powerful vaulter; she should be able to upgrade in the future. Japan's Yoshino Taniguchi took the bronze with a clean Yurchenko-full.

1. Emily Little AUS 14.700
2. Britt Greeley AUS 14.450
3. Yoshino Taniguchi JPN 14.150
4. Fu Bo CHN 13.775
5. Cui Jie CHN 13.700
5. Natsumi Sasada JPN 13.700
7. Nicole Hibbert GBR 13.525
8. Lani Hohepa NZL 13.200

Uneven bars
Wu Liufang was easily the most stylish bar worker in the final, with handstands and turns that bear all the hallmarks of the great Chinese school. Unfortunately, her A score was low and she had a problem on her Pak, needing an extra swing to be able to cast to handstand. She ended up finishing fifth. In the end, the gold went to Natsumi Sasada (Tkatchev, jam, full-in dismount), who gave the judges plenty of room for small deductions but not for big ones. Cui Jie finished second with a decent routine that included a Jaeger, Tkatchev and Pak (surprising choice of elements, we know). Nicole Hibbert took the bronze with a routine that was powerful rather than elegant (Tkatchev-Pak combo, big Ray). Hibbert has plenty of difficulty, but will need to work hard on her form.

Apparently this is Natsumi Sasada. Can we have some normal photos now, Mark Nolan of Getty Images?

1. Natsumi Sasada JPN 14.350
2. Cui Jie CHN 13.925
3. Nicole Hibbert GBR 13.775
4. Yoshino Taniguchi JPN 13.675
5. Wu Liufang CHN 13.225
6. Danusia Francis GBR 13.160
7. Emma Collister AUS 12.276
8. Britt Greeley AUS 12.150

MEN'S FINALS

As far as we know, no videos of the men's finals have been uploaded yet, so we can only give you the results.

Floor exercise
1. Reiss Beckford GBR 14.000
2. Sean O'Hara AUS 13.850
3. Luke Wadsworth AUS 13.675
4. Wang Yongchao CHN 13.175
5. Ashley Watson GBR 13.150
6. Hairi Zaid Ahmad Saruji MAS 13.050
7. Liu Zhanteng CHN 12.625
8. Chao Wei San MAS 11.700

Gold medalists Reiss Beckford and Max Whitlock with coach Sergey Sizhanov
(photo: British AYOF site)

Pommel horse
1. Max Whitlock GBR 14.325
2. Sam Oldham GBR 14.050
3. Liu Zhanteng CHN 13.400
4. Luke Wadsworth AUS 13.025
5. Michael Mercieca AUS 12.325
6. Hairi Zaid Admad Saruji 10.900

Still rings
1. Liu Zhanteng CHN 14.200
2. Jayden Bull AUS 13.875
3. Zhu Xiaodong CHN 13.700
4. Sam Oldham GBR 13.650
5. Sean O'Hara AUS 13.025
6. Ashley Watson GBR 12.650

The AYOF gymnastics competition will conclude tomorrow with the remaining event finals.

AYOF: One More Video, Plus the British Response

2009-01-17T00:28:00.012-06:00

We were hoping to be able to give you a Chinese response to the Sydney action by now (or, failing that, some nice pictures of Cui Jie, Tan Sixin, and Wu Liufang), but the Chinese media aren't being very obliging - yet. We hope there will be more news and/or photos once the AYOF is over.

The only picture of a Chinese AYOF gymnast we've been able to find so far. Come on, Mark Nolan of Getty Images, we know you can do better than that!

For their part, the Australians aren't providing us with any interesting news or quotes either, but then we guess they don't have an awful lot to be excited about. Yet.

We did, however, find this: a video with quick glimpses of the women's team competition, courtesy of the AYOF site. It features footage of Cui Jie's new Yurchenko-1.5 as well as snippets of an interview with Australia's Britt Greeley. Here's hoping the AYOF site will post some more videos like this at some point...

The AYOF site also has a weirdish little radio interview with an Australian gymnast. They say it's Mary-Anne Monckton, but then they go on about her competition, and Monckton didn't actually compete, so we're not sure who's doing the talking here.

Also, the British team is getting plenty of media coverage. The British AYOF site is doing a terrific job of keeping its readers updated on Team GB's successes. This is what the Brits had to say after yesterday's all-around competitions...

Team GB’s male artistic gymnasts continued exactly where they left off yesterday by winning all three medals in the individual all-around competition and creating much excitement for the British contingent in the Sydney Olympic Park crowd.

Ashley Watson (Leeds) took top honours with a score of 82.800. His achievement was all the more remarkable given the fact that he fell during his pommel horse routine and was trailing in fifth place after half of the six apparatus competition had been completed.

Britain's three all-around medalists. From left to right: Reiss Beckford, Ashley Watson, and Max Whitlock (photo: British AYOF site)

Compatriots Reiss Beckford (Enfield) and Max Whitlock (Hemel Hempstead) took the silver and bronze medals with scores of 82.033 and 82.000 respectively. Team-mate Sam Oldham (Nottingham), who was forced to watch from the stands as he rested an injury, was impressed with what he saw, “I’m proud and pleased for them. They did really well today, especially beating the Chinese.” Oldham confirmed he will compete in the pommel horse and rings individual apparatus competitions tomorrow.

Russian Head Coach Andrei Popov was understandably chuffed, “I’m over the moon. Yesterday was a surprise for us but today we just carried on. I’m particularly pleased with the parallel bars and high bar performances, especially Ashley. He showed he can now compete with the best gymnasts in the world on the parallel bars.”

Watson was overjoyed with the victory, “I’m happy, especially after falling off the pommel, as it meant I had to keep fighting hard all the way to the end.” Commenting on the spirit within the group he said, “We’re a good team, we all work well together, helping each other when we’re feeling down.” Looking ahead he added, “Hopefully I’m going to excel on the parallel bars and high bar in the individual apparatus competitions.”

Beckford was also happy, “It was really good, apart from a little mishap on high bar when I missed a move. I was pleased with floor, vault and parallel bars. It feels really great to be competing in a multi-sport event and having a medal with the Olympic rings on it around my neck. Ashley and I are really good friends, we’re team-mates and rivals at the same time. Well done to him.”

Whitlock enjoyed the atmosphere in the arena, “It was a really good day and I was especially pleased with my pommel horse result. The crowd was amazing; they were really cheering for us.”

The British girls' team. From left to right: Danusia Francis, Nicole Watson, Jennifer Pinches, and Nicole Hibbert (photo: British AYOF site)

In the women’s event 14-year-old Nicole Hibbert was the top-placed Briton in fifth position with 54.775 points. Danusia Francis was close behind in sixth with 54.300 points and Nicole Watson came 11^th with 51.425 points. Jennifer Pinches was forced to sit out the competition through injury.

Anyone know what Jennifer Pinches's injury is?

Meanwhile, in Non-AYOF News...

