Andrei Rodionenko talked to TeamRussia.pro about the results of the team final at the European Championships where Russia took gold.
Q: It seemed that the victory in the team final is the most important for you?
A: And isn’t it the same for you? For the country, it was always the priority.
Q: You wanted to test the young gymnasts’ ability to work as a team. Were you happy with them?
A: The main competition will be the 2020 Olympic Games. For now, the search continues, we are looking at different options.
Q: Nevertheless, Artur Dalaloyan and Dmitrii Lankin didn’t let anyone down, isn’t it right?
A: The European Championships are not as important. Today they won but they could just as well lose. There are a lot of holes, lots of work to do. And we’re always winning or losing against ourselves.
Q: The sum of scores in the final was about two points lower than in the qualification. Did it result from the nerves?
A: It was a different situation. In the final, the team competes not just on their own but face to face with their rival. Strong boxers can relatively easily beat the competitors who are lower in rank but then they face each other at the rink and it’s a completely different story.
Q: At the end, the British didn’t withstand that fight, failing on the high bar…
A: Those are their problems. We competed fine, after all. The guys withstood something and didn’t withstand something else.
Q: What needs improvement?
A: Everything! But that’s for a professional discussion. First, we will have to do a thorough analysis of the performances. On that basis we will first be solving problems before the World Championships that will take place in two months in Qatar and then – before the Olympics. The Games in Tokyo are the peak and the rest is just a path that leads to them. We have to figure out not what we got but what we are lacking, what we need to add in order to win at a higher level. If we will satisfy oursleves with what was yesterday, nothing good will come out of it. And the guys understand it.
Photo: Russian Artistic Gymnastics Federation
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