Genocide, tears and icons. Russia scandals again in rhythmic gymnastics – Sport – News of St. Petersburg
The Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championship taking place these days has turned into one big scandal. All thanks to Irina Viner-Usmanova and her wards – the Averin sisters, who, by the way, began their sports career in the St. Petersburg center “Zhemchuzhina”. The judges, like at the Olympics, offend our girls, Viner is sure. Even the icon did not help.
The beginning of the madness was laid by the commentators of the Match TV channel, which seem to have taken an offensive position from the very beginning. The decisive performances started on October 27 with the hoop. The competition was commented on by Andrey Simonov and Yulia Sinitsyna, master of sports in rhythmic gymnastics and European champion among juniors, more familiar to the general public as a participant in Dancing with the Stars.
During her speech, Arina Averina dropped the hoop, which is considered a gross mistake, but Simonov did not notice this and called her number a genius. The judges, as expected, put Arina in an intermediate second place – below the Italian Milena Baldassarri.
The World Cup in thin began. gymnastics. Present: Averins, Viner, Kuzmina. Missing: Ashram. Dina Averina confidently won the hoop and the ball.
The coverage on Match TV was phenomenal. Commentators did not see how Arina Averina dropped the hoop, and accused the judges of everything: “Genocide is taking place.” pic.twitter.com/y3Artan5Aj
– La Russie parle (@Russia_calls) October 27, 2021
“Suddenly, I was sure that Averina should receive much more. And we saw it perfectly. More than 25 points one hundred percent. Is this already such a trend? “- Simonov seemed quite sincerely surprised.
Next came the Belarusian Alina Gornosko. Sinitsyna appreciated her performance as good, but noted several mistakes. When the judges also put the Belarusian athlete higher than Arina, the commentator could not resist.
“What is going on, some kind of genocide! I just have no words, ”Sinitsyna exclaimed.
When the judges, despite all the skepticism of the commentators, nevertheless brought the second sister, Dina Averina, to the first place, Sinitsyna said that “justice has been done”, and Simonov that this is “our answer to Chamberlain.”
At the same time, Wiener was sure that the judges were again trying to come up with something against her ward.
“Look what’s going on. Again they sit there, defile (think, think, figure in mind – ed.). They are again dulling ”, – Wiener’s words were broadcast.
It was the 14th gold of the world championships in the career of Dina Averina. Almost immediately, she won her 15th highest grade ball routine. The next day began no less triumphantly: the girl won 16th gold in the exercise with clubs.
“We performed well, because they were judged by independent referees who did not exist before,” said Irina Viner after the 16th gold medal to Averina, but as soon as the judges didn’t put the Russian woman in first place, mercy changed to insanity.
As in the Olympics, everything happened in the exercises with the ribbons.
First, the judges put Arina Averina below the Belarusian Alina Gornosko. Dina spoke next. After her number, the happy Russian woman, confident of another victory, fell into the arms of Viner, who had been waiting for her with an icon all this time.
However, the judges had their own opinion on this matter. Dina was placed below Gornosko, leaving the Russian woman without a fourth gold at the 2021 World Cup. Viner freaked out from indignation and ran out of the frame, leaving Dina alone.
A protest was filed, but it was rejected. Dina’s eyes filled with tears, just like at the Olympics. Natalya Kuzmina, the head of the technical committee of the International Gymnasium of the Federation (FIG), was declared the main enemy.
“These are not the first tears in their eyes – they were already at the Olympic Games. The worst thing is that it was repeated in public. A person (talking about Kuzmina – ed.) Has no conscience or honor. She is somehow publicly ours to the vice-president of FIG Vasily Nikolayevich Titov that Russia is now nothing for her. This is how he behaves, unfortunately. We will continue to fight with the team, to compete in the all-around final, ”Viner said.
“At the moment it is very difficult to comment on something, since such a situation has already happened, and we remember it very well. Therefore, I do not want to say anything on this topic. In Tokyo, I said that I did my best, and now I can do the same, ”said Averina.
A few hours later, it became known that Natalya Kuzmina would leave the post of head of the technical committee of the Gymnastics Federation at the end of December 2021. Meanwhile, at the World Championships, all-around and group exercises are ahead – to a large extent the Russian team lost at the Olympics, but the Olympic champions “world” are missing.
Schedule:
29th of October. 11:00 (Moscow time) – group all-around (5 balls, 3 hoops + 2 pairs of clubs)
October 30. 8:30 – personal all-around.
October 31. 11:30 – groups (5 balls, 3 hoops / 2 pairs of clubs).
Artem Kuzmin, Fontanka.ru