Mother Russian: New mom Mustafina leads Russia at worlds

DOHA, QATAR >> Aliya Mustafina understands she didn’t have to come back. Nobody would have blamed the Russian star gymnast for calling it a career after the birth of her child Alisa in the spring of 2017.

The demands of pregnancy and motherhood typically don’t play nice with the demands of being a world-class gymnast, particularly one as decorated as Mustafina, a seven-time Olympic medalist and 2010 world all-around champion. That’s one of the reasons the 24-year-old was intent on doing it anyway.

Her message: You shouldn’t have to choose between two loves.

“When you become a mother, your life doesn’t end,” Mustafina said Sunday after guiding a young Russian team to second place in qualifying at the 2018 world championships. “If there’s a thing you can do that gives you pleasure, you do it.”

Particularly if you can do it as dramatically — and occasionally spectacularly — as Mustafina.

Anchoring the Russians on uneven bars, floor exercise and balance beam, Mustafina restored a bit of order to qualifying on a day the Canadians rose to a surprising fourth, while Britain, considered an emerging power two years ago after finishing fifth at the 2016 Olympics, failed to make the eight-team final.

“I’m very happy,” Mustafina said. “I was missing the emotions, the equipment, the girls, everything.”

It showed. Sixteen months removed from bringing Alisa into the world, Mustafina was back in her familiar spot as the foundation around which the Russian team is built. She’s helping 18-yearold Angelina Melnikova,

16-year-olds Irina Alekseeva and Angelina Simakova, and 21-year-old Lilia Akhaimova find their footing on the world stage.

“She’ll kind of lead everybody, tell everybody, ‘Calm down, it’s OK,”’ said Alekseeva, who earned a spot in the all-around final after being 12th in qualifying. “Sometimes we’ll be doing routines and she’ll just be talking about it. She knows we’re new, but she’s done it so many times.”

Not too many, however, that the novelty has worn off. If anything, becoming a parent helped Mustafina realize how deeply she and a sport she’s helped define have become so intertwined.

“It’s my passion and it makes me feel better all the time,” Mustafina said.

Russia edged ahead of China for second in qualifying, though its team score of 165.497 was nearly nine points behind the Americans. Such is the dominance the U.S. has over the rest of the world at the moment that the gap between first and second (8.932) was greater than the gap between Russia and 12thplace Italy (8.667).

While the Americans, reigning Olympic champions, are heavy favorites to continue a winning streak that dates back to the 2011 world championships, there is a mad scramble behind them.