Oleg Verniaiev was originally supposed to miss the European Championships because of his injury and, as a result, would have missed the European Games as the Ukrainian MAG did not have any non-nominative spots and had to qualify through this year’s Euros. Verniaiev ended up competing on two events at Euros and qualifying to the Games. Tomorrow, he will compete all-around for the first time since his double surgery in February. The gymnast told UA:Sport that he feels great, despite the short recovery:
“At the moment, coming from all these injuries, I’m in good shape. Obviously, it’s not my best, like I used to be, but I feel fine. The most important thing is to get myself together at the right moment. Each competition is an important competition. I can’t come back without a medal, so we’re working hard to prepare. All the guys are in good shape, everything’s great.”
“Have I had any thoughts about missing the European Games? I have, but we were told we had to go. The coach said that we had to go and now I’m actually glad that we’re preparing. If I refused, it would be the wrong decision. Of course, there are people to compete with. Even if we’re taking just Ukraine, the most important competition will be among the three of us, because only one person per country can make a final, so we’ll be deciding among ourselves who’ll be in a final. Everyone’s working, everything’s good. For us, the most important competition is the World Championships.”
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