MCSMaria's Artistic Gymnastics Blog

Today is a sad day. It's sad because 2012 Olympic Gold Medalist, world champion and multiple time world medalist Kyla Ross announced via her Twitter account that she has decided to hang up the grips on her elite career.

Good news from Beth Tweddle regarding her injury. Beth, world champion, Olympic Medalist and European Champion has been discharged from the hospital following her scary accident while filming the latest sports reality celebrity competition show "The Jump" in Austria.

Last week, in an article from tass.ru, Russian head coach Valentina Rodionenko had announced the retirement of 2012 Olympic Silver Medalist, Anastasia Grishina. Yesterday, in an interview with Ginnastica Artistica Italiana, Grishina confirmed her retirement. As for her reason, Grishina cited her knee injury, which she sustained at the Russian Championships in 2014.

Let's file this under the category "Things That Make You Feel Old." The baby of the 2012 Russian Olympic team, Anastasia Grishina, is all grown up and getting married and such.  Papa Liukin on Tumblr shared some wedding photos of Grishy and her groom.

With the Rio Olympics only a year away, and it's essential to know all about your favorite competitors. Earlier this week, I shared a couple of infographics featuring Gabby Douglas, Aliya Mustafina and Nastia Liukin, created by the gymternet members on Tumblr, that help fans keep track of their favorite athletes. The good folks on the gymternet have compiled another gym infographic.

After much speculation as to the state of her gymnastics career, Canadian gymnast, Victoria Moors has announced her retirement.

Aly Raisman competed in her first competition back since she won the gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics on floor exercise. Aly and team USA competed at the City of Jesolo Trophy and as usual, dominated.

2012 Team Gold medalist and vault silver medalist and inspiration of the "McKayla is not impressed" meme has been absent from the elite gymnastics scene mostly due to injury.

Kyla Ross like many high school seniors has made the tough choice on where she will attend college. Yesterday, on her Twitter account, Kyla announced her commitment to the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA).

After being mysteriously being absent from competition most of 2014, Canadian gymnast Victoria Moors is returning to competition. Victoria, who competed with Canada at the 2012 Olympic Games, will compete in Elite Canada which per the Gymternet , is her first competition back since she won bronze at the Canadian Championships in May. She was named to the Commonwealth Games team, but mysteriously withdrew for reasons unknown.

Unlike her 2012 teammates, Olympic gold medalist and world champion, Jordyn Wieber will not make a go for Rio De Janeiro in 2016.

After almost a year and a half out of international competition, Russian gymnast, Ksenia Afanasyeva returned to international competition at the DTB (Stuttgart) Cup. Ksenia, the 2011 Floor World Champion and the 2013 European Floor Champion, had been out of competition due to an ongoing injury that has plagued her since before last year's world championships in Antwerp, Belgium. Two surgeries and sixteen months later, she is back competition for Russia in the team competition at the DTB Cup, in Stuttgart, Germany.

Queen Elizabeth of Rewriting Russian Gymnastics has posted a translation of a recent interview with the glorious Aliya Mustafina. She talks about everything from her experiences at worlds, winning the beam gold medal in Antwerp to losing Alexandrov as a coach. I've posted some of the highlights here. It gives great insight into what her life is like and her thoughts on winning the gold medal. She talks about what her plans are for her post gymnastics life. She says she has the option to become a coach, but isn't sure she'd be successful because she "loves children too much" to be what they need.  Surprising, because she's a bright girl and could really do anything she wants. Read more of Aliya's thoughts after the cut.

Two of the Fierce Five Members are returning to the USA Gymnastics scene. On Thursday, Fierce Five member and Olympic Floor Champion, Aly Raisman posted a text message exchange on her Twitter  account between her and fellow fierce five member and Olympic All-Around Champ, Gabby Douglas.

Worlds preparation is entering the home stretch. This means getting in routine shape and putting together new skills. Olympic vault bronze medalist, Russian gymnast Maria Paseka has been seen training a handspring Rudi vault.

Just in case you thought Gabby's return to camp was akin to sightings of mythical unicorns in the woods, here is photographic proof of her return.

John Orozco has been a national champion, a world medalist and an Olympian. He also has a secret talent for music. In this video that I randomly discovered on Tumblr, John is showing off his vocal chops by singing "Take Me or Leave Me" from the musical Rent .

There is now video evidence of Russia's Viktoria Komova back in training. Viktoria, who did not compete last year due to injuries and an unfortunate bout of viral meningitis, is looking much taller, obviously having grown in her time off.

Jordyn Wieber is an incredible athlete. The girl is so tough, Superman is jealous of her. (She doesn't need to be from the planet Krypton to have the ability to fly!)

Recently, Viktoria Komova sat down with VTB Russia and talked about her injuries that kept her out of competition and her potential return this year.