Penza, 3 July 2016. PenzaNews. Denis Ablyazin and Aliya Mustafina for the Penza region will be included in the Russian gymnastics team for the 2016 Olympics, the head coach of the national team Andrei Rodionenko informed the press at the end of the Russian Gymnastics Cup that finished at “Burtasy” sports palace on Sunday, July 3.

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“The five men gymnasts are the same as in Europe: [David] Belyavsky, [Denis] Ablyazin, [Nikolai] Kuksenkov, [Nikita] Ignatyev and [Nikita] Nagorny. The reserve athletes are Ivan Stretovich and Vladislav Polyashov,” he said.

According to the head coach, the women’s national team roster was also confirmed.

“We chose five of them, more or less. The questions are related not to their names but to their health. We’re talking about [Kseniya] Afanasyeva and [Aliya] Mustafina. They completed the performance plan. The Olympics will last for three weeks, they need to be in a suitable condition to withstand those three weeks as the Olympic contestants should. As for the names in the roster, they are [Aliya] Mustafina, [Angelina] Melnikova, [Seda] Tutkhalyan, [Darya] Spiridonova and [Maria] Paseka. Whether or not Afanasyeva will be able to participate is still under the question. The backups are Afanasyeva and Liliya Akhaimova, as well as [the Penza gymnast Natalya] Kapitonova,” RIA Novosti quotes Andrei Rodionenko.