Artistic Gymnastics

GYMmedia Exclusiv-INTERVIEW with Rafael Martinez

10. August 2004  
Madrid / Athen  
Artistic Gymnastics

GYMmedia Exclusiv-INTERVIEW with Rafael Martinez

Rafael Martinez, Spain

Olympic debut at the age of 20

Vice European All-around Champion Rafael Martinez is one of the new big hopes of the Spanish men's national team in Athens now.

Next to the wellknown international experts like Jesus and Manuel Carballo, Gervasio Deferr and in the team with Victor Cano, Allejandro Barronechea, he dreams to be under the best eight Olympians at the Games in Athens and also from the floor final...

At the national Spanish Championships our Spanisch GYMmedia correspondent Esther Teijera Miethe spoke wih the national all-around champion....

Rafael Martinez, Spain

RAFAEL MARTÍNEZ (Spain):
GYMmedia exclusive Interview by GYMmedia correspondent Esther Teijera Miethe, Madrid

GYMMEDIA: Please, give the GYMmedia users some more information about yourself...
Rafael Martínez: Well, I was born on December 10th, 1983 in Madrid. I live in Móstoles (Madrid suburbs) at my parents' house, not in the training centre like all other gymnasts. We are six people at home, my parents and four children including me.

GM: How did you begin practising gymnastics?
Rafael: When I was seven years old, I started in the Joan Miró pabillion, near my home in Móstoles, and I did it just for not making the same that all boys use to do, playing football or basketball.

GM: What is you opinion about your sport, and why did you choose artistic gymnastics and not another sport?
Rafael: I think it wasn't really me who has chosen gymnastics, my parents did it. And, being all my life there, just centered in gymnastics, you don't even think in any other thing. I'll go on as long as I can.

...at the Euro Champs 2004 in Ljubljana

GM: Which is your favourite apparatus and the one you like less?
Rafael: My favourite is floor, without doubt, and the worst for me are the rings.

GM: Tell us about your main succeses in gymnastics...!
Rafael: Yes, during the European Championships in Ljubljana I won the silver medal at the all around competition and became third at floor. The Preolympic Test in Athens was quite sucessful for me, too, I finished first in floor and third at pommel horse. These are my main succeses. In Athens, I'll try be between the best eight in the all around competition.
GM: Which is your main goal at the Olympic Games in Athens?
Rafael: As I told you before, I'll try to get among the eight best in the all around and obtain an olympic diploma.

GM: What are your plans after the Olympic Games?
Rafael: Well, these Games came quite soon for me, so I'll concentrate my preparation for the next Games in Beijing 2008, where I'm supposed to be in my best shape.

....all-around winner of the triple meet 2003 in Dresden Germany, Spain, Switzerland

GM: How do you see the promotion of gymnastics nowadays, above all in Spain, where it's not a popular sport?
Rafael: Yes, it's not very popular, and we are trying now to get some medals, so that the children decide to start, and, step by step, the basis of this sports grows bigger.

GM: Which other sports do you like?
Rafael: Formula 1.

GM: Your favourite food and drink?
Rafael: Chicken with garlic sauce and Aquarius with orange taste.

GM: What do you use to do during your free time?
Rafael: I'm a DJ, I play discos, kind of progessive music and so on. Beside that I like to watch Formula 1 and carts, I also play billiard.
GM: Which have been for you your best and worst moments in you sports career?
Rafael: Obviuosly, my best moment was the silver medal at the European Championships in Slovenia, and the worst was when I was about to travel for a junior European Championships and I broke my foot while jumping at trainings.

GM: Talking about music, which are your preferences?
Rafael: What I really like is disco music, but I do also like Héroes del Silencio and Enrique Bumbury.

GM: Do you speak any other language apart from Spanish?
Rafael: I'm now trying to learn English, above all to be able to get involved in conversations with other gymnasts.

