Sovetsky Sport. July 3, 1987. The European Championship for men and women went down in history just over a month ago. The brilliant performances of Valery Lyukin, Yuri Korolev and Romanian schoolgirl Daniela Silivas are still fresh in our memories. Gymnastics fans heartily congratulated our guys, who were able to win seven gold medals out of a possible seven.
But there are quite a few letters in which readers are concerned about the uneven performance of our girls. They ask various angry and anxious questions and ask the senior coach of the USSR women's team, candidate of pedagogical sciences, Andrei Radionenko, to answer them:
Andrei Fedorovich, here is a typical letter. M. Maksimkina from Mytischi writes: "For some reason I was sure that Silivas would win as soon as I saw her on the first apparatus. It felt like she was confident in herself, but our girls were nervous and made mistakes. What happened? Did our leaders really lose their advantage?"
Recently, the Presidium of the USSR Gymnastics Federation recognized the performance of the Soviet female gymnasts at the European Championships in Moscow as unsatisfactory. I share this opinion. Except for Aleftina Pryakhina, the athletes did not cope with the tasks set.
I will say frankly that at the beginning of the European Championship Elena Shushunova and Svetlana Baitova did not arrive in the physical condition that we expected of them. This was already evident at the test run, a week before the opening of the competition. In the all-around final, Shushunova fell while dismounting the bars, performing a double layout, while Baitova struggled on both the balance beam and the bars. Incidentally, these gymnasts also made mistakes at the April national championship in Chelyabinsk, but the competition there was longer (it also included a compulsory program), and both Elena and Svetlana were eager to make up for lost time by winning gold and silver medals, respectively.
As for Pryakhina, a debutante, she performed in the Olimpiisky [Arena] in a collected and inspired manner, showed a number of new things, and managed to come in second place.
Andrei Fedorovich, if you saw that Shushunova and Baitova were not quite ready for a major competition, why didn't you replace them with other gymnasts?
Back at the national championship, the senior coach of the men's team, Leonid Arkaev (who is also the head of the Gymnastics Department of the USSR State Sports Committee) and I publicly announced to everyone that the teams (of three people) for the European Championship would be formed according to a strictly sporting principle. The right to compete in Moscow was earned first and foremost by the winners of the competition in Chelyabinsk.
The sporting principle is the most important category. Now we understand that it is necessary to take into account the condition and preparation of the athlete for today. In Chelyabinsk, Shushunova and Baitova looked like fighters, but a month later they both slowed down. At that moment, Elena Shevchenko, Elena Gurova, Olga Strazheva, and Oksana Omelyanchik looked better. But I, as the senior coach, nevertheless decided to fulfill the promise given in Chelyabinsk.
At the meeting of the Presidiumn of the All-Union Federation, it was decided to go forward in an atmosphere of openness and to jointly discuss candidates for participation in major competitions, taking into account all the nuances of the preparation of the leaders and debutantes.
In this regard, I would like to raise the following issue: why do federation members listen only to the senior coach of the team after the competition? Yes, he is responsible for everything, but when losses occur, the analysis of failures should be comprehensive, and for this it is necessary to listen to the opinions of several parties, the members of the coaching council.
Here's a letter from reader V. Gorlov from Barmaul. "I watched the national championship from Chelyabinsk on television. And I was simply surprised by the large number of failures and falls of both famous gymnasts and newcomers. When will the girls get the necessary stability? Here Daniela Silivas showed real class, never wavered, and that is why she won four gold medals. And we have only one - Elena Shushunova for vault."
Last year at the USSR Spartakiad I was convinced that many gymnasts, even recognized leaders, needed a new level of difficulty. I clearly compared their routines with the routines of the world's best gymnasts. If we don't add some 'spice' and novelties to the routines, then at both the European and World Championships, we could look 'like everyone else.' But we definitely needed to stand out in some way, this is our style and our goal!
Therefore, all members of the national team were given a specific task - to perform updated routines in the 1987 season.