2009-01-16T09:02:00.015-06:00

--- ProSport reports that Marian Drăgulescu just taught his first class as a coach at Dinamo Bucharest (Aurelia Dobre's old club), where his former teammates Marius Urzică and Dan Potra are coaching as well. According to ProSport, Drăgulescu's goal is to create a gymnast who will be better than himself. Good luck with that, Marian!

--- Adevărul reports that Sandra Izbaşa and Răzvan Şelariu were voted the Romanian Gymnastics Federation's Athletes of the Year 2008. Şelariu was second on floor at the 2008 Europeans; Izbaşa is the Olympic champion on the same event.

--- A few days ago we reported that Diego Hypolito had lost his sponsors. Now Dutch newspapers are reporting that the same fate has befallen Suzanne Harmes, whose sponsorship contract with the Dutch Olympic Committee has not been renewed due to a lack of noteworthy achievements in 2008 (Harmes won the national title and qualified to the Olympics, but achieved little else). This means a substantial loss of income for Harmes, which is all the more worrying because her new training arrangements (she recently switched to a club in the north of the country while continuing to live in the south) call for frequent traveling and overnight stays at hotels, and because she has a child to look after (she is a single mom).

Suzanne Harmes with her son Lugano
(photo: Merlin Daleman/NRC)

--- Finally, just in case you were wondering what Dutch, Belgian, and German gymnastics fans get up to at the end of each season, here's your answer: they attend gymnastics galas. A while ago we posted a video with highlights of a Dutch gala. Now the Flemish Gymnastics Federation has posted a video with highlights of the gala which was held in Ghent in late December. There are some quick (very quick!) glimpses of Sandra Izbaşa, Daria Zgoba, Aagje Vanwalleghem, and Benoit Caranobe, as well as an acrotumbler hitting a triple back, a rather unique pair ribbon routine, and some impressive-looking acrobatic gymnastics and rhythmic gymnastics. We've been told the Ghent gala was better than the Dutch galas, but we don't think the Belgians were treated to the Chinese men's four which performed at the Dutch galas and wowed audiences with their human rope-skipping.

More Sydney Goodness - Updated!

2009-01-16T06:16:00.009-06:00

Flippingymkid just posted Tan Sixin's 15.85 beam routine from the team competition, and it's gorgeous. Tan does Li Shanshan's combination of ff-ff-whip-Korbut, and the whip just floats. It's beautiful. Her form on her other elements is exquisite as well, and she works on her toes, which is great. The dismount is a bit scary, but still, WOW.

And here, courtesy of krrustygym, is Cui Jie's 16.10 beam routine from the all-around competition. Yep, she hit the roundoff-whip combo all right!

We don't know about you, but we're very excited about this new crop of Chinese girls. They're just beautiful. China just keeps on producing these stunning gymnasts...

AYOF All-Around Competitions: Cui and Watson Superior

2009-01-16T05:50:00.011-06:00

The men's and women's all-around competitions were held in Sydney today, and China's Cui Jie and Britain's Ashley Watson came away with the top prizes.

Women's competition

The women's all-around competition was open to all girls who competed on four events in the team competition. Six Aussies took on four Japanese girls, three British girls and two Chinese girls, one of whom, Tan Sixin, sadly only got to compete on two events (alas, no beam and floor). Reportedly she hurt her hand on a Pak on bars and was in too much pain to continue. We hope she isn't injured too badly, as we were rather looking forward to seeing her beam routine in the event final...

As expected, China's Cui Jie claimed the gold, thanks in no small part to a massive 16.100 on beam. We guess she stuck her new roundoff-whip combination this time around! Cui also got the highest score on floor (14.675) and the second-highest scores on vault and bars, so she really was the class of the field. Japan's Natsumi Sasada (who had outscored Cui in the team competition) was a distant second this time, due to a lowish 13.95 on beam. Perhaps she messed up her insane mount this time around? Sasada did obtain the top scores on vault and bars, so it wasn't a bad competition for her by any means. A second Japanese competitor, Yoshino Taniguchi, came third, 0.6 ahead of the first Australian, Emily Little, who tied Sasada for the top score on vault (14.650). Britons Nicole Hibbert and Danusia Francis rounded out the top-6.

British promise Danusia Francis

Natalia Joura had another meltdown on bars, scoring 9.700 this time. Reportedly she fell on her Gienger, had troublesome transitions (again) and messed up her dismount (again). Oops. The other Aussie girls also had problems on bars, receiving scores similar to the ones they had obtained in the team competition. Australia definitely has some catching up to do on bars.

Anyhow, the top-8:
1. Cui Jie CHN 59.175
2. Natsumi Sasada JPN 57.050
3. Yoshino Taniguchi JPN 55.675
4. Emily Little AUS 55.075
5. Nicole Hibbert GBR 54.775
6. Danusia Francis GBR 54.300
7. Britt Greeley AUS 53.850
8. Yukimi Ueda JPN 52.700

Detailed results can be viewed here.

Be sure to have a look at flippingymkid's competition videos here!

Men's competition

Like the women's competition, the men's individual all-around final was open to all competitors who had competed on all six events in the team competition, meaning that all eight Aussie team members got to compete. It wasn't their turn to shine though. Instead, it was the British boys who wowed the judges. Proving that their victory in the team competition was no fluke, the three British competitors claimed all the medals in the all-around competition. The gold was awarded to Ashley Watson, whose top scores came on vault (15.167) and parallel bars (14.663). Reiss Beckford, who received the highest score of the day (a 15.267 on vault), placed second, Max Whitlock third.

AA winner Ashley Watson

China's Liu Zhanteng did pretty well on five events, but suffered an 11.500 on pommel horse. However, even with a hit pommel horse routine he would have finished outside the medals. The other Chinese competitor, Zhu Xiaodong, didn't compete on vault and finished 14th, ahead of a Malaysian competitor who did compete on all six events.

AA silver medalist Reiss Beckford

1. Ashley Watson GBR 82.800
2. Reiss Beckford GBR 82.033
3. Max Whitlock GBR 82.000
4. Ben Astley AUS 79.467
5. Luke Wadsworth AUS 78.100
6. Liu Zhanteng CHN 77.966
7. Jayden Bull AUS 77.166
8. Sean O'Hara AUS 76.833

Detailed results can be found here.

All photos of the British competitors courtesy of the British AYOF site.

AYOF Videos - Updated!

2009-01-15T19:20:00.025-06:00

Flippingymkid is uploading videos of yesterday's action in Sydney. There is still no video of Tan Sixin's 15.85 beam routine, but some other gems and not-quite-gems are beginning to pop up. Here are a few...

This is Natsumi Sasada's beam routine, featuring a beautiful layout Garrison mount (!) as well as a lovely combination of switch leap, scale and back tuck. Aside from the mount, it's not a terribly difficult routine, but even so it's obvious that Sasada is the completely package on beam. She can turn, twist and tumble and has good flexibility and extension too. Anyone know when she's turning senior?

