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The End of An Era: Alexander Alexandrov No Longer Coaching Aliya Mustafina

Updated 7/7/13.

Alexander Alexandrov is moving on.

Alexandrov left Moscow at the beginning of the month and he is seriously considering  an offer from Brazil.  Alexandrov has been coaching Russsian Olympic and European Champion, Aliya Mustafina since 2008.


His coaching contract with Aliya expired on December 30. Per RRG, Alexandrov officially left Moscow June 1.

Alexandrov left his position as Russia's head coach after last year's Olympics in London. The other coaches didn't think that London was "enough" of a success.  Evegeny Grebyokin succeeded Alexandrov in a coup that would make the writers of Make it Or Break It proud. Thus giving Alexandrov the big fat figurative middle finger.

 In January, Alexandrov toured the Brazilian facilities in consideration of taking the job. Reports say that he is considering this offer. Per the GymCastic interview with Svetlana Boguinskaya, Svetlana said he is currently in Texas. In the States, senior citizens go to Florida to retire and famed senior citizen gymnastics coaches take coaching jobs south of the equator, maybe.

As for Aliya, she'll move on. While Alexandrov brought out the best in her for the past four years, it's not uncommon for gymnasts to switch coaches. That's the nature of the coaching biz and an inevitable possibility for coaches and athletes to split. Whether it's because the athletes or the coaches quit or they move on, it happens. Alexandrov himself even said he wasn't offended when Aliya appeared at the most recent European Championships without him by her side.

While all of this douche-like political behavior sucks. Alexandrov did the job he was brought in to do: rebuild the Russian gymnastics program. If he in fact does accept the position in Brazil, it will be beneficial to the Brazilian gymnastics program (who by the way are on the up and up).

In addition to Aliya, Alexandrov has coached numerous world and Olympic Champions, including Dominique Moceanu, Mohini Bhardwarj, Svetlana Boguinskaya and Dmitri Bilozerchev.

Courtesy of Rewriting Russian Gymnastics 
www.rewritingrussiangymnastics.blogspot.com

Read Also: Gymnastics News Of The Week: Alexandrov Gets The Pink Slip
Listen To: GymCastic

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