After watching the Russia Cup, Sara Dorrien is quite optimistic regarding their chances for a team medal at Worlds. Not that they selected her team …
With the conclusion of the Russian Cup last Sunday, Andrei and Valentina Rodionenko didn’t miss a beat announcing the provisional team for the 2014 World Championships: Maria Kharenkova, Ekaterina Kramarenko, Aliya Mustafina, Maria Paseka, Alla Sosnitskaya, and Daria Spiridonova.
Without belaboring the point, I will simply state that this is not the team most of us imagined as the competition proceeded last week, nor is it the one I would have chosen. Ultimately, I believe Russia’s highest scoring potential puts Paseka, Mustafina, and Sosnitskaya on vault; Mustafina, Komova, and Spiridonova on bars; Mustafina, Kharenkova, and Spiridonova on beam; and Mustafina, Paseka, and Sosnitskaya on floor exercise. …
Needless to say, the federation didn’t ask for my opinion …
To me, it seems that the Kramarenko selection betrays a bit of anxiety among the federation. It’s a rather conservative approach, choosing to take someone who probably won’t deliver the highest scores but who can fill in virtually anywhere she might be needed. …
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