And this is Natsumi Sasada again, this time on floor. Her presentation needs a little more maturity and conviction, but the tumbling and dance skills are definitely there. Also, she spends refreshingly little time standing in corners doing nothing. This girl has heaps of potential!

This is Yukimi Ueda's beam routine. Ueda still lacks a bit of sophistication (her arms look bad), but it's great to see the Japanese actually make an attempt at beam choreography, however clumsy. Good switch leap-piked back combo too.

This is Sakura Noda's uneven bar routine, which has a few problems (bent knees on the bail-half, non-vertical casts to handstand, late turns) but is promising nonetheless.

This is Wu Liufang's beam routine. Wu is a gorgeous beam worker. She has the best Yang Bo jump since Yang Bo herself, and if she ever hits that switch Yang, it will be gorgeous too. Keep an eye on this girl - she could just be China's new beam star!

This is Cui Jie's lovely beam routine. She falls on a roundoff-whip combo (a new pass for her, we think), but her power on her tumbling is impressive (great piked front), and she has great form as always, except on the sheep jump.

And this is Cui Jie's floor exercise. The video takes an awfully long time to load, but it's worth it to see Cui's nice and tidy double Arabian. We trust her choreography, which is not very fluid at present, will improve when she moves to Beijing.

This is Britain's Jennifer Pinches on bars. She needs to learn how to keep those hips straight, but her toepoint is impressive, and she has a pretty big dismount.

And this is Jennifer Pinches on floor. She has great tumbling for a junior and has a nice way of expressing music. Definitely a gymnast to watch!

This is Australia's Emily Little on beam. Little has plenty of difficulty and pretty good form throughout (except on the front aerial), but something is missing. A bit more attention for the non-counting elements would be nice. And yes, that includes the mount. God, we're sick of those tuck jump mounts.

This is Emily Little again, this time on bars. She obviously needs to work on her low-to-high transitions.

And finally, this is Natalia Joura's meltdown on bars. Yep, she makes many, many mistakes, but her form is reminiscent of her older sister's, and we mean that in the best possible way.

We're wondering if the bars might have been too close to each other when the Aussies were performing, since both Joura and Little seemed to misjudge their distance to the high bar on their shoots from low to high and the rest of the team had plenty of problems on bars as well...

Keep checking back - we're sure there are lots of good videos still to come!

More AYOF News

2009-01-15T16:04:00.021-06:00

Thanks to a poster at GGMB, we have a bit more information about the women's team competition at the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney, which was won by China, just ahead of Japan.

It sounds like Japan's Natsumi Sasada, who posted the highest all-around score in the team competition, is quite the gymnast to look out for. She reportedly mounts beam with a layout Garrison (i.e. a roundoff layout-full). We can't wait to see a video of that surface on YouTube! Sasada is also said to have a double-twisting Yurchenko and mature tumbling on floor, as well as nice Y-scale turns and customary Japanese good form on beam and floor. Sounds like Koko Tsurumi may get a bit of a rival on her own team, doesn't it? We'll be interested to see if Sasada can repeat her four-for-four performance in the all-around final.

Japan's Natsumi Sasada (photo: Mark Nolan/Getty Images)

China's performances on beam must have been quite something, considering that they got the highest scores on the event despite counting two falls. Reportedly Cie Jie fell on an acrobatic pass, while Wu Liufang came off on a switch Yang Bo leap. Tan Sixin, who scored a meet-high 15.85, apparently hit a ff-ff-whip-Korbut combination. Nice!

Australia's Natalia Joura reportedly had a complete meltdown on bars, coming off on a hip circle, counting many dead hangs and empty swings, and falling on her double tuck dismount. Ouch.

An anonymous commenter on our previous post said Australia's Mary-Anne Monckton had to scratch from the meet due to an ankle injury. Here's hoping Monckton will make a speedy recovery...

Men's competition

By now we also have the results of the men's competition, in which only five teams competed, including two from the home country, Australia. The young British men surprisingly beat China by over ten points, 247.201-236.400. Apparently China was in the lead after four events, only to disintegrate on the last two apparatus and see the Brits, who had a strong finish on high bar, snatch the victory from them. China only had two gymnasts who competed on all six events, Liu Zhanteng and Zhu Xiaodong. Wang Yongchao competed on five events, Fang Lixiang on three. For Britain, Sam Oldham, who is recovering from an injury, only competed on four events, but his teammates Ashley Watson, Reiss Beckford, and Max Whitlock all did a great job on six events, finishing first, second, and third, respectively.

The victorious British men's team (photo: British AYOF site)

We guess these results confirm two things:
1. The British men's team really will be a force to be reckoned with come London 2012 (the juniors have had some excellent results lately, and the seniors aren't too shabby either).
2. Huang Yubin wasn't exaggerating when he said that China's juniors leave a bit to be desired.

Australia's A team finished third, following a nightmare on high bar. The team did, however, post the highest score on floor, where both Sean O'Hara and Luke Wadsworth received 14.20s.

As always, vault was the highest-scoring event in the men's competition. Both Reiss Beckford and Liu Zhanteng posted 15+ scores on the event, and six more gymnasts scored in the 14s. The highest score on the other apparatus was Ashley Watson's 14.667 on parallel bars.

Jayden Bull, who represented Australia's B team, was his country's top-ranked all-arounder, finishing fifth. He suffered a meltdown on pommel horse but redeemed himself with a 14.80 on vault.

Detailed results can be found here: team and individual.

A British response to their teams' efforts (both men and women) can be found here.

Action pictures of Team GB can be viewed here.

China Wins AYOF Women's Team Final; Australia Disappoints

2009-01-14T22:48:00.021-06:00

The first results of the first international competition of 2009, the Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney, are in, and they're as follows...

Women's team competition (juniors only)
1. China 169.825
2. Japan 167.725
3. Great Britain 161.800
4. Australia A 158.400
5. Australia B 150.025
6. Malaysia 142.100
7. New Zealand 141.300

As expected, the Chinese girls (featured in this post) won the team competition, thanks mostly to an excellent performance on beam: 14.90 for Cui Jie, 14.95 for Wu Liufang, and a great 15.85 for Tan Sixin. We hope somebody will post videos of these routines soon!

Not surprisingly, China's top scorer over four events was Cui Jie, who garnered a fine 57.35. On top of her 14.90 on beam, Cui earned a 14.80 on vault. Wu and Tan scored in the 13s on the other events. The final Chinese competitor, Fu Bo, only competed on vault (13.60).

Japan put in a strong performance for the silver. Their top scorer, Natsumi Sasada (who outscored Cui Jie over four events, 57.675-57.350), put in three 14+ scores: 14.85 on vault, 14.50 on bars, and 14.35 on beam. Her teammates Yoshino Taniguchi (14.25 on bars and 14.15 on beam) and Yukimi Ueda (14.05 on vault) also raked in some high scores. As far as we know, none of these gymnasts are on YouTube yet, so we can't tell you anything about them, other than that it seems that Japan's future is in safe hands!

