Goodwill abounded as 24 gymnasts, members of the French and Russian national squads, delighted the crowd in the town of Givet, the final stop on the traditional Russian team tour of France on February 9. Held in a purpose built arena, the gala was fast moving and entertaining. "The gym is really new, it was finished just about a year ago," Karine Leclerq of the organising municipal sports department told Gymworld, "we have 600 seats which are completely sold out." And the guests sold their routines well, balancing showmanship with serious gymnastics. Lead by Svetlana Khorkina and Grigori Grebenkov, the Russians had brought some of their upcoming talent to the Ardennes. Junior European champions Anna Pavlova, Polina Miller and Yelena Anoshina joined double Olympic champ Yelena Zamolodchikova and Olga Azarkevich. Only two other men - Yuri Tikhanopvski and Anton Golotsutskov - accompanied Grebenkov. If the veterans were the spiritual head of the team, they left the floor to the younger ones, with Zamolodchikova and Khorkina doing only one routine each. "I feel really good, " a laid back Zamolodchikova told Gymworld, "I have no trouble with my foot anymore and I'm looking forward to this year's competitions".

Despite the informal atmosphere, the gala was also a testing ground for high level gymnastics. Miller debuted a toe on to immediate Tkachev on bars and was visibly dejected when she came off beam on her standing Arabian. Also swallowing a fall after a standing Arabian was the enigmatic Anoshina, who tumbled a combination of full-twisting back handspring-back tuck-Onodi-side somi. On bars, she swung two piked stalders to a piked Jaeger and a Tkachev-Pak combination. Anna Pavlova may have added a few centimetres to her height, but was still the smallest of her team mates. Looking in good shape and confident, Pavlova lived up to her name with a floor routine set to a medley of ballet suites performed well and with considerably difficult tumbling (double layout, triple twist, 2 ½ twist). Grigori Grbenkov was quite the showman, giving himself a round of applause with his heels on an iron cross before falling to the floor in a melodramatic pose. The hosts added their own flavour to the proceedings with Eliza Pasquet and Maud Collas showing typically French choreography on floor. On hand as coaches were former international competitors Sébastien Darrigade, a two time Olympian who now works with the junior team at the INSEP training centre in Paris, and Stéphanie Cottel, who was in charge of rhythmic gymnasts Delphine Ledoux and Aurélie Lacour.

By far the most popular show of the evening was a zany cross-over routine which brought Golotsutskov to the uneven bars and Pavlova to the rings while rhythmic gymnast Yelena Sudakova took herself and her hoop to the beam and Anoshina joined the sports acro trio. "Since this is the final night of the tour, the gymnasts have decided to treat you all to a bit of a farce," the announcer explained. Svetlana Khorkina, who had been told to give RG a try early in her career because of her unusual height for an artistic gymnast, threw herself wholeheartedly into a ribbon routine. With his team mates testing their new horizons, Yuri Tikhanovski watched from the sidelines, doubled up with laughter. A delighted Khorkina eagerly inquired (in English):"It was good, yes?" Yes.

nora
pictures appear courtesy of gymfan.de