Simply Grishina!

Nastia performing a switch ring leap.

After the previous post, the injury update, I stumbled upon a recent video of Anastasia Grishina training. She is sporting a bandage over her left knee and will probably have to wear a bandage for the rest of her competitive career. I think it is meant to provide support and to cover up the thick scar that probably resulted from the surgery - think Rebecca Bross type.

Anastasia is performing a simple layout on a tumbling track - clearly nothing intense. The video shows that she is on track to make a comeback but the video makes it clear she is not training at a competitive level. I didn't expect much and I'm not disappointed with the video, I'm just happy she's healthy and back in training.

For those that don't know much about Anastasia, keep reading for my short and sweet bio of her. Nastia, as she is sometimes called, was a promising Junior who defeated Viktoria Komova on two apparatuses at the Junior Euros. She is known for her great toe-point and artistry as well as for having the best twisting form in the Russian team. To say she was a promising gymnast would be an understatement and a dishonor. Unluckily for her, she was assigned a coach that simply lacked the capacity to turn her into a champion. Her coach steered her into working hard tumbling passes on floor, a double twisting double back tucked, while neglecting her best apparatus - the uneven bars. She had performed a double twisting double back tuck off bars, an F rated dismount, but didn't attempt it at London. Ultimately her coach was reassigned and she was given a more uneven bars oriented coach.

If Nastia Grishina had better coaching her potential would have meant that Russia would have had three of the best gymnasts in the world on their team. Sadly for Russia the cards were not lined up for them and it wasn't meant to be. But thinking of Nastia reminds me of what could have been and what didn't happen. Since the Olympics she has been battling injuries and Valentina - I'll talk about her later.

P.S.: I would have posted the video in the previous post but didn't find it in time for that post. I also didn't want to mess with the previous post because it would have gotten to long for my taste. To be honest it is surprising that the video hasn't made it to all of the gymnastics blogs yet. I guess you saw it here first!

Via Alyssia Spaan on YouTube