On The Edge of Something Great

In 2015, I wrote the following words about Elena Eremina, a junior, performing at EYOF: "I think Elena is such a strong all around prospect for Russia. I'm not at all deterred by her not making AA finals here. If anything, I don't really want her to be a superstar junior because those don't turn out so well in Russia. She needs to mature as a competitor and not balk when it matters. She has time." There's also an entire piece I wrote, "Let's Talk About Lena," predicting what 2017 might look like for her.

Here's what I wrote in 2015 about Anastasia Iliankova and Elena, both sent to Japan Junior, an unofficial junior Worlds for the best AAer's: "I hope in two years, when the next Japan Junior occurs, Elena and Anastasia will be successful seniors."

My thoughts in 2016 on Angelina Melnikova: "Angelina is one of the best All-Arounder's Russia has and I'm hoping she'll age like wine. If we consider her normal scores, then we have a frontrunner for the 2017 AA podium. I'm definitely not predicting things.  I'm just saying if she's healthy she should be on the shortlist, and held in the same esteem, as whichever Americans will be vying for the title."

Wow.



What a tremendous honor it's been to have spent a week witnessing three of last quad's brilliant juniors find their bearings at their first Word Championships. Going through my archives has me in tears when I consider all the hopes we had for these girls. I honestly can't believe we've been so lucky to have this team represent Russia in a post Olympic year, when everything usually goes to shit. Four years ago, there didn't seem anything optimistic to take away from Worlds except what Aliya achieved. This feels different. Montreal is different. I look at each of our girls and can't see a thing that makes me ashamed. Each of them are a work in progress and I actually believe that that progress is real and can be accomplished!

She's Humble Enough. She's Hungry Enough.

Anastasia Iliankova was first covered on this blog when I detailed her unique bars routine at EYOF in 2015. There she placed behind compatriot, Daria Skrypnik, and now she's 4th best in the world on the apparatus. Fourth best with an error so large it cost her the title. She's shown neither regret or a willingness to reminisce on what is already behind her. She's returning home to add harder skills, more risky connections, and win what rightfully belongs to her if her execution remains as it is. Calm but confident, Nastia's not letting others outwork her for the medal she wants. I'm excited to see what her bars look like next year but I'm also curious about what strategy she and her coaches will take in regards to maintaining her health and attempting to do AA. Ilya did her job at Worlds and that's all we asked of her.

Success Is A Decision

Most of us consider the London quad a golden age because we saw the rebirth of Russian gymnastics after a near eclipse during the Beijing era. If Aliya's 2010 win is the standard we set for our girls, we should also admit that no one falls onto the top of the podium- it's a climb that can take months, most often years. When I used to talk about Lena I sensed that people liked her but were unimpressed because she didn't rise up and dominate. I'm glad to see we're all crammed in the same boat now. I'm so proud of this two time world medalist. I think she's fallen in competition four times total this year and none at all at Worlds. Can we cryogenically freeze her and unthaw her in 2020? Her final beam routine was hampered by a bad dismount off the mat but we've finally gained a consistent beam worker so that's the positive takeaway. I'm worried about how scores will be for next year in a TF situation and I hope that Lena uses her first Worlds as a lesson to take out things that make her uncomfortable under pressure. She did that with the loso mount after Euros and I think she has to once again examine what is and isn't working. Barring the dismount, it would've scored another 13+ so the judges like her and I'd definitely have her in the beam lineup next year. Eremina was overshadowed by Melka and Tutkhalyan's junior careers and didnt start this year as the senior to beat. Yet she forfeited a European and World title because of one mistake each time, which hints at a future that could be golden if she can do everything right. Elena takes responsibility for her results and I think it gives her a feeling of control over her mistakes and how to approach the same problem next time. So on to the next time you bright young thing!

Miss Congeniality

Angelina, poor snow angel, did not give the performance expectations asked of her. I wonder what her own expectations are because she seems lacking in direction. She rolled her ankle before Worlds, and while that injury is the cause of her current predicament, I think she's in a dangerous place if she cannot impress next year. I'm exasperated by all her injury related performances and I've grown to worry about how much this losing streak might settle into a resigned mindset (something she denies on IG, thank god). What is hindering her will eventually haunt her if her training regimen is not overhauled and new coaches brought in. Despite hoping for the best, I figured her AA would go the way it did because she looked similar in PT. I accept that when she's injured she's not the type of gymnast to "dig deep." I intend it more as a compliment to those who can than a criticism to one who can't. People like Aliya and Maria can do big gymnastics even when they have big hurdles in their way and equally talented people, like Vika and Gelya, can't. Angelina needs to be healthy to feel confident in her abilities and that's not an unfair demand. We want our gymnasts to always have a clean bill of health, but pragmatically that can't always be the case, so finding out who's dependable under rotten circumstances will be a dilemma this quad. I'm proud of Gelya's public statement that she will double down in training and regain what she has lost. I was so relieved to see her enjoying herself in the AA and I want to thank Paseka so much for keeping her happily occupied. What's done is done and at least she made friends and filled her memories with those happy moments instead of holing up in the hotel being dejected about things she cannot change. With no competitions after the AA, she took everything she could from the Worlds experience. And god, I had no idea how well loved Gelya is! The camaraderie that emerged this year was more genuine and vivid than I've ever witnessed amongst competing nations.


So that's how I feel about our young team sent to Worlds, and led by our brazen and beautiful team leader, Maria Paseka. At Universiade she was very condescending about her role but I think she's done a wonderful job of being a friend, a mentor, even a coach, to her younger teammates. You can tell her cheery presence puts them at ease.

Comforting Lena after silver is confirmed

I think our team did as best they could given the circumstances each of them was faced with. Three girls injured (though they all say they're ok) and yet everyone qualified to a final, they took one gold medal, and were serious threats in two more. Well done for a post Olympic Worlds. 2018 is gonna be killer with the return of Aliya, and mayyyybe Vika for 1 month lol, and tons of additional depth from Shekoldina and Simakova, not to mention Kharenkova and Perebs. So a last comment on how our girls did at Worlds: it could've been better but it could've been worse. Yes, Gelya's whole meet was shocking, yes we wanted a Russian to win UB and AA, and neither of those things happened. But it's Year One. The next three years are going to reveal development of the strengths we saw this year, strengths which already put them in finals. So don't worry, this team has a lot of ups and downs to go through but the highs will be worth the lows. Adapt this as your mantra for Russia: Everything is going to work out in the end. If it's not working out, it's not the end.

We'll be back to Worlds and stronger.