Great Britain pipped two Australian teams for the bronze, thanks mostly to Nicole Hibbert's 14.15 on bars and Danusia Francis's 14.000 on floor. Nicole Hibbert was Britain's overall top scorer (54.65).

Britain's Nicole Hibbert (photo: Jasmin Schneebeli-Wochner/Gymbox)

The two Australian teams placed fourth and fifth, respectively, mainly because of weak performances on bars (their highest score on the event was a dismal 12.85). It's clear that Australia will have to focus on bars if it is to be a contender for medals in the next quad - scores in the 11s and 12s are not going to do much for the team.

Australia's top score was a 14.70 for Emily Little's vault. Little also scored a 14.20 on beam, while Britt Greeley added another 14+ score for the home team with a 14.05 on vault. Over four events, Greeley was Australia's top scorer (53.975). Little was second with a 53.750, which included an abysmal 11.90 on bars.

Australia's Britt Greeley (photo: Stefan Wurzer/Gymnasticsunited)

Natalia Joura's (Dasha's younger sister) international debut didn't go entirely as planned. Joura Junior obtained 13+ scores on three events (some of Australia's higher scores), but had to count a 9.15 on bars, the lowest score in the competition. We're not sure what happened there...

Australian national junior champion Mary-Anne Monckton, who has been compared to Hollie Dykes (we don't know about you, but that comparison certainly has us excited!) scratched from the competition, presumably due to a last-minute injury.

Team results can be found here. Individual results are here.

The AYOF has its own video channel on YouTube here. With a bit of luck there will be some gymnastics footage there soon!

Spotlight: Chinese Juniors

2009-01-14T20:56:00.013-06:00

On Thursday, January 15, the 2009 competitive season kicks off with the Australian Youth Olympic Festival (AYOF) in Sydney, featuring teams from Australia, China, Great Britain, Japan, Malaysia, and New Zealand. (The list of competing athletes can be found here.)

We were hoping to do a nice writeup on the two Australian teams in the competition, one of which includes Dasha Joura's younger sister, Natalia. Unfortunately we had too many other pressing demands on our time to get around to it. We did, however, get JW to do a great writeup on the Chinese girls competing in Sydney, replete with photos and YouTube videos. The story focuses mainly on China's most famous junior, Cui Jie, but there is some material on the three other girls as well. Enjoy!

Meet China’s AYOF team

China’s WAG contingent includes the talented Cui Jie, already a favorite among international fans, and three newcomers: Fu Bo, Tan Sixin, and Wu Liufang. The team selection appears to have been determined in large part by results from the 2008 Junior Nationals, held in Dali (Yunnan Province) last September, where Wu Liufang and Cui Jie placed 2nd and 3rd, respectively, in the “A” age group, and Tan Sixin and Fu Bo claimed gold and bronze in the “B” division and led their Shanghai team to victory.

Here, Tan (front row, on the right) and Fu (back row, but not sure which girl) appear with the rest of the winning Shanghai team:

(photo: SH Sports)

And here, Tan Sixin performs on FX:

(photo: SH Sports)

(The A-division winner in Dali, Chen Chuyan, is now a senior and thus ineligible for AYOF, while Fu Bo is apparently a last-minute replacement for B-division runner-up, Wang Anqi.)

Wu Liufang represents Guangdong Province, the powerhouse team behind such current and past stars as Yang Yilin, Li Shanshan, Peng Sha, Huang Mandan, and Li Li. She placed 16th AA at the 2007 Intercity Games (a multi-sport national competition for young athletes). In September 2008 she participated in the Guangdong Junior Championships, where Loo_Winnie, a fan from Hong Kong, caught her in action (photo and video both used with Winnie’s express permission):

Wu Liufang on beam - check out those leaps!

Wu Liufang (photo: Loo_Winnie)

And here, she poses on beam:

Wu Liufang (photo: Li Xiang)

Cui Jie is by far the best known of this quartet. At 4’2” (give or take), the teen from Changsha (Hunan Province) is one of the smallest gymnasts on the international scene, but her diminutive stature belies a presence and polish beyond her years. She already shows an impressive level of difficulty and good execution on every event, and with proper training and pacing, she could emerge as China’s next star. A fixture at national competitions since 2006, she achieved her first major breakthrough at the 2007 Intercity Games. Her sixth-place finish in the all-around was tops for any provincial-level (i.e. non-national team) gymnast, and the five girls who placed ahead of her (Yang Yilin, Xiao Sha, Li Shanshan, Deng Linlin, and Sui Lu) would eventually be named to China’s Olympic training squad. Cui also qualified to three event finals, placing third on BB, fourth on FX, and fifth on UB. Her outstanding performance earned her a coveted spot on the junior national Team in Beijing.

2008 brought Cui Jie’s much-anticipated international debut. In March, she traveled to the U.S. for the Pacific Rim Championships in San Jose, California. As a warm-up for Pac Rim, she competed at the little-publicized Houston International Invitational, where she grabbed first all-around and scored an impressive 16.15 on beam. In San Jose, a nasty fall on her UB dismount dropped her to seventh all-around in the junior division, but she rallied in event finals to share the beam title with USA junior standout Rebecca Bross.

Cui Jie, mid-twist at the 2008 Individual National Championships in Qingdao (photo: Sina)

Cui maintained a busy competitive schedule throughout 2008. In May, she headed to Tianjin for Chinese Nationals. Although she didn’t win any medals, she performed well enough to finish 11th AA (the only junior in the top 12), sixth on beam, and fifth on FX. A heavy favorite to win the “A”-division all-around title at Junior Nationals, she found herself in third place after a sub-par performance on beam. Competing at the Individual Nationals in Qingdao several weeks later, she placed in the top-5 AA and qualified to BB and FX finals.

Cui returned to the Hunan Provincial Team for a brief period last fall but reported back to the National Training Center in Beijing earlier this month to prepare for AYOF. According to Chinese blogger Xiao Jun, Cui will remain on the national team after AYOF, training alongside Olympians Jiang Yuyuan and Deng Linlin in the coaching group headed by Xiong Jingbin and Zhang Xia. Xiong also coached Lu Li to UB gold at the 1992 Olympics. Given Xiong’s impressive resume and his new pupil’s considerable talents, this seems like an excellent match, and it will be exciting to see what the future holds for Cui Jie.

Some of Cui Jie’s better performances from 2007 and 2008:

Vault from 2007 Chinese Nationals (she has apparently upgraded to a Yurchenko-1.5, but we haven’t been able to find a video)

Bars from a competition in May 2007

Beam: bronze-medal-winning performance at the 2007 Intercity Games

Beam: 2008 Pac Rim prelims

Floor: 2008 Chinese Nationals

This article was based on the following sources: Dali Daily, SH Sports, and Xiaojun Gym.

