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Press Conference
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Today the press conference, dedicated to the annual competition - Deriugina Cup Naftogaz 2005, took place. Irina Deriugina, 2 times all-round World Champion, vice-president of Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation, as well as leading Ukrainian gymnasts - Anna Bessonova and Natalia Godunko - took part in it. Irina Deriugina thanked the Prime Minister of Ukraine Yulia Volodimyrivna Timoshenko for her help in organizing the competition :
- It was very difficult to organize the competition because of huge changes inside the country. The new power had little time for sport, they were afraid of taking responsibility for holding such a prestigious tournament. I'm thankful to Yulia Volodimyrivna for her help. Up to now she obliged the Finance Ministry of Ukraine to support our competition financially. Even though we haven't received anything yet, we think that this question had already been settled and our government won't break it's promises. Surely we won't to hold 13th Deriugina Cup on 13th of March on the highest organizational level. Unfortunately, just on the eve of the competition gymnasts from Austria and Czech Republic got injured, that's why they won't be able to visit our competition. Now we are waiting for the confirmation of participations of the gymnasts from Azerbaijan, Uzbekistan and Finland that got into Grand Prix list by the results of the first Grand Prix.
Deriugina Cup is the second competition of the prestigious Grand Prix series in rhythmic gymnastics. The first competition took place in Moscow a week ago. That is how Irina Deriugina commented on this tournament :
- In my opinion, Russia held this competition on a low organizational and technical level. All gymnasts from 3 groups were warming up on one single training carpet. Before the performance of their routines girls had to walk through a long corridor and go several floors upstairs. Surely they could get cold during this walking. I must not that best Belarussian gymnast Inna Zhukova as well as Latvian gymnast got injured. Hungarian athlete ended competition after 2 rotations. Considering routines of Ukrainian gymnasts, I can't forget about the fact that the music for Bessonova and Godunko was played very quietly, the audience and gymnasts could hardly hear it. The judging problem is still on. Bessonova didn't get into 2 finals, where she could easily win. In quallifications she really made several rude mistakes, but the score of 13 points seems very low for me because Vera Sesina for much worse performance in the final with ribbon got 14 points.
- How do You find the shape of Russian gymnasts and who of them will come to Kiev?
Irina Deriugina - Still we do not have nominative registration from Russia. Just a few hours ago they confirmed their participation with 3 gymnasts, but we still can not name them. Frankly speaking, I expected much more from the Russians, I thought they would be in a better shape. The new rules didn't work on russian gymnasts, I'd say they were made more for Ukrainian gymnasts.
- Could you please tell more about the new rules. How much did the compositions change? Why do you think that the new rules fit Ukrainian gymnasts more?
Irina Deriugina - The main emphasis of these rules is Execution. All deductions of this judging brigade were risen. For example, if a gymnast goes outside the carpet area the judges will deduct 0.2, not 0.1 as it was earlier. If a gymnast loses the apparatus and catches it after 2 steps, she loses half a point in her mark. Even if a gymnast simply makes a step after the pivot and loses her vertical axis, she gets 0.3 deduction. Our gymnasts are famous for their purity in execution, it is known by everybody. I must say that routines looked very static in Moscow. Our gymnasts have many dynamic elements that give them risk and speed. They really move around the carpet, not just simply walk.
Anna Bessonova : Surely, everything new is always difficult. I have only ball music left, which I performed on Olympic Games under, even though the whole routine was changed. We will work to perform all routines very cleanly.
Natalia Godunko : New rules were rather difficult for us because in rope we should only leap, in ball we do only flexibilities, in clubs - balances and in ribbon - pirouettes. For me, the most difficult is to get difficulty in ribbon routine because the value of pivots, comparing to those of leaps and balances is very law and that's why we simply run around the carpet and make these pivots. Not everything works perfectly yet, but we will train and work on our mistakes.
Irina Deriugina : It was difficult to compose the routines. We just couldn't fitt all the required 18 elements in a minute and a half that a routine lasts. Surely we got many questios connected with new rules. First after 8 years we will hold a judging seminar after Deriugina Cup where Ukrainian judges will take an exam to get an international brevet for jduging. Egle Abruzzini is coming to us, who is a president of technical committee of rhythmic gymnastics of the FIG. She was present at our first Deriugina Cup 13 years ago and she will come now. We think that a turn towards Ukraine has happened.
A question to Anna Bessonova. There were rumours that you are going to retire. It was no wonder because most athletes lose motivation after Olympic Games. Why did you stay?
[b] As you see, this rumours were not true. I simply took a small rest, I wanted to cure my old injury. Then we started to work for new programme. I didn't lose my motivation. I didn't get my aim yet, I want to prove everybody that my potential is not over yet. And surely I want to do well in Kiev because to compete at home is always a pleasure!
Photo courtesy of Tom Theobald |
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10 Mar 2005
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