I was watching a video of the first time I saw the Russian star Margarita Mamun in the winter of 2011:
She seemed very elegant and definitely had her own style. At the time, I was very impressed by her jumps. When I look at her now, I see a much more mature gymnast who has taken it to the next level with her apparatus work and also with how expressive she tries to be. But I think that what is missing is the freshness, the originality, and the element of surprise:
Although Rita and her coach Amina Zaripova went all the way to winning gold at World Championship finals, it seems to be that I like the 2011 Rita a lot better. She was different. She stood out from the crowd. If Rita hopes to compete with both the prima Kudryavtseva, who is still battling injuries, and the extremely talented Alexandra Soldatova, we need to see the fresh and surprising Rita again, the one who made glamour her trademark.
Showing posts with label Margarita Mamun. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Margarita Mamun. Show all posts
4/19/2015
European Championship: Who Will Make the Top 8?
The 2015 European Championship for individual seniors and junior groups is less than two weeks away. This year, Minsk, the capital city of Belarus, will host this exciting event. I hope this means the girls from Belarus will win medals!
As far as the top 8 for this event, I expect that the first 4 will contain two Russians, Rizatdinova from the Ukraine and Staniouta from Belarus. The big question for me is whether Mamun from Russia will perform and whether she will finally show her routines in their shining, flawless quality, especially the clubs. I think Rita has better routines than the other 2 Russians and she deserves to get rewarded for them. Will Rita perform confidently? Nobody can question she has shown masterful execution with hoop and ribbon. But she needs to take the ball routine, and especially the clubs, to the same level.
For spots 4-7, I see the following gymnasts fighting quite an exciting battle: the experienced Neta Rivkin from Israel, the young, but wonderful Katsyarina Halkina from Belarus, and Marina Durunda from Azerbaijan who absolutely dazzled at the last couple of big tournaments. My preference is for Durunda and Halkina and I hope they motivate more seasoned gymnasts to show new, more interesting routines.Although I love Durunda, I think the home advantage will really boost Halkina in Minsk. Halkina' s hoop is her strongest exercise, but I also see a lot of promise for her ball routine, which she performs with this elegant blue leotard.
But I would like to hope that Marina Durunda will step up to the challenge to show that she is a better and more interesting gymnast than many in the elite, with very intense routines, and exceptionally clean lines. Marina got a lot of praise for her exciting ribbon routine. I also love her hoop exercise very much and would love to see her receive higher scores for all of her hard work, and all the control and elegance she shows.
Who will take the 8th spot? This is perhaps the most interesting question. While several gymnasts have a chance including Moustafaeva from France, Filanovsky from Israel, and Shafizada from Azerbaijan, my favorites for entering the elite this year are the Greek Varvara Filiou who has added a lot of difficulty and even more expression to her routines, and, most importantly, the Georgian star Salome Pazhava. Salome has already shown quite a strong presence, especially with clubs and hoop. Here is Salome preparing for her exceptional dance with knives to traditional Georgian music. Blue does seem to be this season's color!
As far as the top 8 for this event, I expect that the first 4 will contain two Russians, Rizatdinova from the Ukraine and Staniouta from Belarus. The big question for me is whether Mamun from Russia will perform and whether she will finally show her routines in their shining, flawless quality, especially the clubs. I think Rita has better routines than the other 2 Russians and she deserves to get rewarded for them. Will Rita perform confidently? Nobody can question she has shown masterful execution with hoop and ribbon. But she needs to take the ball routine, and especially the clubs, to the same level.
For spots 4-7, I see the following gymnasts fighting quite an exciting battle: the experienced Neta Rivkin from Israel, the young, but wonderful Katsyarina Halkina from Belarus, and Marina Durunda from Azerbaijan who absolutely dazzled at the last couple of big tournaments. My preference is for Durunda and Halkina and I hope they motivate more seasoned gymnasts to show new, more interesting routines.Although I love Durunda, I think the home advantage will really boost Halkina in Minsk. Halkina' s hoop is her strongest exercise, but I also see a lot of promise for her ball routine, which she performs with this elegant blue leotard.