GM: Finally, if you hadn't been a gymnast or a DJ, what would you have liked to do in your life?
Rafael: I have no idea. The truth is that I never ever thought about anything else but gymnastics..

GM: ... many thanks and good luck for the Olympics!

INTERVIEW by GYMmedia correspondent Esther Teijera Miethe, Madrid, Spain.

Olympic Training in full Speed

10. August 2004  
Olympic city Athens  
Artistic Gymnastics

Olympic Training in full Speed

Yang, Wei, one of the top favorites...

Team favorite China in top form
Despite a long-lasting journey and jet lag, the men of the Team World Champion China make an excellent impression.
Especially the winner of the silver medal in Sydney and Vice-World Champion of Anaheim YANG, Wei presented his routines on the highest technical level. Both he and his compatriot and World Champion on pommel horse Li, Xiaopeng completed their programmes without any stability problems.....

... however, there are further teams and gymnasts to make the upcoming competitions suspensful and exciting...
09. Aug: Observations of the Olympic training
Dieter Hofmann reports from Athens

One has already now to take one's hat off to the Ukranian men. Certainly, they still suffer from the bereavement of one of their stars (- Alexander Beresch's fatal car accident in spring 2004). Furthermore, shortly before the departure to Athens, Anatoli Shemiakin, who is one of their most renowned coaches (Misjutin, Korobtschinski), suffered from a heart attack and had to waive the journey.
They still attracted attention with a quite relaxed training, as the French did, too. A highlight was the routine on high bar of the Ukrainian Valeri Gontscharow!

Testing flyer Karbonenko (FRA)

In the morning the old-champion Dmitri Karbonenko from France tested the competition apparatus on the podium at request of the supplier and complimented on them as well as the international coaching notables such as the Chinese Gaojing, Jesus Carballo sen. (ESP), Leonid Arkajew (RUS) as well as the president of FIG Bruno Grandi.
It is striking to observe the special Asian politeness during the training. The Chinese, Koreans, Japanese bow, they bow low, to each other oftenly and several times repeated. That is evidence of a high mutual appreciation and respect!
All three Asian teams are in excellent Olympic shape
As China and Korea so the Japanese proved their brilliant constitution - after already two days of maximum load before the podium training: After 75 minutes of the most intensive training they started a complete team competiton. And, since it was so nice, they repeated it for a second time!! Yoneda, Tsukahara and Kashima will each perform a complete all-around. Clear goal: a team medal!
The members of Japan's Olympic team in 1988 Iketani and Mitsushima send best regards to Sylvio Kroll, Holger Behrendt and Sven Tippelt of the German Olympic silver team (GDR).
Despite rigious limitations, which are typical for Olympics, there is rather much accredited company, especially around the teams from USA. There, you can see former internationals like Tim Dagget, Elvi Schlegel, Valeri Ljukin, John Roethlisberger as well as a high number of supervising coaches...!

The Australians have lost one of its key members through injury, only days before the Olympic program is due to start.
Danielle Kelly was preparing for her Olympic debut in Athens when she tore a calf muscle in training. The 18-year-old will leave the athletes village and fly home to Australia later this week and her place in the team will be taken by Karen Nguyen.

Fabian Hambüchen:
'... I need my contacts!'

Hambuechen with limited sight - but still with full view
Germany's youngster Fabian Hambüchen has a huge wearout of contacts: Since Thursday he wore out already three pairs due to a permanent putting in and taking out so that he has to use his sports glasses with rubber spring, now. The young man from Wetzlar suffers from a specific form of corneal curvature and uses a custom-made product. His contacs are produced by the Dutch company 'Pro Cornea' which sets quality standards in Europe and is represented by 'ECCO_Müller Welt' and by 'Optik Pape' in Wetzlar - however.....
Tomorrow his father/coach Wolfgang will travel quickly to the Netherlands in order to pick up at least two pairs of this special model, and to airfreight them to Athens, so that his filius will see clear at the latest on the day after tomorrow!
... there are so many people and processes in order to support the Olympic participants in Athens!

