Keeping Up with the Russians

(Gosh, the gymnastics season is really picking up! I’m having a hard time keeping up with everything…)

Remember Yekaterina Kramarenko? The girl who sadly balked on a vault at the 2007 World Championships and cost the Russian team a medal?

Kramarenko’s disaster, and Zamo’s “Morituri te salutant” salute. Massive heartbreak.

Well, she’s back! She broke her leg in December (eek!) and so could only compete uneven bars at the recent Russian Cup this past Saturday, but she won the event! Good for her; I hope that she’ll be able to make it onto the Russian Olympic team, and redeem herself from that horrible vault fiasco.

Zamo was not at the Russian Cup, but Anna Pavlova was and she won vault. Yulia Lozhechko (I’ve been spelling it wrong, dear me) was there too, and acquitted herself well, winning balance beam–tying with Ksenia Afanasyeva. The other Ksenia, Ksenia Semenova (or should I say, Semyonova) was out sick.

As for the European Championships, which are going to be in April–I’m excited!–apparently, the two Ksenias, Lozhechko, Pavlova, and Svetlana Klyukina are being prepped to go.

And–damn, they’re busy!–Pavlova, Afanasyeva, and Lyudmila Yezhova Grebenkova (whose coach is 2000 Olympian Yelena Produnova)  are going to the Doha World Cup event on Tuesday.

And OMG the Russians are sending a group to the Pacific Alliance! Yay!

(from International Gymnast Online)