The MAG Russian Championships are starting tomorrow in Penza. The competition will be held from October 26th to November 1st. Earlier, Valentina Rodionenko told media that top Russian gymnasts will miss the competition – some due to their participation in the Friendship and Solidarity competition in Japan and some due to fears of catching COVID-19.
Since Denis Abliazin lives in Penza and has already been training there prior to the competition, participating in the event might be less risky for him. Valery Alfosov told TASS that Abliazin opted to train at home because he has been dealing with injuries:
“Denis Abliazin is now at home in Penza and preparing to compete at the Russian Championships. Why isn’t he at the training center together with the rest of the national team? Denis had nagging injuries, they have healed now. Abliazin is recovering. We are constantly in touch by video calls. He is doing routines on rings but not floor or vault yet. National team coaches are still taking him into account. The European Championships are ahead of us and Abliazin will definitely be invited to Round Lake to prepare for this competition. We’ll look at his rings and see how competitive he is on this event”.
Abliazin is the reigning vault and rings European champion. However, last year, he sustained fractures in both legs and underwent surgery. He started training relatively fast and hoped to compete at the Russian Championships in April before they were postponed.
According to Alfosov, Sergei Eltcov and Kirill Prokopev are also expected to compete at the Russian Championships.
