When Oleg Verniaiev says he’s going to have a light schedule, it likely means he has just five competitions in two months and not ten. Despite having two surgeries in the beginning of the year, Verniaiev was able to come back on two events for the European Championships, win the all-around silver at the European Games and the all-around bronze at the World Championships.
Back in 2016, Verniaiev was on top of his game and one of the favorites for the AA gold in Rio and topped the rankings in the qualification, yet he lost to Kohei Uchimura by less than 0.1 in the final. Verniaiev will go to the Tokyo Olympics after dealing with multiple injuries for four years, not exactly a bright prospect. However, he has plans for upgrading his routines and hopes to come to the Games ready. He told UA Pershiy:
“Everything is going well. Slowly, I’m getting back to the training routine I had before Rio. Now, I have an easier training schedule, you could say I’m resting. Starting from the middle of December, we will actively prepare for Tokyo. I plan on changing my routines in order to be competitive at the Games. If I’ll withstand the next half a year of such training, then I’m sure everything will be fine.”
Support Gymnovosti on Patreon from only $1 a month and help us bring to you even more awesome gymnastics coverage!
Buy cool gymnastics-themed t-shirts, hoodies, pillows, phone cases, and more at our store on Teepublic!