But I would like to hope that Marina Durunda will step up to the challenge to show that she is a better and more interesting gymnast than many in the elite, with very intense routines, and exceptionally clean lines. Marina got a lot of praise for her exciting ribbon routine. I also love her hoop exercise very much and would love to see her receive higher scores for all of her hard work, and all the control and elegance she shows.
Who will take the 8th spot? This is perhaps the most interesting question. While several gymnasts have a chance including Moustafaeva from France, Filanovsky from Israel, and Shafizada from Azerbaijan, my favorites for entering the elite this year are the Greek Varvara Filiou who has added a lot of difficulty and even more expression to her routines, and, most importantly, the Georgian star Salome Pazhava. Salome has already shown quite a strong presence, especially with clubs and hoop. Here is Salome preparing for her exceptional dance with knives to traditional Georgian music. Blue does seem to be this season's color!
I would still like to hope that this championship will be a big break for Varvara, who totally deserves a spot among the world's best athletes.
8/14/2014
Gorgeous Mamun Keeps Making Mistakes...
...but I still like her, especially her jumps!
I think it is difficult to observe how a formidable competitor, such as Yana Kudryavtseva, keeps improving. I think Rita Mamun gets nervous at competitions now because she knows that, even if she does not make mistakes, Yana is still very likely to get a higher score. If we want to outplay Yana, Rita and her coach Amina Zaripova have to somehow outsmart her. Performing in a stable and consistent manner will not be enough. They need to find something Yana doesn't have and show case it.
Would you agree?
Also, how many of the fans like this leopard print? I have developped conflicting emotions about this choice of print. I used to like it on Ulyana Trofimova but I am not sure it is such a great match for Rita.
Anyway, thanks to my dear and wonderful friend Dimo Dimov, I got hold of these absolutely stunning pictures. Enjoy:
I think it is difficult to observe how a formidable competitor, such as Yana Kudryavtseva, keeps improving. I think Rita Mamun gets nervous at competitions now because she knows that, even if she does not make mistakes, Yana is still very likely to get a higher score. If we want to outplay Yana, Rita and her coach Amina Zaripova have to somehow outsmart her. Performing in a stable and consistent manner will not be enough. They need to find something Yana doesn't have and show case it.
Would you agree?
Also, how many of the fans like this leopard print? I have developped conflicting emotions about this choice of print. I used to like it on Ulyana Trofimova but I am not sure it is such a great match for Rita.
Anyway, thanks to my dear and wonderful friend Dimo Dimov, I got hold of these absolutely stunning pictures. Enjoy:
1/19/2014
Fairy-tale Mamun Flies in New Routine
I really like Margarita Mamun's new ribbon routine. She obviously has a lot of "cleaning up" to do but this routine has difficulty, and expression. And a red ribbon looks strong and elegant at the same time.
I would really like to see better pivots from her and I am looking forward to a more polished version of this jewel of an exercise! Keep it up, Rita!
I would really like to see better pivots from her and I am looking forward to a more polished version of this jewel of an exercise! Keep it up, Rita!
9/02/2013
What a Wonderful World (Championship)
The world championship in Kiev brought fair results that pleased many, if not most fans. As a fan, I am pleased because two of the gymnasts, who I wrote about back in 2011, Mamun from Russia (ball and clubs champion), and Narkevich from Belarus (as part of the Russian group) became world champions. I liked them a lot back then and I am very happy for them now.
Yana Kudryavtseva, on the other hand, was the absolutely uncontested and incomparable world champion. Before her last routine, she actually gestured to the Russian national coach, as if to say, "Don't worry, I'll win it."
