At one training session the gym was packed (VIDEO) with the 24 girls prepping for all around finals. The top seeded group start on Vault in a few hours: Raisman, Bross, Mustafina, Porgras, Huang, Jiang. The champion will come out of this group.
Yesterday I happened by coach Yelena Davydova and Kristina Vaculik training all alone in a huge gym, the rest of the Canadian team flying back to the Great White North as a cost savings measure. Kristina is a “reserve” for the all-around and still has to be ready if she gets called up.
Yelena is the 1980 Olympic AA champion and knows about the pressure at the top. … Training alone like this as an alternate is one of the challenges of coming from a bubble gymnastics nation. (Canada finished 13th here in Rotterdam, but everyone is confident the team will be in the top 12 next year, qualifying for the Olympics as a team. Kristina will be there.)
I talked to Kristina about her other gym, Stanford. What FUN she’ll have in that phase of her life. A fan favourite, for sure. I can hardly wait to be cheering her on in the NCAA.
Tenaya West posted a video themed legacy of Stanford. Check it out.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 