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| Olympic bars champion Aliya Mustafina. Courtesy of the RGF |
It�s so wonderful that it seems unbelievable! Aliya Mustafina, who came back to gymnastics after a serious injury, became Olympics bars champion yesterday in London. For 12 years we haven�t had a bars Olympics champion! The last time, it was Svetlana Khorkina in Sydney.
But it�s not the first time that Mustafina makes history.
by Inessa Rasskazova, Sovietski Sport
She is very silent, introverted; sometimes you don�t get two words from her. She has a strong character; she is incredibly talented... and absolutely unpredictable.
Before the Olympics, national coach Valentina Rodionenko told us:
- I expect anything from Mustafina. With her you never know what to expect. This year, after her injury in Berlin, everything has been difficult for her. She cried at every training session. Aliya was doing beam. She fell. She cried. Went back to the beam. Fell and cried again. It�s difficult for her for another reason: Aliya is a talent and she�s not used to hard work. Everything was easy for her. ?nd now she has to work hard. Yet, I have big hopes for her in London. Aliya is able to concentrate in the important moment. The pressure of the audience, the judges, the rivals don�t exist for her when she competes. She concentrates and performs so well you have to take hats off to her!
Yesterday, in London at the Greenwich Arena, Aliya Mustafina expressed all her genuine beauty. Unfortunately, Viktoria Komova was not able to stand up to her level. She cried so much that she was not able to explain her mistakes, apart from a not so good dismount. She added that she doesn�t know if she will stay in gymnastics. The two silver medals that she has won in London are not a success for the most talented and polished gymnast in the world.
We feel sad for Vika, but we had to wait for Aliya�s performance. Mustafina competed after the most dangerous rivals, including British gymnast Elizabeth Tweddle, considered as the favourite. But Tweddle, after having surprised the audience with incredible elements, didn�t land well.
When Mustafina went to the podium with a steel light in her eyes, the name of the Chinese gymnast � He Kexin � was flashed on the first line of the board. She was first with a high score: 15.933.
Yet we know how Mustafina is able to perform bars. Here, in London, during the AA final, dozens of spectators shouted with astonishment.
She had to do only what she is able to do.
-Aliya, when the British gymnast didn�t nail her dismount, what did you think?
I had never seen such a smile on Mustafina�s face.
- Celebrating too early is not good, and I didn�t celebrate her mistake. I only thought that, if my rivals had committed errors, it would be easier for me. I couldn�t make errors.
She didn�t make any mistake. Nowhere. And she nailed her dismount!
- You are unpredictable for your coaches and � for yourself as well? Do you know what to expect of yourself and when?
- (Laughs) No!
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