Oksana Chusovitina to Have Back Surgery As Well

2009-01-14T18:18:00.013-06:00

A while ago we reported that Oksana Chusovitina was not merely recovering from an Achilles tendon injury, but from shoulder surgery. It now transpires that she's going to have a third operation too, this time on her back. At least, that's what she told the Rheinische Turnerbund (the provincial gymnastics federation for her part of Germany) just before Christmas, in an interview which was only published a couple of days ago. Here it is...

(photo: Rheinische Turnerbund)

Oksana Is Already Thinking of the World Championships

Q: Oksana, you're wearing a special boot on your right foot, which makes you walk a bit funny. Furthermore, your left shoulder is in a sling. How are you?

A: (Oksana laughs.) I'm fine. I actually have a bit of time for myself now, which is nice for a change. Of course, being injured is no fun, but really, I'm used to being injured. Something is always hurting. It's like that for every elite athlete. It's no problem, because it looks worse than it is. Sure, it was an unfortunate thing to happen, but better now than at the Olympics. I actually have time now to let my other other injuries heal.

Q: You also recently had shoulder injury. What was wrong with your shoulder?

A: I kept having problems with it. Since I can't train at the moment anyway, I had it re-examined, and it turned out I needed surgery.

Q: And you are also going to have back surgery?

A: Yes, that's scheduled for late January. I'm getting it all over and done with in one go, so that I can start preparing for my next assignments afterward.

(photo: Reuters)

Q: What do your plans for the future look like?

A: First I'll get healthy again, so that I can finally resume proper training. Of course, it's not as if I'm not doing anything at the moment. But I never make long-term plans. I never have. I'm always fully focused on the next goal at hand [and not on what comes afterward].

Q: In your opinion, what would be a realistic goal to aspire to?

A: I think the European Championships will come too soon for me, because I'm not exactly getting any younger. But I definitely have my eyes set on the World Championships, possibly focusing on vault and beam only at first. After that, we'll see how it goes.

Q: I assume you often get asked whether you'll take part in a sixth Olympics?

A: Yes, I get that question all the time. They even asked me that right after my Achilles tendon operation in Switzerland! Of course I'll go to the Olympics a sixth time. In 2010 I'll be on the curling team in Vancouver. [Oksana obviously enjoys giving this answer. It pops up in several recent interviews.] Right now I'm happy about the medal I won in Beijing. I'm not thinking of London yet.

Q: When you're taking part in your fifth Olympics, does it feel like a routine event?

A: Absolutely not. The Olympics mean far too much for that. Even I get nervous there. (Oksana chuckles.). It changes one's attitude. You could say that the whole experience is different, because the whole atmosphere is incomparable. You cannot help but be affected by it.

Q: Is the Olympic competition itself different too?

A: The same thing is more or less true for the competition, because there too you are always aware that it's a competition which is held only once every four years. What matters at that moment is whether you can capitalize on the work you've done lately. This requires tunnel vision. In Uzbekistan our coaches would often ask us to do a competition routine completely out of the blue, just like that. I think I'm benefiting from that now. Perhaps that's also why I'd start my competition without a one-touch warmup if I could.

Q: How important is your silver medal on vault to you, compared with the gold medal you won with the team [back in 1992]?

A: My individual medal means much more to me, and not just because I won it at age 33. It's much harder to win an individual medal. It's a personal challenge. The gold medal I gave to my mother, to thank her for everything. The silver medal I'm keeping here with me.

(photo: Reuters)

Q: Since then the media have only become more interested in you.

A: You can say that again, although really, they have been very interested in me ever since the Stuttgart Worlds. Apparently you get more interesting when you have a medal [and a good story, notes the editor of the interview]. I'm obviously getting a lot of attention, even when I'm injured. I may not get recognized wherever I go, but people definitely come up to talk to me.

Q: Where will you spend Christmas?

A: I will fly to Uzbekistan with my family just before Christmas. I'll be back in early January, as Alisher will have to get back to school. Besides, I still have to arrange a few things for my next operation, and I'll have to get back to training as well.

Q: How is Christmas celebrated in Uzbekistan?

A: Not on December 24 at any rate! To us January 6 is Christmas, but we deal with the presents and the celebrations on New Year's Eve. That's when the presents for the children are quietly placed in front of the door and the bell is rung. The thing is not to get caught, which isn't always easy.

Q: Where do you feel at home?

A: To me, home is Germany and Uzbekistan. To Alisher it's Cologne.

Jade Barbosa Rules Out Return to Competition in 2009

2009-01-14T10:34:00.011-06:00

Jade Barbosa has yet to hear back from the American specialist she consulted a week ago, but she is already ruling out a comeback in 2009. The bronze medalist of the 2007 Worlds told Globoesporte that she does not expect to be back until 2010. Amazingly enough, she sounds remarkably upbeat about the whole thing. Here's the Globoesporte story...

(photo: Reuters)

Without CBG and Flamengo support, Jade Barbosa signs autographs in exchange for medication

Gymnast believes she will not return to top-level competition until 2010

Due to the lack of financial support for the treatment of the serious injury in her right hand, Jade Barbosa is now looking for help from her fans so as to be able to go through with the therapy she needs. In addition to the restitution of expenses offered by a São Paulo entrepreneur whose daughter is a great gymnastics fan, the athlete is counting on the solidarity of pharmacists and even of her doctor.

"My father wants the CBG (Brazilian Gymnastics Federation) to pay for the therapy, which is very expensive. At the moment, I am treating myself because people are helping me. I went to buy medicines at a pharmacy, and they gave them to me in exchange for an autographed shirt. We were paying the doctor, but he has decided to help me [for free] from now on," explained Jade, who returned from her vacation on Monday.

While waiting for an American specialist's assessment, to know whether she will have to travel to that country for treatment, Jade is doing whatever she can to return to her old training level. However, she is certain of one thing. She will not return to top-level competition until 2010.

"I'm here (at Flamengo) watching the girls, trying to be close to them and to do something whenever I can. I keep asking the doctor when things will return to normal, but I know it will take a long time for me to get back to 100 percent. I won't be able to do well in competitions until next year," the athlete said with regret.

The revelation of the gravity of Jade's injury came as a surprise to the gymnast's coach, who was hoping Jade would be able to compete on the Grand Prix circuit and especially in the World Championships in London, held in October.

"I had already begun our preparations for the World Championships and the Grand Prix competitions, but now it's difficult to make any forecasts. I'm not even thinking of competitions anymore; I just want her to be in the right head space to train," said Ricardo Pereira.

Despite her problems, Jade, who hasn't received her wages from Flamengo for six months now, promises that she has no intention of retiring from the sport.

"I like gymnastics too much to quit like this, so suddenly. I think that if I couldn't do gymnastics anymore, I'd attend workouts just for fun," she said laughing.