My other favorite, Melitina Staniouta, came back with three bronze medals and I hope to see her win gold, too, she deserves it. How about the host country and everyone's favorite Ukrainians? I was not surprised to see Ganna Rizatdinova win with hoop. Hoop is by far her best routine this season:
And Alina Maksymenko got a bronze with clubs, too, after numerous errors, small and large, that she made in her other routines.
Still, she was smiling the moment she stepped out in front of the audience loves her so much. I don't know if she is planning to retire. I think she is still young and she can work on focusing better and performing cleaner routines. But it seems she thoroughly enjoyed herself anyway.
New stars have risen, too, on the world gymnastics horizon. One of them is the Greek Varvara Filiou, who I have really liked lately. She impressed me A LOT during the European Championships, the Mediterranean games and the Kazan Universiade. She placed 4th with ribbon at this World Championship so I hope many medals await her, and overall, a great career full of health and fan love. Congratulations!
Yana Kudryavtseva, on the other hand, was the absolutely uncontested and incomparable world champion. Before her last routine, she actually gestured to the Russian national coach, as if to say, "Don't worry, I'll win it."
My other favorite, Melitina Staniouta, came back with three bronze medals and I hope to see her win gold, too, she deserves it. How about the host country and everyone's favorite Ukrainians? I was not surprised to see Ganna Rizatdinova win with hoop. Hoop is by far her best routine this season:
And Alina Maksymenko got a bronze with clubs, too, after numerous errors, small and large, that she made in her other routines.
Still, she was smiling the moment she stepped out in front of the audience loves her so much. I don't know if she is planning to retire. I think she is still young and she can work on focusing better and performing cleaner routines. But it seems she thoroughly enjoyed herself anyway.
New stars have risen, too, on the world gymnastics horizon. One of them is the Greek Varvara Filiou, who I have really liked lately. She impressed me A LOT during the European Championships, the Mediterranean games and the Kazan Universiade. She placed 4th with ribbon at this World Championship so I hope many medals await her, and overall, a great career full of health and fan love. Congratulations!
6/01/2013
Flying Hoops and Hopes: First Day of the European Championship
I watched the European Championship live from Vienna last night and loved the performances of all gymnast, both new stars and some well-established veterans.
A great hope for Greek gymnastics, Varvara Filou may be warming up her shoulders here, but her lines looked clean and strong in her performance at the EC so far.
Meanwhile, Margarita Mamun from Russia showed no nerves and got stellar scores with ball and hoop.
Alexandra Piscupescu, on the other hand, is not just a hopeful but the best Romanian rhythmic gymnast to date. She deserves to make finals and should be proud of herself.
Judges, please, give Alexandra good marks! ;-) And while we are at it, give them to Silvia Miteva, too. She made minor errors in her pivots and missed a risk with ball, but she showed strong routines and choreography as usual. This may be her last European championship!
Halkina from Belarus, a new hope for this gymnastics powerhouse, looks sad after dropping the hoop and with a reason! This error may put Belarus out of the medals, which would be very sad. Meanwhile, Lala Yusifova from Azerbaijan is just short of the 17.00 mark but her hoop and her spirit flew very high. I hope to see her win medals next year!
And, finally, the question remains: who will win more gold, Mamun or Kudryavtseva. I favor Mamun's style but prefer Yana's apparatus technique. Let's see if Yana's nerves will not betray her. This championship may become her first big victory.
A great hope for Greek gymnastics, Varvara Filou may be warming up her shoulders here, but her lines looked clean and strong in her performance at the EC so far.
Meanwhile, Margarita Mamun from Russia showed no nerves and got stellar scores with ball and hoop.
Alexandra Piscupescu, on the other hand, is not just a hopeful but the best Romanian rhythmic gymnast to date. She deserves to make finals and should be proud of herself.
Judges, please, give Alexandra good marks! ;-) And while we are at it, give them to Silvia Miteva, too. She made minor errors in her pivots and missed a risk with ball, but she showed strong routines and choreography as usual. This may be her last European championship!
