Artur Dalaloyan finished this competition as the most decorated MAG gymnast – in addition to his silver in the team final and gold in the all-around, he also won gold on floor, silver on vault and bronze on parallel bars. He competed in the high bar as well but fell which is not surprising, considering this was his last routine of the competition and he must have been exhausted.
After Dalaloyan won the all-around gold, the first MAG AA gold for a Russian gymnast since 1999, he received a telegram from Vladimir Putin congratulating him. Dalaloyan said to R-Sport that this telegram really motivated him to perform well in the event finals:
“The President’s telegram really inspired me! I was still in my bed this morning, setting myself up for the competition and I received the photo of the telegram. It is very dear to me! It ignited me so much that I didn’t even warm up today, I didn’t need anything, I was ready to do anything possible in order to win gold. I’m very happy and proud”.
Dalaloyan competed last on floor (and then he went last in a few more finals today) and said he didn’t mind this starting order:
“Everyone is always afraid to compete last because it takes a lot of energy to get from the arena to the warm-up hall in order not to cool down. But I decided to experiment today and didn’t run anywhere to warm up, I just watched the routines of the other guys. Then I went out and did my job. But there’s still something to strive for, not all the landings were perfect. It’s good that I have something to strive for”.
Photo: Russian Artistic Gymnastics Federation
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