Quick Chat: Anastasia Grishina

Anastasia Grishina (RUS)

Born January 16, 1996 to parents Galina and Nikolai, Anastasia is the youngest of four children and the only girl. Coached by Sergei Zelikson she won three golds and a silver at the 2010 Junior Europeans Championships in Birmingham. She won the bars title at the London Prepares Test Event last week and finished tenth all-around. Going into her dismount on beam, her foot missed the beam, and she took a very scary fall on her double pike dismount. Until then, she was on track for a very strong effort on the piece, including a combination of Onodi to illusion turn to spin. She also showed an Onodi to illusion to scale in podium training. Lucikly, Anastasia was unharmed and stopped for a quick chat with the the All Around in the mixed zone shortly afterwards.

You scared a lot of people there. Are you ok and what happened?

Yes, I’m ok (smiles shyly). Nothing happened to me, everything’s ok. I just didn’t execute the element correctly.

This was your first official senior competition- any different from junior meets?

I felt a lot more responsibility, it was quite a serious competition. Not everything worked out, of course. But I will try in the future.

The timing of the meet is rather unusual. January is the off season in gymnastics. How did that effect your preparation?

It was very hard – right after the New Year, to get back into the swing of things, you have to stick to your diet and routine to be able to be in decent shape. It’s tough. I had just one day off during the period– that was 1 January, of course. [Note: New Year is a big holiday in Russia, followed by Orthodox Russian Orthodox Christmas on 7 January.]

You performed your old floor routine (from 2010) here, yet you already showed a new one at the Massilia Cup last November. Can you clarify?

Yes, I went back to my old routine for this competition but I’m in the process of getting a new floor routine altogether. It will be different from the one I did in France as well.

Do you have say in your floor music?

Yes, I do. Either I select the music or my choreographer. My first coach is choosing my music for my new routine together with me.

You were a little under the radar in 2011 with only a few competitions- was that due to injury?

Yes (hesitates). I had a lot of injuries. it wasn’t an easy year, a transition period.