Lukonina's Amazing Ball Routine Gets Better

As I wrote before, Yana Lukonina really impressed me in Montreal.

I especially love her ball routine. Last month she had a lot of errors during that and other routines, and she actually had to run for her ball way outside the carpet. But after this huge mistake, she continued with composure and grace. Look at the breath-taking catch at 1:30:



I really love her flexibility elements, her ending, and how she moves her arms throughout routine. My favorite element, as I said before, is the catch in split. I don't think anybody else does this in the world.

Notice the difference in Yana's performance only a month later in Moscow:



It's a pity that Lukonina did not make the ball final in Moscow. I think she totally deserved it. But we all know that Merkulova is the new favorite in the Russian team.

Well,every team has certain "primas" and favorites. But, as a fan, I feel the need to share my opinion and my opinion is that, after Kanaeva, Yana has the best ball routine in the world!

For all Lukonina fans, here are some more pictures of this stunningly talented Russian beauty. Yana recently shared on Twitter that she takes a lot of pain killers for a knee problem. I hope she stays healthy and keeps her beautiful smile and sparkling personality, a real treat for the fans.

Canada's New Hope Mariam Chamilova

Adding some more pictures of Canada's top gymnast at the moment. Born in 1994, Mariam Chamilova trained for a few years in a Center of Olympic Training in Moscow. She has recently joined he Kalev Rhythmic Gymnastics Academy in Toronto.I really enjoyed her clubs routine where she had risky elements with the clubs and very good turning fouettés.

Rita Mamun: from Russia and Bangladesh with Style

I have been promising to post some photos of Margarita Mamun, who used to compete for Bangladesh, but lives in Moscow and just represented Russia at the World Cup in Montreal. Rita won the bronze in the all around and the gold with ball, for a truly sparkling brilliant, smooth and lyrical routine.



Here are some photos from the warm-up. Rita looked very focused and confident with her blue ribbon. She looks very thin and almost fragile, so the energy and strength with which she performs look even more impressive.

Both Lukonina and Mamun had really beautiful leotards at this competition but because Rita is olive-skinned, the bright colors and the gold and silver embellishments look particularly striking on her:

I am curious to see if this gymnast, who has a lot of personal style, will have the chance to compete for Bangladesh or Russia. I think she has a chance to place among the top 10 in the world if she continues performing with control and confidence, like she did in Montreal.