Halkina from Belarus, a new hope for this gymnastics powerhouse, looks sad after dropping the hoop and with a reason! This error may put Belarus out of the medals, which would be very sad. Meanwhile, Lala Yusifova from Azerbaijan is just short of the 17.00 mark but her hoop and her spirit flew very high. I hope to see her win medals next year!
And, finally, the question remains: who will win more gold, Mamun or Kudryavtseva. I favor Mamun's style but prefer Yana's apparatus technique. Let's see if Yana's nerves will not betray her. This championship may become her first big victory.
3/05/2013
My Top 4 Routines in 2013
Now that the first two strong tournaments of the year, one in Estonia and one in Moscow, have finished, I can say I watched the new routines of most of the world's best gymnasts. I have made my picks as follows
1. Top Ball Routine: Margarita Mamun. This is a lyrical, brilliant, light-as-a-feather routine, in which I think Rita Mamun displays some of the best arm movements in the business of dance and gymnastics. We see risk and we also see expression:
2. Top Clubs Routine: Alexandra Merkulova. This is one of the few routines with a vocal and with words that I actually enjoy. Sasha Merkulova takes the credit for looking like she is having tons, tons of fun performing and not like she is pretending to dance. I really feel sad when so many gymnast just move their hips around because now you have to include "dance elements" and they are not feeling the music, or the mood, or anything at all. Joyful dancing aside, this is a routine full of small movements and tricks with the clubs, which is what every routine should be. None of the elements look static and a few are pretty original. The routine covers the entire carpet and matches the music:
3. Top Ribbon Routine: Melitina Staniouta. A classy and classical routine beyond any doubt. As we know, all of Melitina's leaps and pivots are some of the strongest in the world and she has put a lot of effort into interpreting the music and making this routine very "alive" and fluid. Melitina Staniouta is, physically, the best gymnast in the world right now. If her expression matches her physical fitness, she should be winning gold after gold. But mostly with this wonderfully sophisticated ribbon:
4. Top Hoop Routine: Ganna Rizatdinova. Ukranian gymnasts completely "own" the hoop as an apparatus. Maksymenko has presented a strong hoop routine as well but Ganna's pirouettes and her dramatic, yet, not drama queen-ish interpertation has put it over the top of me. She is truly flying high like her hoop here, taking over all the emotional space she can:
1. Top Ball Routine: Margarita Mamun. This is a lyrical, brilliant, light-as-a-feather routine, in which I think Rita Mamun displays some of the best arm movements in the business of dance and gymnastics. We see risk and we also see expression:
2. Top Clubs Routine: Alexandra Merkulova. This is one of the few routines with a vocal and with words that I actually enjoy. Sasha Merkulova takes the credit for looking like she is having tons, tons of fun performing and not like she is pretending to dance. I really feel sad when so many gymnast just move their hips around because now you have to include "dance elements" and they are not feeling the music, or the mood, or anything at all. Joyful dancing aside, this is a routine full of small movements and tricks with the clubs, which is what every routine should be. None of the elements look static and a few are pretty original. The routine covers the entire carpet and matches the music:
3. Top Ribbon Routine: Melitina Staniouta. A classy and classical routine beyond any doubt. As we know, all of Melitina's leaps and pivots are some of the strongest in the world and she has put a lot of effort into interpreting the music and making this routine very "alive" and fluid. Melitina Staniouta is, physically, the best gymnast in the world right now. If her expression matches her physical fitness, she should be winning gold after gold. But mostly with this wonderfully sophisticated ribbon:
4. Top Hoop Routine: Ganna Rizatdinova. Ukranian gymnasts completely "own" the hoop as an apparatus. Maksymenko has presented a strong hoop routine as well but Ganna's pirouettes and her dramatic, yet, not drama queen-ish interpertation has put it over the top of me. She is truly flying high like her hoop here, taking over all the emotional space she can:
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