Angelina Melnikova won bronze in the all-around at the Russian Championships after two days of competition. Falls on beam and trouble on bars on both days did not allow her place higher but she told media is overall pleased with the results because her training was interrupted in January:
“You can say we didn’t compete for a year and a half. We trained all that time, although I missed two months [of training]. There was training, but competing is completely different. I’m really happy that we’re finally competing. During the all-around final, it was a bit easier than in the beginning of the competition because we haven’t competed in a long time. I’m really upset about my beam, when I fell on the last element. I didn’t expect to fall. But, in general, I’m happy because I had eye surgery and missed two weeks of training. I managed to prepare what I had time for. I had retinal tears and they were treated a bit. It’s fine.”
So far, the national team gymnasts haven’t been vaccinated against COVID-19, even though the Ministry of Sports announced the plan to vaccinate all Olympic-bound athletes. The only vaccine available to them right now is Russian-developed Sputnik which went through questionable clinical trials and is not approved in any Western countries. Melnikova says she’s afraid to get vaccinated even though it would exempt her from mandatory quarantine at Round Lake:
“I haven’t been sick [with COVID-19] and I haven’t had positive tests. I haven’t gotten an antibodies test, so I don’t know [whether I have them]. I saw that the synchronized swimming team got vaccinated. It’s voluntary, as far as I know. Now the vaccinated [athletes] can [freely] enter and leave [Round Lake]. I can’t say anything about my vaccination yet. I’m a bit afraid, of course. If I won’t have to get it, I won’t get it. If the situation will require me to get it, I’ll do it.”
Melnikova isn’t too concerned with the fact that Russian athletes will have to compete under a neutral flag:
“Truth is I’m really waiting for the Games, I’m already tired of waiting. It’s hard to stay locked down at the training center. Neutral status? Honestly, I just want to compete. It’s one thing after another, coronavirus, then the doping issues. It’s hard and stressful. Anyway, everyone knows where we’re from.”
Melnikova was asked if she follows figure skating – the sport that is extremely popular in Russia and that has been plagued by multiple scandals. Melnikova said she doesn’t want Russian gymnastics to have scandals like that:
“I follow some figure skating girls on Instagram but actually watching figure skating – no, not really. But I keep up with the girls. There’s so much attention to it because it’s a beautiful sport, although I don’t understand why people aren’t interested in gymnastics. It’s a very entertaining sport, very difficult one, beautiful and physically difficult. It’s almost impossible to explain how strength and grace go together. I don’t know, perhaps, it lacks media popularity. But, please, gymnastics doesn’t need such scandals. Of course, it would be nice to have more fans and spectators.”
In the event finals, Melnikova won gold on vault and bronze on bars (after Vladislava Urazova and Viktoriia Listunova).
Photo: Elena Mikhaylova, Russian Artistic Gymnastics Federation
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