Siberian Open Cup 2nd-4th December 2010

The Siberian Open Cup has been taking place in Leninsk-Kuznetzk.  In its 10th year, previous winners have included Anna Pavlova, Evgeny Podgorny and Maxim Devyatovski.  Competitors from Russia, Mongolia and Kazakstan this year participated.

Anastasia Ovipova from Novosibirsk took first place in the girls' competition (Candidate Master of Sport level), ahead of home gymnast Ekaterina Ilyankova, who won the competition last year.  The senior competition (Master of Sport level) was won by Valeria Sviridova.   Full results of this competition can be found here.  Sviridova also won bars in the individual apparatus finals, which were otherwise dominated by Irina Andreeva who had come third in the all around final.

The men's competition was headed by Igor Pakhomenko, followed closely by fellow Leninsk-Kuznetsk native Nikita Ignatiev.  In third position was Andrei Cherkasov.  The men's field also included Youth Olympic Daniil Kazachkov, so there was a strong representation here from the Russian team, many of whom appear to be residents of Siberia.  Full results are here.  Ignatiev and Pakhomenko took two golds each in the apparatus finals.  Pluzhnikov took rings gold, and his Siberian team mate Igor Skvortsov was first on high bar.  The Candidate Master of Sport competition was won by Andrei Logutov. 

There are multiple press releases about this interesting competition, including some pictures, available on the excellent website of the Russian Gymnastics Federation.,

The Federation also reports that the government of the Siberian Federal District this week honoured its sportsmen and women.  In gymnastics, the work of Daniil Kazachkov and Ivan Stretovych merited mention.  Kazachkov said that in the coming year it was his aim to compete for the senior men's team.  Coach Alexander Konvisser, who has coached many gymnasts on the Russian national team, was also recognised.