There are so many words to describe this gymnast. Beautiful, graceful, elegant, powerful, inconsistent... It really is a shame that she is so inconsistent, because she really is so talented. She can vault like most of her teammates cannot even dream of doing. She is not the best bar worker, but she has beautiful lines. She has some of the most difficult and original combinations on beam. And her tumbing combined with her graceful dance and choreography makes in my opinion the best floor routine in the world right now. She is classical and dynamic, something that we haven't seen from the Ukraine in a VERY long time. We have seen some talents from the Ukraine since the break up of the powerful Soviet Union, such as Lilia Podkopyeva, Viktoriya Karpenko, and Alina Kozich. But there is just something about Mariya that makes me go WOW! Whether it is her falling of the beam three times, or seeing her stunning floor routine. Now lets talk about her routines. She does a double twisting Yerchenko, which is not always fully round, and a front pike with a half. She is also the only Ukrainian right now to be doing a double twisting Yerchenko. On beam she does a front arieal straight into a front summy tucked, and back hand spring into an arabian, which is shy high, and an arieal LOSO combination, with a double tuck dismount. She use to do one of the most beautiful Onodi's that I have ever seen, and a dismount of two back hand springs into a double back. But so far this year, she has not performed these elements. And the major elements in her floor routine are a double front, triple twist, and a memmel turn. And with the upgrades that she is making on floor, she can have a 6.0 SV. She is very capable of qualifying to a beam and floor finals at this years World Championships, and maybe even next years Olympics. Mariya is unfortunately injured right now, but we can hopefully see her fully recovered at the World Championships. Below are some of her routines from this year and 2010.
It seems like it will be an interesting event. We will see Cheng Fei and Huang Qiushuang. This will be Huang's comeback event after her minor injury that made her miss the Chinese Nationals. And we get to see how much better Cheng Fei is getting. This is going to be a very good event with other big names being Lauren Mitchell, Jessica Savona, and the whole entire Chinese team! I'm not very acquainted with anybody on the Korea team though. This is also Talia Chiarelli's first international event for Canada, and it maybe her first period. So below are the participants! And Japan has not listed their team yet.
AUSTRALIA
LITTLE, Emily
MITCHELL, Lauren
BRENNAN, Ashleigh
MILLER, Larrissa
WHEELER, Georgia CANADA
CHIARELLI, Talia
GARDINER, Madeline
LEBLOND-CHARTRAND, Coralie
PEGG, Dominique
SAVONA, Jessica CHINA
SUI, Lu
YAO, Jinnan
CHENG, Fei
YANG, Yilin
HUANG, Qiushuang KOREA
JO, Hyun Joo
PARK, Kyung jin
PARK, Ji Yeon
HEO, Seon mi
EUM, Eun hee Japan
TBD
So this interview was very interesting. It is not in English, but it shows some major upgrades for Alicia. She is training a handspring double front twist! And on beam she is working on some connections that we had seen from her before. And here it is!!!!!!!!
So results came in for this meet around a week ago, but I wanted to have videos to show you, and now I do! The very fabulous Anastasia Grishina of Russia won the gold! And behind her was Anglina Kyslya of the Ukraine with the silver medal in her first international meet since her injury at World's! BRAVO! And with the bronze went to Russian Diana Sapronova! Below are the full results!
