These days Kazan is hosting the Russian Artistic Gymnastics Championship.
Last week, medals were played among women and juniors, and from Wednesday, April 13, men and juniors will begin to enter the platform.
This start, according to the head coach of the national team Valentina Rodionenko, was the first trial in the new Olympic cycle, because due to the suspension from international competitions, domestic gymnasts missed several stages of the World Cup.
The leader of the national team, Angelina Melnikova, did not come to the championship in Kazan, and in her absence, another Olympic 2020 champion Victoria Listunova won three gold medals.
She won the individual all-around, floor exercise and vault.
Ulyana Perebinosova excelled in the uneven bars competition, and Elena Gerasimova in the balance beam exercises.
But the Olympic champion Vladislava Urazova remained at the tournament without awards of the highest standard.
She won bronze in the individual all-around and on uneven bars, as well as silver on balance beam.
According to Rodionenko, the results of the tournament turned out to be twofold.
On the one hand, the athletes demonstrated worthy results of several months of work after the Tokyo Games, and on the other hand, some of them did not cope with the competition from an emotional point of view.
“There were both positive and disturbing moments.
We have not had big starts for a long time, and not everyone was ready for them psychologically.
We were nervous, we wanted to show the best, but as a result we made mistakes.
Someone lacked stability.
But the overall impression was very good, ”the coach said in an interview with RT.
Perhaps the lack of concentration was the result of the fact that the tournament was not qualifying for the national team.
Based on its results, there will be no reshuffles in the national team, and the athletes will continue to train in the main group with the same composition.
Later, Melnikova will join them.
In connection with changes in the competitive plan, the girls will even make small indulgences in the training schedule.
“Now, as always happens after big competitions, we will analyze, draw conclusions from the mistakes that were made here.
I think we will change combinations for some athletes, we will work on stability, ”explained the head coach of the national team.
Also, summing up the results of the women's tournament, Rodionenko spoke about the nearest reserve - girls born in 2008-2009, who competed in the junior championship.
According to her, there are a lot of gifted children, but it is too early to say that one of them will be able to grow into stars of the first magnitude.
“Today they are all good.
But until you meet them at the training camp, until you see how they behave during hard training, it's hard to say something about the future.
You need to look at the character, at many other points.
It happens that a girl is beautifully gifted, but lazy and cannot bear heavy loads.
Ludmila Roshchina, Anna Esipova, Diana Kustova showed themselves excellently in Kazan, but so far this is, so to speak, the material, and then there is a lot of work to be done, ”the specialist emphasized.
As for the men's competition, almost all the leaders of the national team will compete in Kazan, except for the injured Denis Ablyazin.
But Tokyo's Olympic champions are not likely to take part in all events.
“Perhaps, of them, only Artur Dalaloyan will compete in the all-around.
Nikita Nagorny may miss rings as he heals his shoulder.
According to David Belyavsky, they have not yet finally decided whether he will enter the all-around, ”said Rodionenko.
She also promised that the athletes would try new complicated combinations at the national championship, which means that mistakes are not ruled out.
“We have worked on complicating the programs, and someday they need to be tried in practice.
Now the pen test will take place.
But for the Cup, they should already look their best, ”the national team coach assured.
The Russian Open Cup, which is scheduled for July, will be perhaps the only major event for Russian gymnasts if they are not returned to the world stage in time for the European Championships in August.
24 of the strongest domestic athletes among men and women, as well as invited foreign participants, will perform in Kaluga.
Rodionenko hopes that gymnasts from at least ten countries will come to the tournament.
In particular, the federation is counting on the response of the national teams of China, Turkey, South Korea and Israel.
“We will also send invitations to Europe, although I think that this is in vain.
But we will negotiate.
Who dares, he will come.
The Hungarians, for example, say they will, no matter what.
Yes, many want, the same Germans, but not everything depends on sports teams.
Of course, we would like to have competitions of equal rivals, so that we can, on the one hand, confirm the reputation of the strongest, and, on the other hand, learn something new.
After all, we must maintain our level, and not fall!”
- emphasized the specialist.
Under the conditions of suspension from international competitions, not only the physical readiness of athletes, but also psychological readiness comes to the fore.
It is important to maintain a high level of motivation in order to continue grueling workouts.
According to Rodionenko, the team is making every effort so that the gymnasts do not feel disadvantaged because of the situation in the world.
This is not always possible to do, but in general the situation in the national team is positive.
And the main emphasis is on the fact that the hope to speak at the championship of the continent in August still remains.
“Someone can sometimes say, they say, why try, because we won’t be allowed anywhere anyway.
But we don't have real whiners!
And at the training camp we try not to talk about this topic.
We are preparing for the Russian Cup and the European Championship!
Hope dies last, and we hope that we will perform there, ”concluded Rodionenko.