Tatiana Nabieva has confirmed her retirement

Sad news comes from Russia these days, since Tatiana Nabieva, member of the Russia National Team has confirmed her retirement. The news was brought by Alan Owen from Tatiana herself. Alan is the admin of Tatiana official fan page on Facebook and also admin of her official site. 

Tatiana will retire from competitive gymnastics, but she will not say goodbye to gymnastics since she had declare her intentions of becoming a coach. 

As a gymnasts Tanya won several medals most important one was the silver on Uneven Bars in 2011 Tokyo World Championship. She also won the gold medal in team competition at the same World Championship. The European championship in Birmingham was a successful competition for Tanya who won 3 medals there gold with the Russian team, silver on Uneven Bars and bronze on Vault. 2013 meant a comeback for her, Summer Universiade been her first competition after she struggled with injuries. She contribute to Russia team gold medal and she also won a silver medal of UB after Aliya Mustafina. In august Tanya dominated the Russian Cup.

We will all miss Nabs but we are also confident that she will become a great coach. 

Read More

Anastasia Grishina speaks about health, competitions and the national team (translated interview)

In her latest interview for Gazeta.ru, Anastasia Grishina, 2012 Olympic silver medallist, spoke about the period after the Olympics, her health and also her performances in 2013.

In this article we will try to bring you a translated interview of Anastasia.

- Anastasia, how was the season after the London Olympics, where you won a silver medal in the team competition? 

-  When we got back to Moscow, the whole team was released on holiday to recover from injuries and deal with the problems that have accumulated. A month later we went back to training. It focuses on the restoration and preparation of new routines. 

- The first tournament for you after the break was the Moscow championship in January. What was the problem in these competition? 

- It was very important to test your strength again, as well as presenting the new routines. Naturally, the coaches don't set the task to win at any cost. Had to compete for themselves, without regard to the prospects tournament. I have done a number of elements, and it was clear that I wasn't prepared. The decision was made ​​by the coaches a few days before the competition. 

- What was the goal set for you by your personal trainer Victor Razumovsky for the championship of Russia? 

- It was a qualifying tournament for the European Championship, which was held in Moscow. The main task set for me was to work on stability. It was necessary to achieve the ideal competitive routine. Honestly, during a routine I have made ​​some mistakes, but overall we were pleased with the result. 

- How did you prepare for the European Championships to home?

- On the eve of the competition, there have been several international competitions and all the girls were assigned to different tournaments. In a few weeks we prepared for that purpose and the coaches gave us a few control training, which resulted in head coach Andrei Rodionenko nominee for the Russian team. At the European Championships was required for us to show good results. 

- After the continental championship you again had a break in your training. This time, however, before the World Cup? 

- No, it wasn't an intended brake. We were preparing for another competition, correcting routines. At that moment I reached the peak shape, but unfortunately, I was unable to preserve it for the long term. Several minor injuries prevented my calm prepare. 

- Before the World Cup you still managed to find time to relax. How? 

- The whole team we flew abroad. However, exhale completely failed, because sometimes we conducted light workouts to keep in shape. The rest of the time we just relaxed, but completely abandon was impossible, and upon our arrival home, we almost immediately went to the National Championship qualifier. 

- You were not at the Russian Championship? Why?

- I was well prepared for the tournament, but disagreement over health prevented to enter the competition. Then I went home, tried to heal and train at the same time. The tournament was an individual one rather than team competition. And when the chance to take part in competitions was almost gone, we decided to go with the coach call. Injury didn't give me opportunity to fully prepare for the tournament. At some point, the pain became so unbearable and I had realise that I couldn't go. In the end, I withdrew from the competition, since it was necessary to urgently addressed the injuries. After a detailed survey team doctor decided hospitalization. Surprise or not, but closer to the start of the Russian Championship almost all the girls were treated for various reasons, which was quite a serious impact on the outcome of the tournament. 

- What happened to the national team, after all almost the same time were in the hospital? 

- In sports, no one can predict at what point the athlete can get injured. Almost simultaneously, some girls injured, and it was impracticable. So many were sent to the hospital. Victoria Komova picked up a serious infection - meningitis and Ksenia Afanasieva a long troubled old injury, it is also not without surgery. 

- How are things with health? Something is preventing full training? 

- At the moment I am cured, but I have been training individualy. Now I am home, recovering. This decision was made ​​by my coach. While it makes no sense to train on the basis it is better to prepare a routine home

The original interview can be found here

Read More

Viktoria Komova: "I'm not ready to compete in a tournament"

London's two time Olympics medallist and 2012 world champion, Viktoria Komova, stated in a recent interview that she's not ready yet to competed in a international level and she pointed the "Round Lake" as a perfect training centre.

