MCSMaria's Artistic Gymnastics Blog

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.

Over the weekend, Texas Dreams' gymnast, Macy Toronjo debuted a floor routine to the exact same music one Miss Sandra Izbasa, Olympic Champion of Romania, had for her routine at last year's world championships.

The latest retirement of this quad is Chinese Gymnast, Zeng Siqi. The news has been floating around the gymternet for a while it seems.

A couple of stills have surfaced of four time all-around world champion Kohei Uchimura and his young teammate, floor world champion, Kenzo Shirai.

What has Simone Biles been doing since her world championship win in Antwerp? To answer that question, the FIG recently caught up with Simone Biles and her coach, Amy Boorman nearly two months after her world championship win in Antwerp. She and Amy told the FIG she's just back to training again after having surgery to remove bone spurs from her ankle.

The last USA women's training camp for 2013 concluded today, at the Karolyi Ranch outside of Houston, Texas.

This edition of Favorite Routines is featuring Japan's Mai Murakami on floor exercise. This is a great routine. The tumbling is clean and powerful, the landings are good and she completes a bad ass quadruple turn. The music is an interesting choice, but it adds a mysterious aspect to it. Plus, she is just so cute, it's hard not to like her.

This photo edit shows Kyla Ross's beautifully executed Maloney half on the uneven bars during the event finals at the World Championships in Antwerp. Kyla received the silver medal for the uneven bars, the balance beam and the all around. She and Kohei Uchimura were awarded with the Longienes Prize for Elegance (and along with the beautiful watch and trophy, she received a congratulatory kiss on the cheek from Philip Boy, swoon). This really is poetry in motion.

In a World Championship or any gymnastics event, there are any number of stories to be told. Whether it's a gymnasts battle with him or herself, battling an injury, or trying to set themselves apart from the rest of the competition.

The World Championships have come and gone and we're all still trying to drown our sorrows about it being all over with chocolate, crying sessions or whatever your vice for curing your post Worlds hangover.

After what Carlotta Ferlito's now infamous rant on Simone Biles and the beam final and some racially charged comments, David Ciarelli, a spokesperson for the Italian Gymnastics Federation, defended Carlotta after her unfortunate foot in mouth incident which has now become the biggest story coming from the Antwerp World Championships. Ciarelli seems to have only made matters worse by inserting his foot even deeper in his mouth.  Ciarelli posted the following comments on the Facebook page of the Italian Gymnastics Federation (the comment does not as of today appear on the page).

The first day of the event finals turned out to be a great continuance from the high of yesterday's women's all around finals. USA put four more athletes on the medal podium with three silvers, a gold and a bronze medal.

The newest world all-around champion has been crowned, after a night of joy, a night of triumphs and perseverance. The night can be focussed on four stories, Kyla Ross, Simone Biles, Larisa Iordache and Aliya Mustafina. It was a four way battle for the podium, and only one could triumph.

The Gymnternet is buzzing with the alleged underscoring of Vasiliki Millousi's beam routine by .2 compared to Aliya Mustafina. The following video begs the question, was the judging fair?

Sam Mikulak is known for his chill, California surfer boy personality. During qualifications Sam kept spirits light around the arena with his charm and easy going spirit by dancing on the competition floor.

Russian newbie Anna Rodionova has been out and about during today's podium training. The featured routine from the tiny blond newbie is her training the uneven bars. She has some form issues, namely a leg separation on her Shaposh half and she catches her straddled Jaeger a little close to the bar and bends her arms to compensate. she makes up for it with a nice Tkatchev and a clean landing on her dismount.

The burning question is always, where and how can I watch the World Championships. For USA Gym Fans: the folks at USA Gymnastics communications department have put up this wonderful website www.usagymworlds.com specifically to watch the men and women of team USA.

More podium training awesomeness. Yao Jinnan shows everyone just how much of a bad ass she is with her uneven bars routine.

It really is too bad she will only be an alternate. That routines is looking solid. And she is nailing that Tweddle release move!

Inside Gymnastics has the official word from the team USA camp at worlds. Marta Karolyi has spoken and she is decreeing there will be three all-arounders.