After Eremina’s success at Worlds and the new generation of Russians being amazing on bars, some fans are questioning whether Mustafina would have a place on the new team when she comes back to competition. Nellie Kim has no doubts she would:
“Aliya is definitely capable of returning to the leading position in the World she held before. I consider all these talks about how having a baby puts an end to your further [gymnastics] career empty. Remember Larisa Latynina who kept performing beautifully after she became a mom. Look at Oksana Chusovitina who’s been competing for many years after giving birth. Science proved that a woman’s body reconstructs itself after giving birth and she can perform even better. Mustafina’s comeback will make the Russian team much stronger. It’s a great thing to have an athlete with so much experience on the team. The rest of the girls will progress even faster being around her.”
