For a long time, Dmitrii Lankin has been a four-event specialist on the Russian team because of his weak high bar and pommel horse. However, in order to improve his chances to get onto a four-person team in Tokyo, he is working really hard on his weak events and hopes to become a strong all-arounder. The European Games were the first major international competition at which he did all-around. It didn’t quite go as planned because he had falls both on high bar and pommel horse. However, perpetually positive Lankin was quite happy with the results, especially with almost getting through his PH routine:
“I almost got through a full pommel horse routine, that’s a big plus. Well, generally, four events went fine here. I almost got a full pommel horse routine and it’s not such a big deal that I fell and that the score was low. The most important thing was that I went out and tried to work calmly, without shaking. And high bar, I don’t know, that was just a fiasco. On the first element, I didn’t get enough power and on the second one, I just peeled off the bar. Well, this happens, we’ll keep working.”
“I was anxious that I would be nervous on pommel horse. I mean, I’ve never competed at such a big international competition on pommel horse or even on high bar before today. I couldn’t even imagine how I would feel. But it was fine. After Euros, I haven’t upgraded anything, I just did my old routines on four events but also added another two events. That was my upgrade – to get all six events together.”
Photo: Russian Artistic Gymnastics Federation
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