Following this weekend's Russian Cup, coaches named the World team that will attempt to defend the World team title the Russian women won last year in Rotterdam. The gymnasts selected are reigning European and Russian Cup all-around champion Anna Dementyeva, Ksenia Afanasyeva, Viktoria Komova, Tatiana Nabieva, Maria Paseka and Yulia Belokobylskaya.
In spite of the absence of 2010 World champion Aliya Mustafina, this is a very strong team, and one that should contend for the World title, especially with the Americans seeming disorganized at the U.S. Championships. Every member of the Russian squad, with perhaps the exception of Belokobylskaya, has potential to make event finals on at least one event.
Nabieva has been a fixture in event finals on vault and bars in World Cup finals for the past two seasons. Paseka, a first-year senior, was even rumored at one time to be training a triple-twisting Yurchenko, though that has been unconfirmed.
The big question for the Russians may be which gymnasts it decides to use in all-around finals. Komova, the reigning Youth Olympic champion, has been trumpeted as perhaps the Russians's best hope for gold in Tokyo, although head coach Alexander Alexandrov told the press several weeks ago that he hoped Komova would be able to do "a few events" at the World Championships.
Komova's competition for one of the two all-around spots should come from Afanasyeva, the only 2008 Olympian named to the team, and Dementyeva, who has had quitie the year so far and recently upgraded her vault to a double-twisting Yurchenko, which will make her far more competitive in the international theatre. Though she is more experienced, Afanasyeva has been known to fold in major individual competitions, while Dementyeva, the team workhorse, seems to be gaining momentum.
Left off the World team were 2009 World team members and 2010 World alternates Yekaterina Kurbatova and Anna Myzdrikova, as well as two-time Olympian Anna Pavlova, who has made a successful comeback from a torn ACL in 2008. Although Pavlova looks as good as ever on vault, Alexandrov said that the team refused to carry a gymnast who likely to contribute only on one event.
One thing the Russians have this quad is depth. World team alternates are two relative unknowns, Alyona Polyan (third all-around at the Russian Nationals in March) and Yulia Inshina. Waiting in the wings are juniors Anastasia Grishina and Anastasia Sidorova, both of whom will be eligible for the Olympics next year.
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