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 First-year seniors Aliya Mustafina and David Belyavsky led the qualifications Wednesday as the 2010 Russian Cup began in Chelyabinsk. Aliya Mustafina (Moscow) and David Belyavsky (Yekaterinburg) led the qualifications Wednesday as the Russian Cup began in Chelyabinsk. Mustafina, the defending Russian Cup champion, scored 59.821, with the high scores on vault (15.167) and uneven bars (15.834). Tatiana Nabiyeva, who topped Mustafina to win the 2008 Junior European Championships, qualified second (59.151). Nabiyeva is making her return to all-around competition after a long period of injuries. 2007 world uneven bars champion Ksenia Semyonova (Khimki/Tula) was third (56.967) ahead of 2006 Junior European champion Daria Yelizarova (56.040). 2008 Olympian Ksenia Afanasyeva was fifth after missed routines on uneven bars (13.567) and balance beam (12.270). Afansyeva earned an outstanding 15.700 on floor exercise, where she has upgraded her tumbling passes to include a double layout and two whips to triple twist. Two-time Olympian Anna Pavlova (Orekhovo-Zuevo/Khimki) was sixth, tying Nabiyeva for the high score on balance beam (14.500). Pavlova, who suffered a torn ACL dismounting beam at the 2008 DTB Cup, announced her plans for retirement this year. "We decided that she wanted to participate, to see her friends," said her mother and coach, Natalia Pavlova. "In two weeks she turns only 23, but the injury has affected her. This year will be her last in elite sports. The decision to retire was accepted by the family." Continued Natalia, "We worked together for almost 20 years and completely trust each other. To be a coach and a mother is hard. As a mom I worry about her, I feel sorry for my daughter when she falls. But as the coach I have to bring her to meet the stringent requirements. She complains to no one." Russia's top gymnast, national champion Viktoria Komova, is enjoying a vacation following her three gold medals at the Youth Olympic Games last week in Singapore. Anastasia Grishina, a triple gold medalist at the 2010 Junior Europeans, is likewise sitting out the competition in Chelyabinsk. Both gymnasts are too young to compete in the 2010 World Championships. "Russia has begun to recover a leading position in women's gymnastics and the Russian women will challenge for the gold medal at the 2012 Olympic Games," Russian coach Valentina Rodionenko said. "We can confidently say that the crisis in women's gymnastics is over. In men's gymnastics, we still have problems, because guys mature later. It takes more time. At the next world championships our goal is gold in the women's team competition, which we have not won since 1991. Currently our main task is to save the juniors, to bring them up to 2012." Belyavsky, 18, edged 2008 Olympian Sergei Khorokhordin (Khimki/Barnaul) by two tenths, 88.900-88.700. Nikita Ignatyev, 18, was third (87.900), followed closely by two more gymnasts from Leninsk-Kuznetsky: 18-year-old Igor Pakhomenko (87.700) and two-time Olympian Maxim Devyatovsky (87.600). Two-time Olympic bronze medalist Anton Golutsutskov (Seversk) was the top scorer on floor exercise (15.100) and vault (16.000, tied with Belyavsky). Other top scorers were Andrei Perevoznikov (Korolyov) on pommel horse (15.100), Konstantin Pluzhnikov (Seversk) on still rings (15.400), Khorokhordin on parallel bars (15.200) and Belyavsky on high bar (15.000). The gymnasts are competing on new equipment from French supplier Gymnova, which the Russian Gymnastics Federation will donate to the gymnastics school in Chelyabinsk following the competition. Competition continues Thursday evening with the women's all-around final, followed by the men's all-around final Friday. External Link: Russian Gymnastics Federation 2010 Russian Cup
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