Interesting Developments in Brazil

2009-01-14T09:04:00.004-06:00

First of all, Globoesporte reports that the Brazilian Gymnastics Federation has canceled the selection camp for artistic and rhythmic gymnasts and trampolinists that was supposed to take place at Curitiba, January 26-28. What with several of their top gymnasts (Daiane dos Santos, Lais Souza, Jade Barbosa) being injured and others (like Diego Hypolito) simply refusing to show up, the Federation must have felt it was no use holding the camp. No new date for a selection camp has been set yet.

Diego Hypolito (photo: Reuters)

Secondly, it seems that Jade Barbosa and the Hypolito siblings may not have to leave Rio de Janeiro after all if their club, Flamengo, does indeed go through with the planned closure of its elite gymnastics program. In an interesting turn of events, the new Olympic sports coordinator of another famous Rio de Janeiro sports club, Botafogo (like Flamengo, best known for its superb soccer team), has offered to set up a training center in a large shed adjacent to the club's Engenhão Stadium. The Botafogo coordinator, Miguel Ângelo da Luz, told Globoesporte that he would try to obtain the equipment used at the 2007 Pan-American Games in Rio de Janeiro, which is currently stored by the Brazilian Olympic Committee. He also stated that Botafogo was not trying to steal gymnasts from its traditional rival, but merely trying to help out. We'll be interested to
see how that pans out...

A Quick Look at the Belorussian Girls

2009-01-13T19:18:00.006-06:00

Some YouTube videos to go with the article on Belorussian gymnastics we just posted...

Belarus' most famous gymnast these days is Anastasia Marashkovskaya, who represented the country in Beijing and only just missed out on a berth in the vault final. Watch her very high double-twisting Yurchenko here. She is OK on the other events when she hits, but nothing special, we fear (check out her floor exercise here).

However, Belarus does have some nice juniors. One Belorussian gymnast we particularly look forward to seeing more of is Halina Ivanets, an elegant young lady with beautiful lines. Check out her beam and bar routines - she has good form on both events. Her floor routine isn't bad either.

Halina Ivanets at the 2008 Junior Europeans
(photo: French Gymnastics Federation)

Other promising juniors include Volha Makhautsova (not sure about the spelling of that name), who has a very decent bar routine and a reasonably well-choreographed floor routine which needs more difficulty but is promising in the dance department, and Aliona Hurhach, who does a nice beam routine and a pretty decent floor routine. Finally, there's Nastassia Zaitseva, who is more of a power gymnast, with all the attendant form issues. She won't win bar finals any time soon (here's why), but she's decent enough on floor and beam, when she doesn't miss her dismount. She's not a terribly powerful vaulter yet, but we think she may have some potential on the event.

Things we like about the Belorussian girls: they have slightly better choreography than most gymnasts, and they have actual beam mounts (as in, flipflops and somersaults). We wish other countries would follow suit...

Whither Belorussian Gymnastics?

2009-01-13T16:53:00.008-06:00

Once upon a time, Belarus was a force to be reckoned with in artistic gymnastics. On the women's side, the country produced the likes of Svetlana Boginskaya (surely one of the most memorable gymnasts ever), Svetlana Baitova, and Elena Piskun. On the men's side the program was even more successful, producing stars like six-time 1992 Olympic champion Vitaly Scherbo and 1994 and 1997 all-around world champion Ivan Ivankov. Over the last few years, however, there has been a marked decline in success. While the Belorussian men qualified a team to the 2008 Olympics, it wasn't particularly successful. The women haven't qualified a team to the Olympics since 2000.

A few months ago (to be exact, on October 30, 2008), Belorussian sport site Sportpanorama posted an interview with women's coach Antonina Koshel, who had some pretty depressing stories to tell about the state of gymnastics in her country. If you always wanted to know why Belorussian gymnastics has been in steady decline ever since the retirement of Svetlana Boginskaya, look no further - here are your answers!

Antonina Koshel (photo: Sportpanorama)

Antonina Koshel: We Don't Hold On to What We Have?

Belorussian artistic gymnastics, which has the richest traditions, has been losing ground over the last few years. No new stars of world standard have appeared since Vitaly Scherbo and Ivan Ivankov. At the Beijing Olympics we once again remained without medals. Why? Our correspondent "CP" addressed this question to the national artistic gymnastics coach, Olympic champion Antonina Koshel.

"We made an attempt to create the conditions for a qualitatively good preparation for the team. We carried out podium competitions in the Sports Complex. The team subsequently prepared there for the Games for an entire month. Everything was done to make the situation as close to the situation at the Olympics as possible. Even the height of the podium was made the same as in Beijing."

But not everything was looking so positive.

"The repairs to the training centers in "Staika" were very drawn out and at a certain stage of the preparations, the national team was made to take shelter in gyms which were not the right size for a national team.

Former Belorussian star Vitaly Scherbo

In the team competition at Beijing the boys were tenth, although the goal was to get into the final eight. Dimitri Kasperovich never came close to winning a medal in vault. If he had performed in the final like he did in the qualification, then he would have had a medal. But his nerves got the better of him. The athlete did not hold up, most of all, psychologically.

Our only female gymnast in Beijing, Anastasia Marashkovskaya, just missed the vault final (a place in the final eight was her goal for the Games), but she missed it by the smallest of margins.

Unfortunately, it is turning out that with each Olympics, Belorussian gymnastics takes a step backward. We are steadily rolling downward. And this despite the fact that the means are there and the meet calendar is large enough.

Q: So what is then the reason for the failures?

A: Let's look at who is working with the best foreign athletes, who is holding gymnastics up in the world. The overwhelming majority of coaches are from the former USSR, and among that number there are some from Belarus. And the process of draining coaching personnel is not coming to an end. We are ringing all the alarm bells, but so far with little effect. The coaches are not even turning to us for permission. They are getting in touch with the foreign clubs themselves, discussing the details and leaving the country.

Q: Is it basically the young coaches who are leaving?

A: Of course. Most of the experienced coaches have already been working outside the borders of Belarus for many years. The boys and girls abandon us the moment they leave the Olympic podium, as do those who have already worked for a while with the children. Coaches are leaving both from the capital and from the provinces.

Belarus' most famous female gymnast: 1989 world champion Svetlana Boginskaya
(photo: Steve Lange)

Q: What is the main reason for the personnel drain?

A: There are the low wages of the coaches, especially those working with youngsters, i.e., those people who accomplish enormous work in attracting children to the sport, in training young talents. This can only look easy to a non-professional. Unfortunately, there are nowhere near as many children wanting to take part in sport as there used to be. On top of that, far from all of those who are interested are absolutely healthy. It often happens that you begin to work with a boy or girl and develop them to a particular standard, only for various defects suddenly to appear. So their career is over before it has really begun.