Dieter Hofmann reports from Athens as Gymmedia's correspondent

Translation: Florian Schmid-Sorg

Japanese Team via Stuttgart to Athens

05. August 2004  
Athens, Stuttgart  
Artistic Gymnastics

Japanese Team via Stuttgart to Athens

Kashima: Double World Champion 2003

Japanese are aiming for a team medal...

The Japanese men s team arrived in the Olympic City and started its pre-Olympic training. It had been for almost a week in Stuttgart s Artistic-Gymnastics-Forum in order to prepare for the Olympic Games.
After winning the bronze medal at the World Championships 2003 in Anaheim the men around president Mitsuo Tsukahara and double World Champion of the previous year, Takehiro Kashima, are aiming for even more in Athens...

gymnastics legend Tsukahara on a stamp

'Gold with team and a fourth rank for son Naoya...', that is the secret wish of father Mitsuo Tsukahara. As both president of the Japanese gymnastics federation as well as coach he was in charge of the squad in the Olympia camp in Stuttgart on its way to the Olympic city .
The great successes of Japan s men s gymnastics took place some years ago, and this legend of gymnastics Mitsuo Tsukahara founded the revolutionary gymnastics with his 'moon somersault', and between Mexiko-City 1968 and Montreal 1976 he contributed to these successes in a terrific way: He won 5 gold, one silver and 3 Olympic bronce medals .
Now, Japan s gymnastic aces worked their way back to the top. And as bronze medalists of the past WCh they rightly express Olympic ambitions - as well as World Champion China and USA being second at these WCh.

Naoya Tsukahara: Bad luck with falls in Sydney 2000...

With the double World Champion Takehiro Kashima (pommel horse, high bar), with son Naoya Tsukahara - who will perform at Olympics for the third time and lately suffered falls in Sydney, or with the all-arounder Hiroyuki Tomita they have indeed an excellent chance and everything less than a medal would be considered as a disappoinment for the men from Far East; after the mentioned successes the interest of the media in gymnastics increased enourmously at home due to the medal hopes.
The team was shocked to learn about the tragic accident of the German Ronny Ziesmer, who had trained for the Olympics. President Tsukahara spontanously transfered a donation of the Japanese gymnastics federation to the donation account of the German gymnastics federation DTB and German Sports support.
- gymmedia - br>
Translation: Florian Schmid-Sorg

Messengers of the Gods as Mascots

06. August 2004  
Athens / Greece  
Artistic Gymnastics

Messengers of the Gods as Mascots

Mascots 'Phivos' and 'Athina'

The story of Phivos and Athina
Phivos and Athina are the mascots of the Olympic Summer Games in Athens 2004. Athina is the ancient Greek goddess of wisdom and peace as well as Athens' patron. Phivos is better known as Apollo, the god of light and music. Both are mainly coloured in blue (representing the Greek sea) and orange (referring to the Greek sun). 196 drafts had been sent to the managers of the Olympics who finally decided in favour of these siblings...

Mascots of all sizes in the Olympic Store at Athens' airport

The Greek designer Spyros Gogos developed the double-mascots in dependence on a terracotta doll (the original mascot) from the seventh century before Christ.
This doll was already stored forgotten on the first floor of the Archaeological National Museum in Athens, before it unexpectedly shoot to fame. Since the presentation of the mascots in Athens, the doll received quickly a place of honour in the basement of the museum.
Hans Teklenburg (NED) of the company Janssen-Fritsen and Sawao Kato (JPN), member of the Technical Committee of the World Gymnastics Federation, together with both Olympic mascots after the completion and inspection of the Olympic apparatus on the podium in the competition arena.

