 After helping make Australian gymnastics history as last
year's World Championships, 15-year-old Monette
Russo says she is excited about her prospects for this
summer's Olympic Games in Athens.
"I have upgraded my program on all four events, so I am looking
forward to this year to try out some new things and to prepare for
Athens," Russo told IG. "I don’t want to give away too much; you
have to come and see me!"
In March, Russo placed second on balance beam and eighth on
uneven bars at the Athens International Tournament, a pre-Olympic
test event.
At the 2003 World Championships in Anaheim, Russo became the
first Australian woman to qualify for a world balance beam final;
she was also a member of the team that won Australia's first world
team medal (a bronze). Russo further distinguished herself as the
top Australian gymnast of the Anaheim all-around final, where she
placed 12th.
Russo, who hails from a suburb of Melbourne, is coached by
Mikhail Barabach and Shoa Yi Jiang. Barabach formerly coached in
Russia, where his gymnasts included 1992 Olympic prospect Tatiana
Ignatova. Shoa, a native of China, formely coached 1992 Chinese
Olympian Yang Bo.
Read "Smooth Transition," an in-depth interview with Russo, in
the April 2004 issue of International Gymnast Nagazine.
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Born: August 4, 1988
Birthplace:
Lillydale, Australia
Residence: Heathmont, Australia
Coaches: Mikhail Barabach, Shoa Yi Jiang
Best Results:
2004 Athens
International Tournament: 2nd on balance beam, 8th on
uneven bars
2004 Visa American Cup, New York:
4th all-around
2003 Massilia Cup, Marseille,
France: 18th all-around, 4th on uneven bars, 7th on balance
beam, 3rd with team
2003 Japan Junior
Invitational: 1st all-around, 1st on uneven bars, 1st on
balance beam, 1st on floor exercise
2003 World
Championships, Anaheim: 12th all-around, 8th on balance
beam, 3rd with team
2003 Australian
Championships: 3rd all-around, 1st on balance beam, 3rd on
vault, 3rd on uneven bars
2003 Eight Nations Meet,
Groningen, the Netherlands: 7th all-around, 2nd with team
2003 Pacific Challenge (U.S. vs. Australia vs. Canada),
Fullerton, California: 4th with team
2003
Australia Youth Olympic Festival: 1st all-around, 1st on
vault, 3rd on floor exercise
2002 Australian Junior
Championships (international division): 5th all-around, 3rd
on uneven bars
2001 Australian Junior Championships
(national division): 1st all-around, 1st on vault, 3rd on
floor exercise |