Mustafina hopes to upgrade in Stuttgart

Aliya Mustafina has competed all-around for the first time in a year at the Russian Championships this week. While she upgraded floor and added a fourth tumbling pass, she only vaulted a FTY. She told TASS that she plans on doing a DTY at the Stuttgart World Cup next week and hopes to upgrade her floor a bit more:

“I really hope that in Stuttgart, I’ll be able to do a DTY and to upgrade the floor routine a bit. Generally, [at the Russian Championships], I was able to do everything I planned to. I had some issues on my beam routine but didn’t make mistakes. I think my performance today was exactly at the level at which I was prepared”.

Mustafina said her preparation for the new season went smoothly and without injuries:

“There were no injuries, everything went fine. The prove of that are the two days of the Championships, they were without falls, this makes me really happy”.

Valentina Rodionenko wouldn’t be herself if she didn’t comment on Mustafina’s weight, though:

“Aliya Mustafina was great. She still can’t get into her regular weight but she’s a fighter. We are very happy with what she did today, especially on floor – she did all the turns. Her experience is showing.”

Photo: Elena Mikhaylova, Russian Artistic Gymnastics Federation

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