evidence: Three generations - Nabiyeva, Melnikova, Simakova. [...] Soviet gymnastics was all about style, imagination and innovation. Those principles have re-established themselves in the leading MAG Russian gymnasts over the past few years, to the point that there is the potential for real medal success at the next Olympics, if we are lucky. Nagorny is the fiery, do-it-at-all-costs leader; Dalolyan has real style and deftness; Lankin is the emerging genius. I love to watch them compete, and the respect they pay each other and their rivals. [...] Russia still has the delicacy of touch that can make for beautiful, watchable gymnastics: think of Dalolyan as one who combines this with the necessary technical aplomb and difficulty to be a world beater. On the women's side, Elena Eremina and Angelina Simakova both embrace the elegance of the Russian tradition. They are typically Russian, and in many ways the best that Russia can produce, the gymnasts who reflect Russia's gymnastics heritage and identity. But they cannot perform the difficulty needed to consistently win medals at world level. Russia's best is not good enough at the moment. In the context of a sport that has lost its way, Russia has bolted and followed the crowd, abandoned its tradition of excellence in the pursuit of power and difficulty. Has lost sight of its true strength, technical gymnastics performed with elegance, gymnastics that transcends itself.