Angelina Melnikova finished all around first for the second day in a row and deservedly won gold. I've said before that I'm so happy that her confidence is back but 'll say it again, I'm so happy. She began with a huge vault and continued with a stellar bars routine. Gone are the days when she couldn't do one stalder without tripping over her own arms. On beam she nearly fell on her mount and was pretty shaky for the rest of her routine too, but looked determined not to fall. I just love the "not today Satan" attitude on beam, and Melka had it. Her dismount was still low and semi-scary. This was her fourth time competing all around in just a week or so and it started to show on floor. She barely made the double layout and had a big stumble on the double tuck. I really hope she gets a long break after this competition, she's earned it.
Angelina Simakova showed us why people have such great expectations of her and finished second with mostly good performances. Her Rudi was back and it was a bit piked, but okay. She hit bars too without any problems, but beam prevented her from going 8-for-8 because of a weird fall on a side aerial. I'm still not exactly sure about her floor routine but I can appreciate that they were going with something different and the choreography fits her. Her performance was actually really good, she was incredibly clean. Watching her really made me remember why she's so great.
Viktoria Komova beat Aliya to the third spot on the podium, which brought great memories. They haven't competed side by side or against each other in such a long time. It has been Aliya against Vika scrambling to come back with two events at most for awhile now. Competing all around against each other both at pretty much the same level gave me those good London quad vibes. Ah... Her DTY was pretty underrotated, but she landed it. On bars she broke a connection and ended up adding yet another toe-on stalder, but she still looked gorgeous. She hit beam with some pretty close saves, but it was the best routine she has done in awhile. She had some difficulties on floor, 3 bad landings and a fall out of the memmel, but her dancing and choreography was good. If she ever gets her stamina back, she's going to be amazing.
Aliya had her worst mistake right at the start of the competition on vault. She was the last one to go and sat down a tucked 1.5. I think the only other time we've ever seen her sit down a vault was in 2013. She didn't even sit down her infamous ACL-tearing vault in 2011.It was weird to see. But she had revenge on her mind on bars and she connected the pak to shap 1/2 again. She basically has her old routine back, except for replacing inbars with regular stalders. The Greatest. She didn't have an acrobatic series on beam after breaking a connection, but what's new. At the end she hit her floor routine and the best double arabian of her career while looking absolutely exhausted. Good job My Tsaritsa, take a nap now on your sting mat with Tsarevna Alisa.
Ulyana Perebinosova was fifth with her biggest mistake on vault as well. She crashed the DTY and it looked pretty dangerous to me. Her on and off bars routine was on this time, and she miraculously hit beam as well. No big problems on floor either.
Anastasia Ilyankova finished sixth after some shaky routine. She started out with a hit FTY, but overshot the Ezhovaon bars and ended up with her hips hitting the low bar instead of kipping out of it. Her beam was very shaky, but she didn't fall and on floor she nearly put her hands down on her first pass, but finished well after that first blunder.
Russia has apparently adopted a new rule that top 3 in the all around at Nationals get to go to European Championships. So according to this rule, the team will have Melka, Sima and Vika. And I'm actually fine with it? Add Aliya and Ilya and you have a gold-winning team. Russia hasn't had this much depth since forever, which is even more incredible when you take into account that Elena Eremina, Lilia Akhaimova, Maria Paseka and Aleksandra Schekoldina are all injured. Obviously we're reached a situation in which the only way is down and that makes me a bit terrified. Or maybe I'm just a pessimist and Russia is going to have the best quad since the times of Svetlana Khorkina.
-----More pictures HERE.
Full results are HERE.
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