Larisa Iordache at the European Championships last April. Photograph: Silvia Vatteroni Romania’s Larisa Iordache , 21, was on her way...
Larisa Iordache at the European Championships last April. Photograph: Silvia Vatteroni
Romania’s Larisa Iordache,
21, was on her way to Olympic glory in early 2016, when a series of unfortunate injuries prevented her from training and
even, controversially, from gaining the only available spot to represent
Romania at the Rio Olympics. She was
eventually named as an alternate, while the Olympic spot was awarded to
teammate Catalina Ponor.
Since Rio, Iordache has been working hard in the gym, but until a few
months ago, she seemed unable to gain back her previous difficulty, as well as
the confidence she had back in 2014 and 2015.
In a recent interview with Romania’s TVR Sport, however, Larisa
Iordache has impressed, showing off old very difficult skills, as well as new possible significant upgrades.
The footage shows Iordache training on the uneven bars, the balance beam
and floor. On bars, she is training
a Maloney + Hindorff (D + E + 0.2
connection bonus), and a super difficult double-double dismount (Fabrichnova), worth an F.
On balance beam, Iordache is
planning on taking back her hardest combination, a round-off + full-twisting layout, worth a G. She is also working on
a new mount, a round-off into
layout-step-out (E).
Finally, on floor she is
training a rarely done three-and-a-half
twist (F), a very difficult pass only a few gymnasts competed in the past,
among which China’s Shang Chunsong (2015–6)
and Mao Yi (2016), U.S. McKayla Maroney (2011–2) and Russia’s Aliya Mustafina (2011).
Larisa Iordache lastly competed at the European Championships in Cluj-Napoca last April, where she won a bronze medal on balance beam. She plans
to get back to competition at the 2017
University Games in Taipei next
August.
By Talitha Ilacqua
No comments