This afternoon the top qualifiers competed in the Russian Cup Vault Final and Uneven Bars Final. While the latter confirmed what we already know about Russia on bars, the former should ease any worry that the team’s vault drought will continue into 2014. With Maria Paseka looking healthy again, Tatiana Nabieva flirting with an end to elite retirement, and Alla Sosnitskaya and Aliya Mustafina (who didn’t compete in the vault final) consistently putting DTY’s to their feet, Russia could potentially put together a strong line-up here. Sure, everyone’s form leaves something to be desired and the cumulative score won’t top the USA’s, but they can make up for that relative deficit elsewhere.
Rallying after two rather rough days of competition to take the title was second-year senior Alla Sosnitskaya. She performed two pretty clean vaults, a DTY and a layout Podkopayeva.
Coming in second was St. Petersburg’s Tatiana Nabieva. She performed a pretty clean pike Podkopayeva and DTY for a 14.700 (a bit untidy as she blocks but she cleans it up after that).
Coming in a disappointing third place was veteran Maria Paseka after putting her hands down on a brave Amanar attempt. It was the third time she performed the vault in competition this week, and though she has consistently put it to her feet and improved on direction, she keeps wrapping that last ½ twist in pretty late and physics keeps winning. With the execution scores she’s getting, I wonder if she and her coaches will decide the vault is not worth the risk (at least in a Team Final situation) and choose a DTY instead. As usual, her laid-out Podkyapayeva was better, so although she didn’t have the competition she was hoping for today, I still think there’s good reason to take her to Nanning.
Indicative of the country’s emphasis on bars, every gymnast who competed in the Uneven Bars Final is a member of the national team. (This is in contrast to the other event finals, which include a spattering of gymnasts who don’t compete for Russia internationally.)
Everyone swung with apparent ease and executed those leggy low-to-high transitions and inbar-work that we’ve become accustomed to. Van Leeuwen’s are especially in style, as are full-twisting double dismounts.
Taking the title in style (drumroll, please!) was Viktoria Komova, who improved exponentially on her execution scores from the first two days of competition for a 15. 367 total score and 8.67 E Score. Her routine was beautifully performed (Komova II to pak; Komova I; inabr stalder 1.2 to stretched Jaeger; inbar stalder full to Tkatchev; full-twisting double dismount) as she took more time, came closer to hitting those handstands, and stuck the dismount as an exclamation point. She was visibly pleased the result, as she should be.
Coming in a close second was Aliya Mustafina, who took to the podium immediately after Viktoria’s hit performance. She delivered her standard domestic and European-level routine (Inbar full to Van Leeuwen; inbar half to piked jaegar; stalder full to pak to stalder half shoot-up; toe-on full to full twisting double dismount) for a total score of 15.267 and 8.967 E. Not her best of the week, but pretty darn good. I also must say the best part of this performance was the grace with which the crown was relinquished when the score came up.
Coming in third (expectantly, given the feeling that Viktoria hadn’t shown us her best yet) was Daria Spiridonova, who delivered a characteristically solid performance on her best event for a 14.933. (Inbar stalder to inbar full to Komova II to pak; Van Leeuwen; Inbar half to piked jaeger; full twisting double dismount.)
She didn’t quite match her qualification score, but with another hit bar routine, the somewhat surprising first-year senior has made a very good case for herself, and I imagine she’ll have more to show tomorrow.
Stay tuned!
Article by Sara Dorrien
Photo Cover from sportgymrus
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