Russia nominated Russian Olympic Team

Leonid Arkaev (RUS)

Press conference in Moscow...
The President of the Russian Gymnastics Federation and also chief coach Leonid Arkaev announced the Russian final training squads for the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens at a press conference in Moscow, yesterday.
So eight female and nine male gymnasts will start the immediately preparation for the Olympics, four days after the end of the national championships yesterday.....

Alexei Nemov

So Arkaev announced it at a press conference yesterday: The men's training team will be:
The two-times Olympians Aleksei Nemov, Nikolai Krukov, Yevgeni Podgorny, the member of the 2000 Olympic team Aleksei Bondarenko, Georgy Grebenkov (WCh team 2003), the former European junior champions Anton Golotsutskov (2000, Bremen) and Maksim Devyatovsky (2002, Patras), also Dmitry Barkalov from the 2004 Russian junior team and also the rings specialist Anton Safoshkin.

Arkaev: 'That's nine. I can see Barkalov and Devyatovskiy being reserves and then it's hard to pick who else will be left off.'

Svetlana Khorkina

The Russian women's training squad consists of:
2-time Olympian Svetlana Khorkina, 2-time Olympic Champion (2000, vault, floor) Yelena Zamolodchikova, 3-time world vice-champion Natalia Ziganshina, European junior champions 2002, Patras Anna Pavlova (AA) and Lyudmila Yezhova (beam), Maria Kryuchkova, Leysera Gabdrakhmanova and Maria Kolobova.

Arkaev said: 'That's eight, so two will miss out. Who will be the final two after the 'big 4' is anyone's guess.'
Does Arkayev personally train Gaby, Kolobova or Kryuchkova? Because whoever is 'his' certainly has a better shot...
So start speculating on line ups now! The Russian team will leave for Athens on the 23rd of July.

>> Report and Results of the Russian Cup an Russian Championships , which took place in the Olimpisk< Complex in Moscow, 2004, June 12 - 15.