I also see an enormous problem in the fact that our pupils, all graduates of sport schools, when entering the BGUFK [Belorussian State University for Sport] in line with their sports school qualifications, do not then have the right to work in the gym, where they have spent so many years of their life, from the first course on. I'm not talking about serious coaching activity, but why not allow the students simply to mess around with the youngsters, to help them with the simplest elements, to introduce them to a healthy attitude? It could be that while studying, the girls and boys would be accumulating experience. They would be becoming accustomed to children, and would themselves fall in love with their profession. Then they wouldn't need to look for odd jobs, or to work with paying groups or turn to aerobics, dancing or the circus.

Even the great athletes do not want to remain in their native country. There are interesting propositions for them, but these must be shored up by decent working conditions and good wages…

Q: Over the last few years, there have been active investments in sports in our country. Hockey pitches and indoor tennis courts are appearing. Are there gymnasts among the beneficiaries?

A: Is it not strange that in the past forty years exactly nothing has been done for gymnastics? We lose school after school, department after department. We are patching up holes in old gyms which haven't met modern requirements for a very long time now. Judge for yourself whether it is possible to fit all apparatus into a gym measuring 36 x 18 meters [125 x 60 feet], when the floor mat alone measures 14 by 14 meters [46 x 46 feet]. Where do you put five beams and several sets of bars? Where do you build pits for training the vault?

Belorussian gymnastics is dying. We only have a handful of training centers, but we are being edged out of some of these by acrobats and trampolinists.

In a year's time they are planning to demolish the tiny gym in the "Rings of Glory" school, a school with the richest traditions. In exchange they plan to give us an even smaller space, where there is not even room for the floor mats. Is this what you call a solution?

It is certain that in a large city like Minsk, while building residential areas, they should also construct sport halls, where artistic gymnastics groups could be started. Children will be healthier, they will be introduced to sport, and we, the coaches, will have the opportunity to examine a greater number of children, and to select the most promising ones. Indeed there are specially developed programs for the little ones - not only abroad, but also in Belarus.

America has three thousand specialized gyms. In our country there are only 16, most of which barely deserve the name. Indeed in Pinsk, in the very school where remarkable coaches are at work, putting the final touches to the national team, the hall does not even meet minimum requirements. The vault runway is not long enough and there is nowhere to set up the floor.

1990s star Ivan Ivankov (photo: Etsuko Ikeda)

Q: Can the situation change?

A: They promised us they would solve the problem with a training center in Baranovichakh. Furthermore, they plan to build several training halls for gymnasts in Minsk by 2012. But the thing is, in 2012 we are competing in the next Olympic Games. And where are [the teams] going to be able to prepare for those Games if the women's national training center on Ulitsa Ignatenko 15 is still awaiting repair? Meanwhile they have already more or less constructed the huge "Minsk Arena"...

In our gym, over the last two years, they have so far only managed to repair the roof. But it was all supposed to be completely ready last July! Now there is a new completion date: June next year [the article was written in 2008]. So where should the national team be working in the meantime?

How am I supposed to carry out a constructive training process with the new team of young and promising gymnasts that I have put together? One year from now, World Championships with preliminary qualifications for the Olympics will be held. We will need to finish in the team top-24. A year later we will be fighting for a berth to the Games. How can I look the children or the coaches in the eye when not even the most elementary conditions are in place? Why does no one want to investigate our problems? If we raze everything to the ground, we will not be able to build up anything from nothing afterward.

And is it normal that a gymnast from the national team, living on Ulitsa Ignatenko, is, as is currently the case, forced to travel across the whole city to train at Kalinovsky, where there is a sport school and where the national team is working in the same gym and at the same time as youngsters? This is nonsense! How is it possible that people do not understand that the country's top team should train separately in its own training center? All in all, at the moment not one gym in the country meets the requirements of a national team. So we have no option but to train in the center on Ulitsa Kalinovsky. And here one further problem appears, that of transport. During the training camps we order buses, but all the same, the trip takes at least forty minutes one way. Multiply that by four and you will obtain the time which the gymnasts spend on the road instead of resting, recovering and preparing for the next training session, each day.

Moreover, the specific character of our type of sport is such that the Olympian cannot be prepared from only two or even four years in advance. We start working with children from the age of five, so that when they are sixteen they can get up on to the large podium. This is complex, sometimes tedious work, but it is the only way to develop a champion.

Promising junior Nastassia Zaitseva (photo: French Gymnastics Federation)

Q: Do children train in sports schools for free?

A: In most cases, yes. Only those who attend paying groups bring money in. In principle, I do not agree with such groups. Not every parent can afford to send their child. Talents, as a rule, grow in families with a small income. The children of well-off parents already have everything and don't need to strive for anything. They take part in other kinds of sport, like tennis for example, avoiding the potential injuries of gymnastics.

In my opinion, the ideal solution in the current situation would be sports boarding schools. Specifically, such as are now up and running in China. Children live there, learn and train. A huge number of children pass through these schools. I myself in my time attended such a school, when I left Smolevichi for Minsk. And there were a lot of others just like me.

Currently there are Olympic reserve schools in each region, but let's look at how many future stars of world sport actually leave these schools. Possibly, the time has come to reexamine the existing system, to find another approach. Maybe it is worthwhile trying to extend the search for talents and to include in it, for example, pupils from orphanages. For them to be a success, to compete for their country at the Olympic Games, many of them would work tirelessly, sparing no effort.

The process of the disintegration of Belorussian gymnastics has taken place gradually: the draining away of the cadre, the falling apart of the gyms, the low wages of the coaches. Regardless of what it is, we will roll up our sleeves and work, developing new coaches and gymnasts. We have not given up, but there are problems, which we ourselves don't have the power to solve, which is why we are asking for help...

We really hope they find the help they need, because Belarus has too great a gymnastics tradition to let its program go to seed entirely!

Wieber and Sloan to Compete at American Cup

2009-01-12T00:20:00.010-06:00

According to her own website, US junior champ Jordyn Wieber (aged 13) has been invited to compete at the American Cup in February. Apparently 2008 Olympian Bridget Sloan is also slated to compete. Two other American competitors are still to be confirmed.

From Wieber's website: "Jordyn will be competing in the 2009 American Cup competition which will be held on February 20th-21st in Chicago, IL. Jordyn will be joining 2008 US Olympian, Bridget Sloan. The United States will be naming two additional athletes to their squad and many international athletes are also expected to participate. The finals portion of the competition will be broadcasted LIVE by NBC Sports on February 21st at 3:00 CT. For ticket information and more please visit USA Gymnastics."

Jordyn Wieber (photo: Wieber's website)

We're kind of curious now as to who the other two American competitors will be. Considering the number of talented fresh seniors who just missed out on the Olympics because of injuries or uncooperative birth dates, USAG's inviting a junior who is not even about to turn senior is odd to say the least, although we do obviously look forward to seeing Wieber on the big stage.

