Aliya Mustafina and Denis Abliazin spent some time in Munich checking on their injuries and rehabbing them. Abliazin was originally supposed to compete in Cottbus since he will try qualifying to the Olympics via World Cups but he withdrew at the last moment because of health issues.
Mustafina posted on her Instagram that both of them are currently in great shape:
“We had a great time in Germany at a recovery training camp. This big man in a blue shirt is a doctor, the best recovery specialist that I’ve known since 2011. He was the one with whom I made my first steps after the knee injury in 2011. He said that right now we’re in the best shape he has seen us in the past few years. It’s nice, isn’t it? And tomorrow our training camp at Round Lake is starting. Can you imagine my mood?”
Both Mustafina and Abliazin missed the November training camp, same as most of the Worlds team. Some of them went to competitions (like Nikita Nagornyy), some of the WAG opted for a recovery camp in Italy, and some, like Angelina Melnikova, took a break – Melnikova went to Singapore for two weeks of intensive English classes. Irina Alexeeva was able to go home for Thanksgiving and college recruiting trips – she posted a photo of herself and several other gymnasts in Stanford gear on her Instagram story.
At the same time, we Seda Tutkhalian making her first appearance at the camp in more than a year. She’s been recovering from an ankle injury for a long time but started competing again this year and hopefully will make it back on the national team. Maria Kharenkova who also struggled with injuries these past two years made an appearance as well and looked good in the training videos.
It looks like we won’t see Viktoria Komova competing any time soon (if at all), While she still refuses to make an official statement on whether she retired, she is not currently training and focuses on her coaching career at the moment. Recently, Komova, Tukhalian, and Tatiana Nabieva had a reunion of sorts at a national competition in Obninsk where the first two accompanied the gymnasts they coach.
The December’s training camp will be the last one of the year and we will likely see most of the national team members attending it – both WAG and MAG. Only Artur Dalaloyan said that he declined an invitation to this camp but his special status as the new darling of Russian gymnastics allows him to miss camps without hurting his position on the national team.
Support Gymnovosti on Patreon from only $1 a month and help us bring to you even more awesome gymnastics coverage!