Belarus
Сотникова Алина
Sotnikova Alina
3 13,80 12,75 13,70 14,40 54,65
Моховцева Ольга
Makhautsova Volha
2 13,50 12,85 11,90 13,05 51,30
Зайцева Евгения
Zaitsava Yauheniya
1 13,45 11,55 0,01 0,01 25,02
291 292 293 294 Total
27,30 25,60 25,60 27,45 105,95
Венгрия
Hungary
Лонай Хайналка
Lonai Hainalka
18 13,10 11,90 12,50 12,80 50,30
Альсалти Даилья
Al-salty Dalia
20 12,85 12,50 10,65 12,50 48,50
Редль Роксана
Redl Roxana
19 12,80 12,55 11,85 10,95 48,15
291 292 293 294 Total
25,95 25,05 24,35 25,30 100,65
Жінки
Women
Total
Россия
Russia
Гришина Анастасия
Grishina Anastasiya
5 15,10 15,30 14,65 14,90 59,95
Сапронова Диана
Sapronova Diana
4 13,80 13,85 14,20 13,70 55,55
Степанова Маша
Stepanova Masha
7 13,35 12,55 14,10 13,60 53,60
291 292 293 294 Total
28,90 29,15 28,85 28,60 115,50
Украина
Ukraine
Кислая Ангелина
Kyslaya Angelina
8 14,00 13,75 13,75 14,10 55,60
Фоменко Алина
Fomenko Alina
9 13,65 13,15 12,25 14,05 53,10
Ливчикова Мария
Livchikova Mariya
10 0,01 0,01 13,75 0,40 14,17
291 292 293 294 Total
27,65 26,90 27,50 28,15 110,20
Жінки
Women
Украина
Ukraine2
2
Романчук Ирина
Romanchuk Irina
13 13,95 12,05 12,45 12,60 51,05
Зеленская Татьяна
Zelenskaya Tatyana
15 12,55 13,05 12,65 12,55 50,80
Любицкая Дарина
Lyubitskaya Darina
11 0,01 0,01 12,05 10,60 22,67
291 292 293 294 Total
26,50 25,10 25,10 25,15 101,85
Гришина Анастасия
Grishina Anastasiya
5
РОС
RUS
15,10 15,30 14,65 14,90 59,95
Кислая Ангелина
Kyslaya Angelina
8
УКР
UKR
14,00 13,75 13,75 14,10 55,60
Сапронова Диана
Sapronova Diana
4
РОС
RUS
13,80 13,85 14,20 13,70 55,55
Сотникова Алина
Sotnikova Alina
3
БЛР
BLR
13,80 12,75 13,70 14,40 54,65
Васильева Елена
Vasilyeva Elena
12
УКР
UKR
13,40 13,70 13,40 13,25 53,75
Степанова Маша
Stepanova Masha
7
РОС
RUS
13,35 12,55 14,10 13,60 53,60
Максюта Валерия
Maksyuta Valeriya
17
ИЗР
ISR
14,35 11,50 13,40 14,20 53,45
Фоменко Алина
Fomenko Alina
9
УКР
UKR
13,65 13,15 12,25 14,05 53,10
Моховцева Ольга
Makhautsova Volha
2
БЛР
BLR
13,50 12,85 11,90 13,05 51,30
Голенкова Валентина
Golenkova Valentina
14
УКР
UKR
14,00 9,70 13,95 13,55 51,20
Романчук Ирина
Romanchuk Irina
13
УКР2
UKR2
13,95 12,05 12,45 12,60 51,05
Зеленская Татьяна
Zelenskaya Tatyana
15
УКР2
UKR2
12,55 13,05 12,65 12,55 50,80
Лонай Хайналка
Lonai Hainalka
18
ВЕН
HUN
13,10 11,90 12,50 12,80 50,30
Гомолова Марья
Gomolova Marya
16
CВК
SVK
12,70 13,15 13,05 11,35 50,25
Альсалти Даилья
Al-salty Dalia
20
ВЕН
HUN
12,85 12,50 10,65 12,50 48,50
Редль Роксана
Redl Roxana
19
ВЕН
HUN
12,80 12,55 11,85 10,95 48,15
Дина Рибич
Dina Ribich
23
СЛО
SLO
12,40 9,85 11,65 11,95 45,85
Змагання
Competition
Жінки
Women
Иншина Юлия
Inshina Yuliya
6
РОС
RUS
13,50 0,01 13,10 13,20 39,81
Зайцева Евгения
Zaitsava Yauheniya
1
БЛР
BLR
13,45 11,55 0,01 0,01 25,02
Любицкая Дарина
Lyubitskaya Darina
11
УКР2
UKR2
0,01 0,01 12,05 10,60 22,67
Ливчикова Мария
Livchikova Mariya
10
UKR 0,01 0,01 13,75 0,40 14,17 Unfortunately, Mariya Livchikova injured her self doing a new combination on floor, but before the injury she showed off her new beam routine! I am not sure what her injury is, but I wish her the best because she is an AMAZING gymnast that I am a huge fan of!
On Saturday is the Ukraine's Stella Zakharova Cup. Anastasia Grishina and Mariya Livchikova headline the event, while Anastasia Koval has withdrawn from the event. Below is the men and women's start list. The Ukrainian gymnasts are in Ukrainian so the WAG athletes are Mariya Livchikova, Angelina Kysla, Alina Fomenko, Yeyheniya Cherniy, and the very promising and young Daria Lyubitskaya.
On May 28th will be the Grande Prix De Gymnastiqure Brno. This meet is very similar to the Swiss cup. The female and male scores are added up each round to decided a winner through the process of elimination. Romania is the favorite to win, and they are sending the tiny Raluca Haidu and Cristian Bataga. I am also excited to see Valeria Maksyuta of Israel and Laura Svilpaite of Lithuania. Plus this is the return competition of Angelina Kysla! Below is the start list.
