This week we talked to Elizabeth Booth, lecturer at the University of Greenwich, Olympic gymnastics expert for The Guardian, and blogger-in-chief at Rewriting Russian Gymnastics. Three weeks ago she published the definitive English language interview with legendary Russian coach, Alexander Alexandrov. You may remember that as the day Tumblr exploded. We got the chronology and details of the Rodionenko-Alexandrov conflict, and chatted about the Rodionenko’s powerful government ties, Grishina Gate, the state of the men’s program, the long history of Soviet gymnastics using the press to air discontent, who may be next in line for the head coaching job and most importantly, what all of this disharmony really says about the state of the Russian gymnastics system. Read the Alexandrov interview here.