Four More Juniors to Go to Deva

2009-01-11T18:52:00.005-06:00

For a while now fans of Romanian gymnastics have been worried about the low scores obtained by Romanian juniors at international competitions. Generally speaking, the Romanian youngsters score well on beam and floor, only to lose valuable points on vault and bars. It seems Nicolae Forminte has noticed the problem too, and according to ProSport, he has hit upon a solution...

Five of the current juniors at Deva (photo: ProSport)

"I Want the Juniors to Train Alongside the Seniors"

From this month onward, the national team at Deva may be expanded. The sixteen girls who are currently on the team may soon be joined by another four. "I have asked the Federation to send us another four juniors from Oneşti and I'm waiting for them to make a decision. I want these girls to develop on the national team without getting rushed, and as we won't have any team competitions this year, they will have time to get used to things," coach Nicolae Forminte told ProSport.

The bringing-in of more juniors to the senior team would have another advantage. "I'm convinced that if they train alongside the senior team, they will be able to score 58 to 60 points by the time they turn senior, rather than the 54 to 55 points we're seeing now. This scoring gap is hard to bridge. It cannot be bridged in a hurry, so it's good to get an early start. Our rivals for medals are already realizing all-around scores like that [58 to 60 points] while juniors," explained Forminte.

The national team currently consists of the seniors Sandra Izbaşa, Anamaria Tămîrjan, Gabriela Drăgoi, Andreea Acatrinei, Cerasela Pătraşcu, Andreea Grigore and Dana Druncea, as well as the juniors Claudia Voicu, Amelia Racea, Raluca Haidu, Diana Chelaru, Diana Trenca, Ana Porgras, Loredana Sabău, Daniela Andrei and Mălina Savoaia.

"I think that all gymnasts who will be age-eligible for the 2012 Olympics should be in Deva to be guided, corrected and prepared for that kind of competition," stated Nicolae Forminte.

Our money is on Larisa Iordache, Diana Bulimar, Patricia Tiron and Mădălina Neagu.

Meanwhile, in Other Parts of the World...

2009-01-11T17:56:00.007-06:00

--- According to Sina, Yang Wei may become a specialist rather than an all-arounder. The 2008 Olympic all-around champion, who only just resumed systematic training after a long break and a high-profile wedding, says he does want to take part in this year's National Games (a big sporting event in China), but "not necessarily in the all-around." "I first want to resume regular training. I haven't made up my mind yet about what I'll do later, but I definitely want to represent Hubei Province at the National Games," said Yang. "Last time, the Hubei men's team placed sixth. I hope we can do better this year."

Yang Wei in Beijing (photo: Alexander Hassenstein/Bongarts)

--- In Holland a few more unflattering articles have been published on the goings-on in the national women's gymnastics team. The country's largest newspaper, Telegraaf, just devoted a couple of articles (here and here) to perceived wrongs in the Dutch gymnastics world, quoting former national team members Petra Witjes and Berber van den Berg, as well as current national team member Loes Linders' mother. We're not going to post the articles here as we're too busy to translate them and they don't go beyond the usual arguments against women's gymnastics (i.e. it exploits children who suffer verbal abuse at the hands of their ambitious and frequently socially inept coaches and don't dare contradict those coaches for fear of losing their place on the team), but it is more bad press for Dutch gymnastics, which once upon a time seemed so promising...

Sanne Wevers, Dutch female gymnast of the year
(photo: Iris van den Broek/Gymnasticsphotography)

--- On a more positive note, the same newspaper, Telegraaf, reports that the Dutch Gymnastics Federation has named Sanne Wevers and Epke Zonderland as its top athletes of the year 2008. Zonderland made the Olympic high bar final and won the event at the World Cup Final; Wevers won both bars and beam at the Glasgow Grand Prix and made the World Cup Final on beam, from which she had to scratch due to an elbow injury. Holland's bronze-medal-winning team at the Junior European Championships received a special "young talent award."

Diego Hypolito Loses Sponsorship Contracts

2009-01-11T17:06:00.004-06:00

Diego Hypolito is not having an easy time of it. A week ago, while on vacation in the United States, the triple World Cup winner on floor was informed that his sponsorship contracts (including a major one with medical aid agency Golden Cross) would not be renewed. Then it was announced that his club, multi-sport program Flamengo of Rio de Janeiro (most famous for its superb soccer team), might have to drop or significantly reduce its elite gymnastics program due to a budget cut by its sponsor, energy company Petrobras. The drop in the Flamengo gymnastics budget would affect not just Diego Hypolito, but his sister Daniele Hypolito and Jade Barbosa, both of whom train at the club.

It now seems that there is some light at the end of the tunnel. According to this Globoesporte article, Petrobras has dropped the exclusivity clause in its contract with Flamengo, meaning the various components of the club are now free to attract sponsors of their own. It is to be hoped that Flamengo's gymnastics program will find such a sponsor.

Meanwhile, Diego Hypolito is still sponsorless, and he is convinced this is because of his failure to medal in Beijing, according to this Globoesporte article, published on January 10.

(photo: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Diego says he lost his sponsorship deals because he fell in the Olympic final in Beijing

The gymnast is apprehensive after the setback: "Brazil only values champions"

The tumble he took in the Olympic final in Beijing is costing Diego Hypolito dearly. The gymnast himself believes that it was his disappointment in the 2008 Games which caused his three personal sponsors not to renew his contracts for this year.

"Our country only lives on [for?] Olympic champions. I'm certain, and I'll emphasize it here, that I lost my sponsorship deals because I fell at the Olympics. With that fall I lost more than just a medal. It's a pity Brazil only values champions, because athletes don't live on [for?] one competition only," said the athlete, who finished sixth in the Beijing floor final, in an interview with the newspaper Folha de Sao Paulo.

The financial setback came at a very bad time for the athlete. Diego, who trains at Flamengo with his sister Daniele, has not received his stipend for three months now. To make the situation worse, Flamengo is threatening to close down the artistic gymnastics component of its program.

"[I had been told in November that my sponsorship contract with Golden Cross might not be renewed, but] I thought I'd be able to turn things around with my victory in the World Cup Final [in December]. Now I'm going to have to wait, which is rather nerve-racking. We are looking to buy a house, but I'll have to evaluate whether I really want to put myself through those financial straits again," he complained.

(photo: Jed Jacobsohn/Getty Images)

Diego, who has lost an income of about 40,000 reais [nearly 18,000 USD] per month, also faces another dilemma. The gymnast is refusing to take part in the [three-day] selection process for the national team, which the Brazilian Gymnastics Federation announced this week [and which is supposed to take place in Curitiba on January 26-28]. And Caixa Econômica Federal [the federal government bank], the Federation's sponsor, will not give him any money until the renewal of the agreement with the athlete has been signed.

"I don't have to prove anything to anyone anymore. I'm a disciplined athlete and I train hard," said the two-time world champion on floor.