Translation:
Florian Schmid-Sorg

All Olympic Gymnasts arrived in Athens

08. August 2004  
Olympic city Athens  
Artistic Gymnastics

All Olympic Gymnasts arrived in Athens

Athens' airport tower

With the arrival of the German delegation, almost all participants of the competitions in gymnastics are in full training in the Olympic city.
The US men already completed their second rotation, the Canadians attracted attention by their hard and strict training, and especially the elder and more experienced gymnasts appear to be excellently well prepared...
These are observation by Dieter Hofmann who will report from the competitions as GYMmedia's correspondent...

Sven Kwiatkowski in the Olympic training gym

Shortly before the hot start...
The German men finished their training at home in Kienbaum near Berlin on Wednesday with a highly focused team competition. Everybody was completely satisfied with the result of more than 225 points.
In addition, the whole team is at least in excellent shape. There has been no reduction of activities due to any injuries, so that everybody starts with cautious optimism into the last phase of the local preparation. Thomas Andergassen from Stuttgart and Chemnitz' Sven Kwiatkowski already know the conditions since past March (Pre-Olympics)...
... and with a 'special mission' to give their best at the Olympics by their colleague Ronny Ziesmer, who is hospitalised in Berlin after he had met with an accident, ... they will perform for him, too!

And also the German women Lisa Brüggemann and Yvonne Musik arrived as individual participants in the delegation. Since Atlanta 1996 they are the first German female gymnasts who become part of the 'Olympic Family'.
Beforehand, they had spent two weeks in an preparation camp in the Belgian high performance centre - together with the best Belgian gymnast Aagje Vanwalleghem. Everybody benefited enormously:

Lisa Brüggemann

'... especially because we could train on the same apparatus as here at the Olympics', said Lisa Brüggemann from Cologne, who feels in best constitution and is wishing for an as error-free as possible preliminary competition. 'However, if every of the 12 participating nations has two gymnasts who will complete a full all-around, everybody can guess how difficult it will be as individual gymnast to reach the final of the 24 best gymnasts', she pondered prior to her departure.

Chusovitina, World Champion 2003

Her father Prof. Peter Brüggemann took another flight route:
He flew directly from Cologne to Athens as personal coach of the World Champion Oksana Chusovitina. He will coach her in Athens on behalf of the Usbek federation: 'Naturally, it is Oksana's great, great dream to finish her incomparable career of more than 15 years in international gymnastics with a medal. However, it will be most difficult with all these strong contestants at these Olympics ...!'
In the age of 15 Oksana won her first WCh-title in 1991 (Indianapolis), became Olympic Champion in 1992, and now as 29-year-old (!) she takes part in her third Olympic Games as the eldest female gymnasts.


Day report from Athens (08-Aug)
By Dieter Hofmann, GYMmedia's correspondent

 With the arrival of the Germans, almost all participants of the Olympic competitions in gymnastics are in Athens. All gymnasts make an excellent impression during their training units. It is apparent that especially the women push through highly exertive programmes,
whereas the men in general train a little bit more at ease.
I was especially impressed by the athletic constitution of the 'established gymnasts' such as Juri Chechi (ITA), the former 'lord of the rings' - he is the eldest male gymnast with 35 years, Ivan Ivankov (BLR), Alexei Nemov or Alexander Svetlitshni (UKR); they certainly did not come as a PR gag...

Munteanu injured...?

With the women, especially the gymnasts from Brazil and Ukraine leave a strong impression - the latter already presented themselves in excellent shape at the ECh in Amsterdam. Altogether, it is apparent that the coaches from the former Soviet Union leave a quality track all over the world such as in Australia, Canada and with Oleg Ostapenko also in Brazil.

<< According to an information from the Romanian team, Andrea Munteana suffers from an irritation of the periosteum at her left foot and the coaches think about sending Silvia Struescu into the competition...
Munteanu is the second female gymnast to be replaced in Athens. Last week, British gymnast Amy Dodsley suffered a neck injury and was replaced by alternate Cherrelle Fennell.

