A few thoughts on the Russian Cup

First of all, the trends:

No frills mounts: The Russian strategy, like that of U.S. National Team Coordinator Martha Karolyi, seems to be to get on the balance beam without a lot of fuss and worry about big skills afterward. While many Americans and Chinese are simply jumping onto the beam from a springboard, the Russian thing is to do a forward roll onto the beam. Cases in point: Kristina Goryunova, Ksenia Afanasyeva, Anna Dementieva, Daria Elizarova, Tatiana Solovieva, Valeria Sviridova, Tatiana Nabieva.

Props to Dementieva, who dresses up her forward roll a little bit.

Anna Dementieva, 2009 Russian Cup Qualification, Balance Beam:

On bars and beam, I thought Dementieva had some of the lines, if not the presence, of a younger Nastia Liukin.

Two vaults: World Championship medals are up for grabs on women's vault simply because so few people are bothering to learn/compete two seperate vaults. The Russian youngsters we won't be seeing at the London World Championships are all over it -- most commonly seen was a double twisting Yurchenko followed by a tucked or laid-out Podkopayeva, with a couple Omelienchiks thrown in for good measure. Cases in point: Dementieva, Kristina Pravdina, Ekaterina Kurbatova.

Ekaterina Kurbatova, 2009 Russian Cup Event Finals, Vault:

Transitioning: Many of the gymnasts at the Russian Cup paid homage to their countrywomen Svetlana Khorkina by performing one of the release skills she pioneered on bars. Variations on the Khorkina II -- a clear hip shoot over from low to high with a half turn between the bars -- were especially popular. Ksenia Afanasyeva does hers from a toe-on, and unlike Khorkina, keeps her legs together while performing the skills. Ditto Nabieva. Kurbatova, who won vault in event finals (see above), also threw a Khorkina II and dismouted with a double front half out that looked easy.

Kurbatova also threw a Khorkina II -- right after a Pak salto, which came right after a Tkatchev, right after a clear hip uprise full pirouette. Nice combo!

Ekaterina Kurbatova, 2009 Russian Cup All Around, Bars:

 Tatiana Nabieva, 2009 Russian Cup All Around, Bars:

Afanasyeva, who made beam finals in Beijing, does the same full turn with leg up to immediate full turn going in the other direction that Liukin has added to her beam routine. It looks cool, but seems to be a risk given that gymnasts are only required to do one full turn in a routine and some seem to have problems even doing that.

All around winner Aliya Mustafina, the 15-year-old who made her debut at the 2006 Friendship Classic, has grown into a beautiful young gymnast. She has elegance and difficult skills -- one of the better DTYs on vault at this meet, a huge Markelov on bars, a standing Arabian and a roundoff, backhandspring, triple full dismount on balance beam, which seemed to be her weakest event. She's also one of the few I've watched who carries off floor music with humming in it.

Also noteworthy: Mustafina does a lot of choreography just assuming her opening pose on floor exercise. Check it out:

Aliya Mustafina, 2009 Russian Cup All Around, Floor:

Nabieva, who threw an Amanar vault that kinda sorta looked like it might have turned into a triple-twisting Yurchenko at the Japan Cup earlier this summer, only did a DTY and a tucked Podkopayeva in event finals. She undoubtedly incurred some deductions for form on the DTY, too.

Tatiana Nabieva, 2009 Russian Cup All Around, Vault:

Dementieva missed her floor routine at the Japan Cup but looked stronger here. She's one of the few in recent years to throw two whipbacks to a triple full, and she also does a Memmel turn.

After the 2006 Junior European Championships, I thought Daria Yelizarova would be the next Lilia Podkopayeva (check out the floor routine here to see why). Didn't happen. After not competing in anything major in 2007, Yelizarova was initially named to the 2008 Olympic team but replaced with Lyudmila Yezhova Grebenkova days before the Games began.

Yelizarova is still competing, and still throwing one of my favorite balance beam combinations: a switch leap to two feet to an immediate punch front.

Yelizarova then: 2005, Balance Beam:

Yelizarova now: 2009 Russian Cup Event Finals, Balance Beam:

2008 Olympian Svetlana Klyukina competed with a knee bandage on her right leg and watered back her tumbling (double tuck, front through to double full, running front full, double pike). Her bars, with the exception of an underwhelming double pike dismount, looked solid as ever, though. She also did a cool pike front on beam.

Finally, some results you've probably seen already on International Gymnast Magazine's excellent website:

All-around:

1. Aliya Mustafina (Moscow) 59.434
2. Ksenia Afanasyeva (Tula) 57.034
3. Anna Dementyeva (Samara) 55.133
4. Svetlana Klyukina (Severodvinsk) 54.166
5. Ramila Musina (Surgut) 54.067
6. Kristina Goryunova (Veliky Novgorod) 53.533
7. Valeria Sviridova (Novosibirsk) 52.700
8. Kristina Pravdina (Voronezh) 51.300
9. Alexandra Telitsyna (Yoshkar-Ola) 47.000
10. Zhanna Toporova (Obninsk) 45.334

Event Finals:

Vault:

1. Yekaterina Kurbatova (Moscow) 15.325
2. Tatiana Nabiyeva (St. Petersburg) 14.113
3. Kristina Goryunova (Novgorod) 13.738
4. Anna Telitsyna (Yoshkar-Ola) 13.538
5. Anna Dementyeva (Samara) 13.475
6. Ramila Musina (Surgut) 12.988
7. Zhanna Toporova (Obninsk) 12.650
8. Olga Bikmurzina (Saransk) 12.325

Bars:

1. Tatiana Nabiyeva (St. Petersburg) 15.100
2. Yekaterina Kurbatova (Moscow) 15.775
3. Tatiana Solovyeva (Dzerzhinsk) 14.025
4. Anna Dementyeva (Samara) 13.900
5. Valeria Sviridova (Novosibirsk) 13.575
6. Svetlana Klyukina (Severodvinsk) 12.975
7. Kristina Goryunova (Novgorod) 12.975
8. Ksenia Afanasyeva (Khimki-Tula) 12.550

Beam:

1. Ksenia Afanasyeva (Khimki-Tula) 14.700
2. Anna Dementyeva (Samara) 14.300
3. Tatiana Solovyeva (Dzerzhinsk) 14.300
4. Kristina Goryunova (Novgorod) 14.250
5. Daria Yelizarova (Tula) 14.025
6. Valeria Sviridova (Novosibirsk) 13.300
7. Ramila Musina (Surgut) 12.500
8. Svetlana Klyukina (Severodvinsk) 12.300

Floor:

1. Ksenia Afanasyeva (Khimki-Tula) 14.775
2. Anna Dementyeva (Samara) 14.625
3. Ramila Musina (Surgut) 13.900
4. Valeria Sviridova (Novosibirsk) 13.800
5. Kristina Goryunova (V. Novgorod) 13.775
6. Kristina Pravdina (Voronezh) 12.900
7. Tatiana Kazantseva (Volgograd) 12.600
8. Svetlana Klyukina (Severodvinsk) 12.600