Sovetsky Sport. March 28, 1967. Only two days have passed since the ceremonial anthems of the men's European Gymnastics Championships in Tampere. What are some of the memories of the second day of the competition, when athletes competed for the gold medals of the individual events?
Floor exercises were the first test. Our gymnasts did not take to the platform. Lisitsky did not make it into the top six. Voronin, due to a recent injury, decided to give up the right to fight for a medal in order to save his strength for other events.
The audience paid special attention to Laiho and Laine, and not only because they are their compatriots. The former showed exercises that evoked the good old days: almost every acrobatic jump was followed by a static pose. The second Finnish gymnast began his routine with a double somersault and completed it brilliantly. His score was 9.6 points. European champion Menichelli had no intention of giving up his title. He performed cascades of various tumbles at a fact pace but falls short of his opponent by 0.1 points. The results of the first and second days were summed up. The difference was 0.05 in favor of the Finnish athlete. The top step of the podium was taken by 20-year-old Lasse Laine. Looking ahead, we will say that at the press conference after the competition, Mikhail Voronin presented Laine with the USSR Gymnastics Federation Memorial Cup as the best performer of the floor exercises.
The Finn's victory is quite symbolic. Gymnastics in Finland is on the rise, and if not for the next Olympic Games, then for the following ones. They can prepare a great team, similar to those that performed well in the pre-War Olympics.
Usually, those who win the floor exercise also perform well in the other events. Laine is exluded for now. He is simply very young. Only Menichelli managed to spoil Lasse's mood.
The gymnasts who were competing for the title on the pommel horse also followed the path of increasing difficulty. Mikolai Kubica (POL) set the tone. He was supported by the Frenchman Guiffroy and Dietrich (GDR). All of them were awarded a high score of 9.5 points. Lisitsky, the European champion on this event, had no choice but to accept the challenge. Viktor begins to 'weave complex lace.' But right at the very beginning there is a hitch. Why - he himself cannot answer. He wanted to do better, but the score was a very low 8.85 points. Silver medalist of the European Championship Cerar (YUG) earned 9.7 and became the leader.
And what will Mikhail Voronin say? Not a single muscle moved on the athlete's face. The exercise was also performed in the usual manner - easily, beautifully, softly. The all-around world and European champion received a small gold medal of the championship. For the second time, the anthem of the Soviet Union sounds in 'Jaahalli.'
Rings. The bronze medalist of the European Championship in this event, Cerar, strangely enough, refused to be creative and demonstrated an exercise borrowed from the world-famous Soviet gymnast Albert Azaryan. But Cerar, of course, did not have the transverse crosses - only Azaryan could do that. Cerar's exercise did not make the desired impression.
Elements of borrowing and imitation were present in many. Brehme (GDR), for example, dared to include Voronin's giant swings into his routine, but they let him down (9.25). Italian Menichelli, thrown off track by a failure in the floor execise, also stumbled on the Voronin element (8.75), although the entire routine was a worthy example of variety and difficulty.
This time Voronin didn't succeed in the Voronin style, either. He wobbled in his handstand, which was immediately recorded by the judges. But overall the score was quite high - 9.65. Now Lisitsky, the holder of the title of European rings champion, has a real chance to defend his title. Viktor brilliantly solves his problem and, together with Mikhail Voronin, climbs to the top step of the podium.
Cerar and Voronin refused to participate in the vault final. Instead, O. Storhaug (NOR) and G. Dietrich (GDR) took part. The judges were especially strict in the selection of the vault. They demanded that it be performed easily and highly. One after another, the athletes vaulted, but the scores did not even reach 9 points. Only the Bulgarian Adamov and Lisitsky showed what the judges wanted to see. Lisitsky especially distingu9ished himself. He performed a full twist with precision and won the gold medal. The silver medal went to Adamov.
Carminucci (ITA) opened the parallel bars competition with a very difficult routine. All movements were performed high above the apparatus. A special school was felt. The score was 9.6. It was then the turn of the European champion Cerar. He performed his original exercise to the middle without a single mistake. But Cerar lost his balance in a handstand. The day before, he missed the dismount and as a result shared fifth place with Brehme. Voronin and Menichelli, who were vying for the gold medal, built their most difficult routines in such a way that the dynamics of their movements could compensate for the loss of strict vertical alignment. Both of them showed top class, but Voronin was a little better.
Voronin won another gold medal. And Lisitsky had two so far. He would like a third one to be closer to his comrade. And Viktor wins it on the horizontal bar. Lisitsky's first movements already delight the audience. In the middle of the routine, Lisitsky boldly breaks away from the crossbar, flies up, turns around as if on wings, and again grabs the apparatus. He ends his performance with a spectacular, extremely difficult dismount: a somersault with a double twist.
So, the competition is over. Voronin and Lisitsky proved their Olympic credentials in Tampere. They showed the best of what Soviet gymnastics is proud of.
YU. KARTASHOV