Shewfeldt -Vice-World Champion on Vault 2003

The training of the Canadian men was impressive!
They completed a training competition with the highest discipline and of first class, and also shouted encouragements... I guess I have seen here already two possible medals on floor and vaulting table for Kylie Shewfeldt....

Apropos medals: The Greek specialist on rings Dimosthenis Tampakos improved athletically in an extrem way, he certainly wants to become a hero here at home - after silver in Sydney. However, his contestants are in excellent shape, too, especially on rings.

The USA came with 7 men - undoubtedly in top form - and with also 6 coaches....
Naturally, the current Team World Champion, the US women's team, is in Olympic shape, however, Greece is not Anaheim and Olympic merits have to earned here in Athens...

But, look out: The South Korean men, who completed a first hard training unit this morning, performed brilliantly in a complete team training competiton this evening with outstanding performances especially on rings, vaulting table and parallel bars!!

Dieter Hofmann, for GYMmedia from Athens

Translation: Florian Schmid-Sorg

Athens: Olympic Hall - Ready to go!

03. August 2004  
Olympic city Athens  
Artistic Gymnastics

Athens: Olympic Hall - Ready to go!

Olympic Hall
for artistic gymnastics
and trampoline

Olympic Premiere: Podium also in the warming up area

The technical preparations for the Olympic artistic gymnastics competitions were finished a week ago already and the main venue of Athen's Olympic Hall is ready to go!
First users were the members of the Greek national teams and the first Olympians who already arrived in Athens.
For the first time in Olympic history also the two warming up areas for women and men are constructed on a similar podium like the one in the main hall. So the athletes can do their preparation under the same conditions like during the competition....

All preparations in the Olympic Hall are finished!
Official Supplier: Janssen-Fritsen, Netherlands

Podium - also in the warming up halls

Olympic Premiere
At the 'Pre-Olympics' in March all participants were happy with the top conditions in the warming up areas of the Olympic Hall in Athen's and this test went very successful. The 'Official Supplier of the Olympic Games', the Dutch company Janssen-Fritsen, takes care of a maximum of safety, quality and conformity between the apparatus in the training area and in the main competition venue - This is something that is absolutely required in modern times of the high-tech discipline artistic gymnastics!

All the warming up halls - for women and for men - are located within a short distance from the Olympic venue and are situated under the same roof of the Olympic Hall.

Vaulting table 'PEGASES' for the first time at the Olympics

Also the vaulting table 'PEGASES' will have its Olympic premiere and is already installed on the Olympic podium.
This official apparatus, which replaced the old wooden horse of gymnastics history at the 2001 World Championships in Ghent (BEL), is now an official Olympic apparatus for the first time.
The Dutch company 'Janssen-Fritsen' surprised also with some more new constructions and new devolvements, like spring boards and especially the new high-tech floor covering 'Apollo'....
... all these innovations received the best judgements from the participants and coaches at the pre-Olympic competitions in March this year at the same place -so it has been a positive dress rehersal for the Olympic hosts!

Olympic Trampoline warming up hall

Super conditions for the athletes offers also the supplier of the Olympic trampoline event, the German company 'EUROTRAMP'.
The Olympians will find the top apparatus on the same Olympic podium like for artistic gymnastics and also in a part of the warming up halls in the Olympic hall complex.
The preliminaries and the finals of this discipline take place at August 20 - 21.
-ehe / gymmedia -

German Men s Team with a special psychological Victory!

17. Juli 2004  
Schwaebisch Gmuend/Germany  
Artistic Gymnastics

German Men s Team with a special psychological Victory!

Romania was the winner-
but it was also a special German psychological victory!

In spite of the tragic accident of their teammate Ronny Ziesmer last Monday, the German men's Olympic team finished the last pre-Olympic test in an excellent manner:
In Schwaebisch Gmuend (Germany) they came on second place (223,450) behind the top favorite Romania (227,550). The Italian men's team came on third place with a score of 215,900 points.
Best in all-around was the Romanian Ioan Sucia (57,125), best of host Germany on 5th place Sven Kwiatkowski (55,050) and the best Italian was Matteo Morandi (53,800)...

