It seems that at the moment you have to be named Angelina in order to receive top assignments on the Russian team. At first, Angelina Melnikova was listed for three World Cups (Stuttgart, Birmingham, and Tokyo – as Russia traditionally ignored the American Cup this year), but yesterday the organizers of the Tokyo World Cup has announced that Angelina Simakova will replace Melnikova. Simakova was originally slated to compete in Jesolo that takes place on the same weekend as the competition in Tokyo. It is not clear whether the reason for the replacement was to rest Melnikova or because Simakova looked especially good in verification but nevertheless it seems to be a good development.
Simakova, the 2016 junior European team champion, missed most of the last season due to an injury. Tokyo World Cup will be her first senior international competition. No word yet on who will replace her on the Jesolo team: at the moment, the senior Russian team for Jesolo also includes Lilia Akhaimova, Uliana Perebinosova, and Anastasiia Iliankova.
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