Alexey Nemov was on the only Russian MAG team that won Olympic gold back in 1996 in Atlanta. Twenty five years later Russian men have a good chance to repeat this victory, but Nemov is worried that Dalaloyan’s injury might set the team back. He told TASS:
“It’s really hard to recover fast after Achilles injuries. And if, God willing, Dalaloyan will be able to come back on four non-tumbling events, it will be a major breakthrough for the team. Because without Artur, the team loses a lot in difficulty which will eventually be reflected in the final results. It’s very important for Nikita Nagornyy that Artur has his back. Nagornyy will become more confident if he knows he’s not carrying the team alone. Otherwise, there will be a huge physical and mental responsibility on him.”
Nemov thinks both Russian men and women are capable of winning team medals:
“I don’t want to say anything about which results our gymnasts can achieve at the Tokyo Olympics, but I hope that our teams will be able to be in the top three. Of course, Nikita has good chances in the all-around and event finals. In the women’s competition, traditionally, Simone Biles will be very strong, she’s looking great on three events except for bars. But the European Championships in Basel showed that Russia now has a good women’s team that’s capable of a lot. In the two months that are left until the Games, it’s very important not to get injured. They need to just polish their routines and do them beautifully and without mistakes.”
Chinese will win !!! Cry!