In Chelyabinsk, most of the participants demonstrated exercises that were clearly slimmed down and filled with original elements. But it was felt that there was not enough time to polish them. That is why there were numerous falls and mistakes. Unfortunately, our girls did not please the fans with any particular stability a month later at the Olimpiisky.
I quote another excerpt from a letter. A. Verlieishvili, an economist from Tbilisi: "It seemed to me that our gymnasts' exercises are clearly more difficult than those of the Romanians, Bulgarians, and GDR athletes. Maybe in the pursuit of difficulty we have lost stability, lost our calligraphic handwriting?"
Yes, I can confidently say that in general our trio's programs are stronger than those of our competitors. Elena, Svetlana, and Alevtina have individual elements in their arsenal that are unique to them. Almost all of their routines are filled with a large number of original connections. This is what made them stand out. We achieved our goal - in this component we are not 'like everyone else.'
As for Daniela Silivas, I would say that she has a solid program, not more than that. And, let's say, her dismounts on the beam and bars are yesterday's gymnastics. It's a pity that in the international judging rules there is no place for a column on innovation and conservatism, which was especially evident on the vault. However, it wouldn't hurt to learn a thing or two from Silivas. She does her dismounts superbly, without losing a single tenth of a point. She has significantly improved her choreographic presentation, overall expressiveness and artistry - this is already the influence of our school.
Here is what gymnastics expert Yu. Maskinsky from Belgorod writes: "Andrei Fedorovich, it will probably not be easy for you to form a team for the world championship. After all, only champions Elena Shushunova and Oksana Omelyanchik are still in the ranks from the 1985 team. Who, in your opinion, can really claim to participate in the 1987 world championships in Holland?"
Well, it should be noted that world champions Vera Kolesnikova and Irina Baraksanova competed in Chelyabinsk, and they have not lost hope of being useful to the national team. Olga Mostepanova was also preparing for the 1987 Universiade in Zagreb. However, she was unable to make the team.
I will name those who are going to Zagreb as part of the Soviet delegation: Elena Shushunova, Vera Kolesnikova, Eka Zeturidze, Elena Lushkina, and Anzhela Schennikova. By the way, for gymnastics fans I will also share the men's team - Valentin Mogilny, Vladimir Gogoladze, Vladimir Artemov, Aleksei Tikhonkikh, and Yuri Korolev. I will add that Schennikova and Korolev will most likely be the reserves.
You understand that all the gymnasts listed above continue to be candidates for the world championship team. Much will be decided at the final stage of the selection process, at the USSR Cup in Rostov-on-Don in September. There, I have no doubt, the debate will be heated.
Olga Strazheva, Elena Shevchenko, Elena Gurova, Vera Kolesnikova, Alevtina Pryakhina, Natalia Laschenova, Tatiana Tuzhikova, Oksana Omelyanchik, Svetlana Lebedinskaya, Natalia Frolova, and Svetlana Boginskaya will have to show themselves in all their glory there. Well, perhaps, I will not dwell on this circle of contenders.
Another letter from N. Tokmakov in Balashikha: "I watched with interest the entire interview of Yuri Vlasov with the director Elem Klimov. Imagine my surprise when Yu. Vlasov said that in the pursuit of results, coaches and doctors 'stuff' gymnasts with pills that show down growth. Is this really true?"
No. Fortunately, the famous athlete of the past is mistaken. Gymnasts have never used any stimulants. This issue was discussed at a meeting of the Presidium of the All-Union Federation. I will cite the opinion (to which I fully subscribe) of Professor V. Smolevsky, the head of the complex scientific group at the USSR national gymnastics team V. Cheburaev, candidate of medical sciences O. Kalacheva, and candidate of pedagogical sciences L. Chereshieva. They authoritatively state: "Yu. Vlasov misled many, and we state with all responsibility that our gymnasts have not taken and do not take any stimulants, doping or steroid drugs."
Constant doping control at all international and all-Union competitions, conducted in recent years, has not revealed a single case of detection of prohibited substances in the body of either Soviet or foreign gymnasts.
V. GOLUBEV, master of sports