"While I'm not ready to compete in a international tournament, I am recovering from my injuries and for the next few months I will train for the Russian championship, which will be held in March in Penza. From there I hope to get the chance to compete in the European Championship in Sofia. The Round Lake has ideal conditions for training. There we spend more then 300 days a year. Schedule is three weeks of training then a week off. And so every month."

Read More

Valentina Rodionenco "None of the athletes who pass to Azerbaijan will be competitive as our boys and girls"

     Since the departure of Russian gymnasts to Azerbaijan, it seems that the wind of change also stroke the winner of "Hope of Russia" competition Marina Nekrasov, who was recently added to the WOG team of Azerbaijan, raising the number of gymnasts who left Russian to four. 

     Russia sport agency "All Sport" special correspondent Maria Vorobevoy spoke with Russian head coach Valentina Rodionenco about this trend and of the gymnasts chances in their new adoptive country.

   "Let's talk about Anna Pavlova - Rodionenco said to Valentine - 26 years old athlete and for the past 6 years, she didn't show any improvement to her routines. Even so, with all her routines she sometimes comes better than others. Of course, we haven't interfere with this transition, Anna is no longer a member of the Russian team. But I want to say one thing even if she will compete on the European Championship for Azerbaijan it's unlikely to have results over this change. Her simple routines are simply not enough to enter to such international competitions and also they will not guarantee high places. If we talk about Yulia Inshina, I do very much doubt that she will compete for Azerbaijan. First of all, she has put a terrible weight which is simple unacceptable in this sport. Secondly, she has problems with her lumbar spine. Therefore it's pretty unlikely that Inshina will compete for Azerbaijan. You see, all the gymnasts that are currently not included in the Russian national team, are looking for a chance like this and I can understand them. Maybe they want to purse a career, perhaps it is a way for them to earn experience or medals. Others are offering and they are happy to go, and time will tell what will happen. Azerbaijan is not producing gymnasts, they only have the national team. I can certainly say that none of the gymnasts that passed to Azerbaijan will be competitive as a boys and girls in international competitions"

Read More

Anna Pavlova "Azerbaijan has invited me to compete for the 2015 Baku European Championship"

On her latest interview given for allsportinfo.ru, Anna Pavlova spoke abut her decision to compete for Azerbaijan and her carrier. 

In this article we will try to translate her interview the best we can. The interview was taken by the sport information correspondent of allsportinfo.ru Nicholas Pastukhov. 

Anna, when and how you choose to compete for Azerbaijan? 

- I receive an offer from the Azerbaijan Gymnastics Federation which interested me. Back in August, during the Russian Cup in Penza, I had a conversation with the leaders of our Federation, which agreed to let me go and we filed a enquiry on the International Gymnastics Federation. FIG approved my transition. I certainty wanted to get the approval of the country for which I compete therefore head coach Valentina Rodionenco and Valentina Nikanorova Russian Federation vice president approved my transition.

- Did the Azerbaijan offer interested you financially?

First of all, the opportunity of competing in the intentional tournaments interested me more. For a long time the Russian team didn't give me this opportunity, regardless of the results that I showed during the national competitions.
- Have you receive proposals from other countries?

A couple of years ago there was some proposals to compete for Uzbekistan, but there was nothing official. And I wasn't ready to accept them. I was still hoping that the Russian team was after all, counting on me. I wanted to compete for the country in which I was born. But now my priorities have changed. My dream is to prove to everyone that I still can have results on the international competitions. Azerbaijan has invite me for a specific purpose - to compete in the European Championship that will take place in Baku in 2015. Azerbaijan wants dignity in that competition and I want to return in the international arena. Here our interests converged. About the financial side is really to early too say. In Azerbaijan, as in Russia, you are paid on the result, for the medals. No medals - no money.

- Along with your transition to Azerbaijan, other gymnasts followed you there, Konstantin Pluzhnikov - member of the 2008 Olympics team and World Championship silver medallist with the Russian team Yulia Inshina. 

Yes like me these athletes, were no longer neccesary for our team, so they went to find happiness in Azerbaijan. 

- Will you continue to train with your mother Natalia Pavlova?

My mother will be the head couch of the women gymnastics team and of course I will train with her. The other gymnasts are also training with their coaches. We are training in Russia since Azerbaijan can't provide us with proper gym halls. Before us, there were no women gymnastics in this country. 

- So, you and Inshina are the founders of the women gymnastics in Azerbaijan?

It seems that way. 

- Does someone else have plans of changing nationalities?

There is another girl - Maria Nekrasov. She never cough the team, so her transition won't be a problem. But there are no more transitions planned. Russian Federation is not happy with such mass exodus.  

- Your contract with the Azerbaijan Federation last till 2015?
We have a verbal agreement with the Federation but without specifics time frames. If I will have results, I will stay on the team. If  I will not, we will negotiate as such.

- How do you see your career after 2015?
After the 2015 Europeans and 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, will be just a year, and of course If I will be healthy, I would like to continue my career.

Read More