"A hefty girl"? And did she call her Natalia Yurchenko? Is that the infamous Monica Phelps who I've heard of but never actually heard? Is she huge herself which is why she's so obsessed with weight?
Eesh. Her whole point is that Lysenko *isn't* hefty, just that she looks big compared to a tiny little thing like Shannon Miller was at the time -- but she says it's hard to judge size on TV, and Lysenko is really quite small. (UK clothing sizes are much smaller than US sizes, btw.)
Monica loves to discuss the size and weight of gymnasts. I swear that's 90% of any commentary she gives.
Then again, maybe it's a Eurosport thing in general, because I will always remember the commentary about Shawn in 2007. Talking about her size and how they almost hoped she wouldn't win the AA at Worlds. Very weird stuff to hear from commentators.
Wow - Monica could have stamped her rep on this one routine alone. However, I'm sure there are other "highlights" that are just as WTF as this one. Some YouTuber should compile them.
Tatiana didn't look like she was 0% body fat like she did in Barcelona and before, but she looked slimmer than Boginskaya looked at points throughout her career. If there is a clip of Monica calling Bogi "hefty", I will bawl.
Actually, it's good to see Tatiana at a size that is more or less reasonable for her age. She was seventeen in Barcelona (IIRC) - and had a 17-year-old head propped up on a 9-year-old body. She looked like a posterchild for Soviet puberty-suppressing drugs, quite frankly. Or was that look achieved strictly via many years of a tears-and-celery diet?
She is a favorite of mine, though. I am fascinated by her voracious intelligence. If you've watched the docu "Are You Going To The Ball?", you know that that intelligence was more likely an innate quality than something that was cultivated through schooling.
"A hefty girl"? And did she call her Natalia Yurchenko? Is that the infamous Monica Phelps who I've heard of but never actually heard? Is she huge herself which is why she's so obsessed with weight?
ReplyDeleteMonica is slender.
ReplyDeleteEesh. Her whole point is that Lysenko *isn't* hefty, just that she looks big compared to a tiny little thing like Shannon Miller was at the time -- but she says it's hard to judge size on TV, and Lysenko is really quite small. (UK clothing sizes are much smaller than US sizes, btw.)
ReplyDeleteShe doesn't even look hefty on TV!! And why on earth is her weight pertinent to the commentary...she barely discusses the skills she's doing.
ReplyDeleteMonica loves to discuss the size and weight of gymnasts. I swear that's 90% of any commentary she gives.
ReplyDeleteThen again, maybe it's a Eurosport thing in general, because I will always remember the commentary about Shawn in 2007. Talking about her size and how they almost hoped she wouldn't win the AA at Worlds. Very weird stuff to hear from commentators.
That dismount was enough to make me think she somehow heard the commentary. Who would look at this girl/routine and think "hefty?"
ReplyDeleteBased on the standards of the time, she was a bit bigger...especially by Russian standards. She looked very NCAA.
ReplyDeleteI love the floor routine! Its so different from her earlier routine and she performs it wonderfully. She moves so fluidly.
ReplyDeleteWow - Monica could have stamped her rep on this one routine alone. However, I'm sure there are other "highlights" that are just as WTF as this one. Some YouTuber should compile them.
ReplyDeleteTatiana didn't look like she was 0% body fat like she did in Barcelona and before, but she looked slimmer than Boginskaya looked at points throughout her career. If there is a clip of Monica calling Bogi "hefty", I will bawl.
Actually, it's good to see Tatiana at a size that is more or less reasonable for her age. She was seventeen in Barcelona (IIRC) - and had a 17-year-old head propped up on a 9-year-old body. She looked like a posterchild for Soviet puberty-suppressing drugs, quite frankly. Or was that look achieved strictly via many years of a tears-and-celery diet?
She is a favorite of mine, though. I am fascinated by her voracious intelligence. If you've watched the docu "Are You Going To The Ball?", you know that that intelligence was more likely an innate quality than something that was cultivated through schooling.
Look for Janette Antolin on beam at the 1999 Worlds. She just goes off on her weight!
ReplyDelete