Diego Hypolito - "My new objective is to fight for medals in vault"

Despite placing 7th on vault in Maribor, Hypolito is not discouraged. Upon returning to Rio de Janeiro, he said he would train harder to get results in vault as he did on floor.

Diego observed that the quality of the competitors will be a difficult obstacle since the apparatus is not his specialty. "The Dutch Jeffrey Wammes, who won in Cottbus, finished sixth here. So the competition level is very high. To obtain better results, I'm keeping an eye to the training of the European and Japanese gymnasts."

The gymnast used the opportunity to praise the performance of Ana Claudia Silva and Ethiene Franco. In the uneven bar final, they placed fifth and third respectively.

"They are excellent athletes and have trained well. Ethiene has already won two medals this year, and Claudia has also performed well and gained experience. The WAG team of Brazil is well represented," he concluded.

Alexander Alexandrov - I hope that our team will have confidence to compete with China and America as equals

Yesterday at the third World Cup competition in Maribor, the Russian WAG team won four gold medals. Alexander Alexandrov spoke to All Sports about the performance of the team, and the prospects of individual gymnasts.

At the competition, our gymnasts won four gold medals - you are probably in a good mood?

"Certainly! I am very glad that out gymnasts won separate exercises. After an unsuccesful last season, we have done well here and at the European Championships. I hope that now our team will have confidence that we can compete on the same level as America and China."

You were pleased with the quality of performance of the girls?

"Well, the scores were not the highest. The girls made some errors. And in connection with the FIG's new rules, almost all competitors have new programs with new complexities. We will develop further skills. But at the same time, I do not wish to belittle the achievements of the girls; all the competitors were on equal footing. And the strongest won."

So you're writing off the errors, because of changes to rules and competition?

"[....gargh] Secondly, we brought to this World Cup competition gymnasts for whom this was their first competition where they must compete for their country. The leaders of the national team are still recovering from injuries, but we cannot wait for them. Therefore we give these younger gymnasts experience."

Is this generation of gymnasts different from those ten years ago?

"Naturally! First of all, those ten years ago were brought up in the Soviet Union. The present gymnasts - they are wholly Russian. In the 1990s much was lost - training centres were closed, trainers left for overseas. Then we just reaped the fruit of those years - no time for a powerful system, we had to make do with what is left. Today, of course, the situation is diffferent again. The state is paying more attention to sports. But we cannot see a return for a few years. I think that already next year, we will have gymnasts with more potential than we do now. The present girls are at a transition period - neither due to the fault of their trainers, or of them. The main thing is a desire to fight. The doors of our national training centre are open to all. For the World Championships, the very strongest will get to London."

How is the World team selected?

"We are continually watching the girls. At the same time, each new competition gives us a chance for reflection. The first of these was the Russian Championships. From it, we selected the team for the European Championships. It is very good that Ksenia Semenova and Afanasyeva took first and second place in the all-around. Such success we did not have for about the last seven years. Now the gymnasts will compete in several international competitions and the Russian Cup. Following the results of these competitions, we will select the strongest gymnasts to go to London in the autumn. The Americans and Chinese will be there. But I do not think we will be merely "extras". I think the Russian team will be strong competition for any other team."

Russians at Maribor, from Russian Gymnastics site

"Four out of four possible medals were won by the Russian gymnasts in their first world cup competition of the year. The fifth gold medal was won by the men's team. The triumphers: Anna Myzdrikova (vault), Yekaterina Kurbatova (bars), Kristina Goryunova (beam and floor) and Konstantin Pluzhnikov (rings). Also, Myzdrikova was second on floor, Kurbatova on vault, and Goryunova on the bars. The young gymnast, Andrei Perezhnikov, from near Moscow, at his second competition on the nationals team, took third place on pommel horse.

Already, in the second successive competition of the year, the Russian gymnasts have shown good results. And if at the European championships they proved that, then the strongest continent at Maribor were the Brazilian team, still following the school of the present Russian trainer Oleg Ostapenko. It is necessary to consider that our team in Maribor was mostly different from at Europeans.

Among the men, Konstantin Pluzhnikov from Severska has risen to the top of the podium for the first time. Andrei Rodionenko, senior coach, said after the European Championships that Pluzhnikov should appear among the strongest in rings.

Andrei Perezhnikov, bronze medallist on floor, has trained only half a year so far with the national team."

Maribor WAG Results - day 2

BEAM
Kristina Goryunova 14.35
Ana Claudia Silva 13.55
Martha Pihan-Kulesha 13.6

FLOOR
Kristina Goryunova 14.0
Anna Myzdrikova 13.95
Martha Pihan-Kulesha 13.6

Yay for Kristina!! double winner!
and Russian sweep!!!:D

I will post the men's results later.

Russian women leading Maribor WC!!

On the first day of competition, Anna Myzdrikova, Kristina Goryunova and Yekaterina Kurbatova lead the qualifications on all four events. On the second day, they took first and second on both event finals, VT and UB!!

Results:

VAULT
Anna Myzdrikova 14.062
Yekaterina Kurbatova 14.037
Annika Urvikko 13.8
Fieke Willems 13.725
Laura Gombas 13.687
Tijana Tkalcec 13.625
Tunde Scsillag 13.612
Ethiene Franco 13.3

BARS
Yekaterina Kurbatova 14.325
Kristina Goryunova 13.7
Ethiene Franco 13.65
Hanna Grosch 13.35
Ana Claudia Silva 13.0
Mayra Kroonen 12.9
Monika Frandofert 11.825
Laurie-Eve Pepin-Gagne 11.775

Men's EF: Konstantin Pluzhnikov won the rings:D, Diego Hypolito the FX and Donna-Donny Truyens (what a name!) from Germany won pommel horse.

Full results:

FLOOR
Diego Hypolito 15.3
Alexander Shatilov 14.95
Filip Ude 14.8
Tomislav Markovic 14.725
Dmitry Barkalov 14.575
Rok Klarova 13.725
Tomi Tuuha 12.9
Dmitry Gogotov 12.65

POMMEL HORSE
Donna-Donny Truyens 15.075
Saso Bertoncelj 14.85
Zoltan Kallai 14.75
Andrei Perevoznhikov (RUS) 14.75
Andrei Ursache 14.475
Vladimir Oleniko 14.3
Cristian Bagata 14.1
Alexander Shatilov 13.375

RINGS
Konstantin Pluzhnikov 15.65
Irodotos Georgallas 15.0
Regulo Carmona 14.8
Al Asi Ali 14.775
Sergio Eras 14.65
Olli Torkkel 14.475
Eduard Gholub 14.4
Attila Racz 14.1

Next World Cup competition - Maribor

Here is the lineup.

Yay for Goryunova! I'll be glad to see her again after she had to withdraw from the Euro AA.