Maria Paseka will compete tonight in the vault final. She was first in qualifications but had a bad pattern going on this year: hitting her vaults in qualification and then making major mistakes in the final. This is what happened both at Euros and at the Universiade. After the Universiade’s final Rodionenko even said that Paseka’s place on the team is not guaranteed. In addition, her back pain prevented her from preparing for the Euros better and undoubtedly affected her training and performances during this year. When asked how is her back at these Worlds, Paseka said that the pain is on and off. However, Russia still does not have any vaulters with higher difficulty or better medal potential than Paseka. Afanasyeva is reportedly training an Amanar and was invited to the last training camp, but, for now, Paseka doesn’t really have any competition for her vault spot on the team.
Paseka told R-Sport that, despite her great performance in the qualification, she’s a bit scared of the final because she really wants to win:
“Generally, I’m pleased with my performance in the qualification, but the most important thing is still ahead of me – the final. I’m very serious in my preparation for the final, I want to stay in the first place. This is very important for me, but it’s a bit scary, too.”
Photo: Ginnastica Artistica Italiana
