Melnikova: I feel stronger every year

As a rising junior and in 2016, Angelina Melnikova looked like the future big star of the Russian team but it took her a few more years to reach this status. As a senior, she has been competing non-stop since 2016, despite several injuries. Adding exhaustion and nerves to this, it is not very surprising that there were quite a few ups and downs in her career.

In 2017, she finished 11th at the Russian Championships, then did not make the all-around final at the European Championships but won gold on floor. At the World Championships that year, she finished only 16th in the all-around. In 2018, she won gold at the Birmingham World Cup, became Russian all-around champion, and won silver on vault and bronze on bars. However, she left Worlds with no individual medals that year. This year, Melnikova has been a hitting machine, winning three medals at Euros, four at the European Games and now three at Worlds. Melnikova was the only Russian WAG to win individual medals at Worlds in addition to the team silver. She feels like her hard work has finally started to pay off this year:

“I’ve been training a lot. I think that it’s becoming easier and easier for me to compete each year, I feel more confident and feel growth in my routines. I feel stronger every year. I’ve been working really hard before these World Championships.”

After her bronze-winning floor routine, Melnikova said she knew she was capable of winning a medal:

“I knew that if I did my routine the way I want, I could be on the medal podium. After the team medal, it was much easier to compete because I already had something under my belt. I’m happy with the team’s success, we were able to show that we can fight. I’m proud of us being the second in the world.”

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