Sovetsky Sport. September 1, 1972. About four medals and incredible stunts, the sympathies and biases, in short, about everything that happened on the farewell evening in the packed Sporthalle.
That evening, the Olympic Sporthalle broke all capacity records. Spectators sat in the aisles, squeezed between the seats, and in the gallery, where there were only standing places, they were so tightly packed that it was simply impossible to turn around. The spectators came to say goodbye to the girls, whom they had come to know and love over the past few days.
That evening, only the flags of two countries were raised on the flagpole - the German Democratic Republic and the Soviet Union, and the military orchestra played their national anthems. This is understandable, because Soviet and German female athletes currently completely dominate women's gymnastics and determine the course of its development.
Four short, suspenseful plays were performed that evening by excellent actresses. Dramatic conflicts arose in the plots, and the audience, which had been helped to understand the nuances of the performances by the gymnasts during the intermissions, reacted enthusiastically.
VAULT. Before the final, L. Turischeva was slightly ahead of K. Janz - by only 0.025 points. It had become a good habit for Lyuda to peform two different vaults in the final day of any competition. Turischeva didn't change her routine at the Olympics either. First, she performed a 'bend-stretch' vault, and then a handspring with a full twist. But she didn't land perfectly in either attempt. The score was 9.6. And that was clearly not enough to challenge Janz. The East German team leader immediately confirmed it. On her first attempt, performing a front handspring with a twist, she soared high in mid-air, and landed as if rooted to the spot. They gave her a score of 9.9 - that's more than enough for a gold medal.
E. Zuchold took second place. All is this is no coincidence. East Germany has developed an excellent school of vaulting, both for women and men. They deserved the accolates they received.
UNEVEN BARS. Unprecedented progress has been made on this apparatus in recent years. The routines peformed by the strongest athletes are simply stunning. One of them - with three (!) rotations - was performed by Turischeva and earned her a score of 9.8. Zuchold received the same score. The audience reacted calmly to this. But when the same score was given to the crowd favorite O. Korbut, who had captivated everyone here with her polished, cheerful skill, the Sporthalle erupted in a roar! The audience was outraged and demanded for a long time that the score be raised. But, as is well known, that never happens.
But when Janz approached the apparatus, the arena became quieter. Karin peformed her routine magnificently, adorned with a rare element - a somersault between the bars. Both the difficulty and the execution met the highest world standards. Another 9.9, and considering that her previous scores on the uneven bars were also very high, there could be only one outcome: Janz is a two-time Olympic champion.
BALANCE BEAM. T. Lazakovich performed her routine elegantly, almost flawlessly. She didn't waver or lose her rhythm even once. The score couldn't be any higher - 9.8! But, as it turns out, it is possible to go even higher. Korbut attacks with her incredible tricks: a backward somersault in a tucked position to a forward somersault dismount in a tucked position, and she gets a 9.9. You can probably count on your fingers the number of times such scores have been awarded on the balance beam. This 0.1 point put Korbut in first place.
FLOOR EXERCISE. Lazakovich performs her Gutsulochka with amazing purity and expressiveness - 9.8. Janz received the same score for her routine, which is full of first-class acrobatics but has rather naive choreography. Turischeva, the only performer at the Olympics to execute a double twist, who played the role of a flirtatious girl beautifully, receives the same score. She is one step away from that top step of the podium, which she had already climbed two days earlier. But Korbut, this mischievous girl who performs amazing tricks on the mat, receives a 9.9. And we already know that such a score is given to Olympic champions.
The farewell performance was a resounding success. The soloists were amazing, and the grateful audience will remember them for a long time. The only thing that occasionally distracted from this wonderful spectacle was the strange disproportions in the judges' decisions.
At the press conference following the finals, the president of the International Gymnastics Federation, Mr. A. Gander, and the esteemed ladies from the women's technical committee were literally bombarded with questions about the scores given to Korbut. They immediately adopted a defensive stance and, in an attempt to protect the honor of the 'judicial uniform,' tried to explain the scandal in the arena by claiming that the spectators were biased towards Olga, and that not all journalists are specialists in gymnastics. Nevertheless, we want to express our opinion.
We highly appreciate the skill of the remarkable East German gymnast K. Janz and cannot question the legitimacy of her victory on the bars in the slightest. But at the same time, is it right to give a rather interestingly-composed routine of ordinary elements of one of the gymnasts, and Korbut's routine, which includes unique elements - a large arc with a 270-degree turn from the upper bar to the lower one, and a dismount from a squatting position on the upper bar with a somersault with a back arch - an equal score!?
In short, no matter how zealously the members of the women's technical committee defend the honor of their uniform, it is difficult for them to prove that complete order and well-being prevail in the world of women's gymnastics judging.
Today, most newspapers sharply criticized the actions of the president of the FIG, A. Gander, and the jury of the Olympic gymnastics competition who, as the Munchen Merkur writes: "deliberately persisted during the scandal raised by the spectators in protest against the unfair scoring of Olga Korbut's performance on the uneven bars." The newspaper reminds readers that similar injustices against various athletes were also evident at the 1962 and 1966 world championships. "Olympic sports should be transparent in their scores, and the spectators should be aware of this." Well, one can agree with this legitimate demand of the newspaper, because perhaps only in gymnastics do judges carefully conceal their names from spectators and the public. All attempts by correspondents to find out who was responsible for such arbitrary judging have been unsuccessful, because the results given by individual judges are kept, as they say, under lock and key.
Commentators on Bavarian television and some analysts cited a conversation with judge Matlochova from Czechoslovakia, who noted that she herself had given a higher score but was unable to overturn the decision of the judging panel.
The athletes, of course, have absolutely no connection to the scandal. They competed fairly, in the spirit of the Olympic rules. They were friends before and continue to be even closer friends now. T. Lazakovich stated this directly at one of the press conferences, speaking on behalf of the Soviet team. K. Janz also agreed with her opinion. The entire Sporthalle witnessed the scene when Korbut suffered a serious setback. The first person to rush over to comfort her was Zuchold. The congratulations that the girls exchanged as they climbed onto the podium were sincere and extremely friendly. This friendship and the pursuit of mutual enrichment will play a significant role in the further progress of women's gymnastics, which was showcased at the Olympics with all its irresistible beauty.
TECHNICAL RESULTS
Vault. 1. K. Janz (GDR) - 19.525 (9.9); 2. E. Zuchold (GDR) - 19.275 (9.7); 3. L. Turischeva (URS) - 19.25 (9.6); 4. L. Burda (URS) - 19.225 (9.7); 5. O. Korbut (URS) - 19.175 (9.65); 6. T. Lazakovich (URS) - 19.05 (9.6)
Uneven bars. 1. K. Janz - 19.675 (9.9); 2. O. Korbut and E. Zuchold - 19.45 (both 9.8); 4. L. Turischeva - 19.425 (9.8); 5. I. Bekesi (HUN) - 19.275 (9.7); 6. A. Hellmann (GDR) - 19.2 (9.65)
Balance beam. 1. O. Korbut - 19.4 (9.9); 2. T. Lazakovich - 19.375 (9.8); 3. K. Janz - 18.975 (9.55); 4. M. Csaszar (HUN) - 18.925 (9.6); 5. L. Turischeva - 18.8 (9.4); 6. E. Zuchold - 18.7 (9.4)
Floor exercise. 1. O. Korbut - 19.575 (9.9); 2. L. Turischeva - 19.55 (9.8); 3. T. Lazakovich - 19.45 (9.8); 4. K. Janz - 19.4 (9.8); 5. L. Burda and A. Hellmann - 19.1 (both 9.6)
M. SUPONEV