Romanian Men's Winner team in Germany!

Triple Meet: Germany - Italy - Romania
- Men's Artistic Gymnastics -
Scnwaebisch Gmuend, 2004, July 17

>> ...Detailed Results

British Olympic Team announced

13. Juni 2004  
Great Britain  
Artistic Gymnastics

British Olympic Team announced

The British Olympic Association (BOA) announced officially yesterday the Women’s Artistic Gymnastics Team selected to compete at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens....
The British team line-up in alphabetical order is as follows:

- Amy Dodsley (Nottingham), Coaches Claire Starkey and Ian Kime
- Vanessa Hobbs (Dynamo) Coaches Debbie Hampton and Keith Richardson
- Katy Lennon (Leatherhead & Dorking) Coach Vladimir Aksenov
- Elizabeth Line (Pinewood) Coach Natalie Ryan
- Beth Tweddle (Liverpool) Coach Amanda Kirby
Source: baga/atkinson

IOC Athletes Commission: Two gymnasts on the list!

17. Juni 2004  
Moutier/Switzerland  
Artistic Gymnastics

IOC Athletes Commission: Two gymnasts on the list!

Csollany (HUN), Urzica (ROM)

fig: -- On August 26, 2004, The International Olympic Committee will release the list of the new elected Members of its Athletes Commission. The election will take place in the Olympic Village in Athens from August 11 to 25. Among the candidates recognized and approved by the IOC Executive Commission, Gymnastics is represented by Szilveszter Csollany (HUN) and Marius Urzica (ROM). The FIG extends its best wishes at the occasion of this election and hopes that Gymnastics will be represented within this important Commission.

Russia nominated Russian Olympic Team

16. Juni 2004  
Moscow / Russia  
Artistic Gymnastics

Russia nominated Russian Olympic Team

Leonid Arkaev (RUS)

Press conference in Moscow...
The President of the Russian Gymnastics Federation and also chief coach Leonid Arkaev announced the Russian final training squads for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens at a press conference in Moscow, yesterday.
So eight female and nine male gymnasts will start the immediately preparation for the Olympics, four days after the end of the national championships yesterday.....

Alexei Nemov

So Arkaev announced it at a press conference yesterday: The men's training team will be:
The two-times Olympians Aleksei Nemov, Nikolai Krukov, Yevgeni Podgorny, the member of the 2000 Olympic team Aleksei Bondarenko, Georgy Grebenkov (WCh team 2003), the former European junior champions Anton Golotsutskov (2000, Bremen) and Maksim Devyatovsky (2002, Patras), also Dmitry Barkalov from the 2004 Russian junior team and also the rings specialist Anton Safoshkin.

Arkaev: 'That's nine. I can see Barkalov and Devyatovskiy being reserves and then it's hard to pick who else will be left off.'

Svetlana Khorkina

The Russian women's training squad consists of:
2-time Olympian Svetlana Khorkina, 2-time Olympic Champion (2000, vault, floor) Yelena Zamolodchikova, 3-time world vice-champion Natalia Ziganshina, European junior champions 2002, Patras Anna Pavlova (AA) and Lyudmila Yezhova (beam), Maria Kryuchkova, Leysera Gabdrakhmanova and Maria Kolobova.

Arkaev said: 'That's eight, so two will miss out. Who will be the final two after the 'big 4' is anyone's guess.'
Does Arkayev personally train Gaby, Kolobova or Kryuchkova? Because whoever is 'his' certainly has a better shot...
So start speculating on line ups now! The Russian team will leave for Athens on the 23rd of July.
>> Report and Results of the Russian Cup an Russian Championships , which took place in the Olimpisk< Complex in Moscow, 2004, June 12 - 15.

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