Sovetsky Sport. September 20, 1966. The day before yesterday, late in the evening in Dortmund, our special correspondents interviewed the USSR national women's team coach Sofia Muratova and the senior coach of the men's team Valentin Muratov. Sofia Ivanovna answered questions about our girls, and her husband spoke about the men. Here is that conversation.
Q: Are you satisfied with the team's composition and form?
SM: The team has become much younger, but this is just a trial run for the Olympics. You have to take risks sometimes! The girls are well prepared physically and technically. As for nerves, it seems to me that it is easier for them now, as newcomers - due to their age and inexperience, they do not yet feel the full measure of the time that sometimes weighs down older people before such competitions. Once they get through the crucible of the championship, they'll understand what it's all about. And it might be more difficult for them at the Olympics...
We had a training session the other day. At eight o'clock in the evening. The arena was packed. And the girls got nervous, started fussing, and starting trying to jump over themselves.
But in the end they pulled themselves together and made a good impression. In general, I think that if they can cleanly do everything they can do in regular training during the championship, then we can win.
VM: The lineup is quite strong. The guys are well prepared. The general public knows everyone except Valery Karasev. So, let's talk about him in particular.
Valery is 20 years old. He is a Moscow student. His coach is E. Korolkov. He has not achieved any particularly high results in domestic competitions, but has been successful in international ones. In May, in Italy, he lost very slightly to the European champion F. Menichelli. He has a pleasant, elegant manner, which many of the strongest lack. He doesn't have any particularly difficult tricks yet, but his repertoire fully complies with all interational standards. I think if his role now is mainly the team competition, then at the Olympics he will be able to count on something individually. That is why we preferred him over L. Arkaev and V. Medvedev, who are our alternates.
About the veterans. Titov and Shakhlin have fully regained their form, which they had lost at one time due to many minor injuries. It will be difficult for them to fight for particularly high places. And I do not think that Titov will be able to defend his title of world champion, but his experience and class will certainly affect the overall team score.
Our strongest brought a rich and original program. Diomidov's spin on the bars made such an impression here that the technical committee, unable to find a more precise definition, simply decided to call it the 'Diomidov' in descriptions from now on.
As far as we can judge, no one here can do ring swings with straight arms like Voronin, although the Japanese are trying. We have much more in our luggage.
Q: What do you think about your tough rivals? Who is your main competition?
SM: They are all the same - the Czechoslovakian gymnasts, the girls from the GDR, and the Japanese girls.
Caslavska and her teammates are well prepared although, as it seemed to me, Vera's teammates, for example, perform the compulsory program on the balance beam better and cleaner. Vera herself came here, hoping not only to rely on her strong previous reputation, but having refined and somewhat complicated her previous repertoire.
On the uneven bars, the GDR athlete E. Barth-Zuchold is making a big impression. She performs the following trick: a forward turn on the upper bar, releasing her hands, and then transitions to a handstand position of the lower bar. In general, each of the six has tricks. They vault great, and they have good acrobatics in floor exercises.
I think that the girls from the USSR and Czechoslovakia will compete for first and second places. For third and fourth places, the athletes from the GDR and Japan, who also look even and pleasant.
VM: There can be no doubt: the fight for gold will most likely be with the Japanese, while the bronze will be sought by athletes from the GDR, and perhaps the Poles and Finns.
I haven't seen the Japanese but I heard that they are well prepared - can we assume that they are poorly prepared for the competition? However, the Japanese are secretive and, it seems, are a little nervous. Behind the scenes, they consider the young Nakayama to be the number one, not Endo. Although, perhaps, Endo's name will sound louder for the judges. However, at the judges' seminar the line was drawn on the most precise evaluation: to any judges - no leniency! In this regard, the technical committee carried out a lot of preparatory work.
How this work will affect the championship, we will see later.
After the Swiss coach Jack Gunthard left Italy for his homeland, his rival's team has become rather depressed. The fruits of Gunthard's labors are now visible ony in Menichelli, who is only in shape thanks to his unbridled sporting fanaticism and will fight for a medal. But experts believe that Endo, Nakayama, Voronin, and Diomidov should win.
Among the stars of the championship, it is necessary to mention the Yugoslav M. Cerar who, although he has retired recently, cannot be written off in any way; the Finn O. Laiho, who does circles on the pommel horse on one handle in his difficult routine; and the Kubicka brothers from Poland.
Q: What are your impressions of the development trends in gymnastics? In particular, is the difficulty increasing?
SM: Yes, obviously. Since the Tokyo Olympics, difficulty has increased dramatically. For example, only Caslavska performed a full twist on the floor at the Tokyo Olympics, and only in the event final, and not very successfully. And now four of our six are doing it calmly. I think it will continue like this, especially since there is still room for more difficulty.
It's no coincidence that the new compulsory Olympic program, which will be announced in two weeks after the end of this competition, is considerably more difficult.
VM: The situation is different for me. The FIG has no desire to stimulate an increase in difficulty. The emphasis should be on the originality of the elements and the class of execution. Therefore, the accumulation of difficulties and the lengthening of the routine will be encouraged only to a very small extent. It's not surprising that now in all gymnastic countries there is a persistent search for something original. This, of course, will cast a shade on the results of the current world championship.
S. TOKAREV and A. CHAIKOVSKY