Sovetsky Sport. July 3, 1972. For the first time, an athlete from Grodno, Olga Korbut, became the owner of the USSR Cup in gymnastics. Second place was taken by Lyudmila Turischeva (Grozny) and third was Tamara Lazakovich (Vitebsk).
What happened on the all-around final day of the Cup? The events were more dramatic, although at the beginning there were no signs of a rapid development of actions.
Let me remind you of the 'deployment' on the eve of the final. Turischeva was ahead of Lazakovich, but not by much, because the total points in the all-around (for the compulsory and optional programs) were divided in half. The gap of 0.35 was halved, of course, and Korbut was still behind by a decent amount.
Lazakovich is famous for her vaults: she probably has the clearest pattern that she manages to draw in the air. Elvira Saadi also performs the Yamashita, and she did it the farthest. This, by the way, is appreciated by the judges. Therefore, Elvira scored 9.45, and Tamara scored 0.05 less. Nimble Korbut showed the most blistering and full pike, but Olya did not succeed in a stuck landing. It seems that instead of legs she has springs - bouncing and bouncing on the mat, like a sparrow. But Lyubov Burda flew over the vault smoothly, softly, made a circle with her arms and froze - 9.5.
V. Rastorotsky didn't take risks: Turischeva threw out her 'screw,' which didn't work out very well in the optional program, but her usual vault here brought Lyuda an amazing 9.5. In fact, in this event, the gymnasts looked modest, no one showed surprises, and no one showed much effort. What was needed was a person who could 'turn on' everyone, organize a breakaway, like in a bicycle race. Korbut turned out to be such a 'little runner.'
It's hard to say what she did on the uneven bars. I mean, we all know her routine well, we've even gotten used to it somehow. But how Olya performed it! She worked on the verge of breakdown, it seemed. One more millimeter and her hands would not reach the bars. Women in the arena shrieked nervously, and men's hearts (I judge by myself) were pounding frequently. A 9.7 for Korbut - and it is the first alarm bell for the leaders, especially for Lazakovich, because Korbut is already in second. However, Turischeva remained true to herslf, and if she hadn't been penalized for the landing, her score would have been the same.
Olga Karaseva and Zinaida Voronina. They fought boldly, even desperately, but failed to avoid setbacks. Voronina was on the beam - everything was fine. Suddenly she swayed and began to fall. Zina bent in a arc, and miraculously stayed on. No, it was not a miracle. This is also her character, this is her will. Another gymnast in this position would have fallen. Still, the score was low (8.9)
Karaseva had recovered a little from her worries, looked better and was herself again - cheerful and vivacious. If Zina moved from eighth place to tenth, Karaseva moved from tenth to ninth. Olga could have been even better, but the beam let her down. She wobbled twice (9.15).
The treacherous (pardon the cliche, but it is appropriate here) balance beam frayed the nerves of many gymnasts. Lazakovich was surprisingly cool, and her exercise was beautiful, solid, and rhythmic. 9.5 is not even a little bit high. Turischeva's turn. Leap, jump, turn, cartwheel - oh! - she placed her foot inaccurately and jumped off the beam. It was terribly embarrassing. She made a mistake on a trifle - 9.0 (now only 0.5 are deducted for a fall). Rastorotsky clutched the platform with his hands, and it seemed to me that he didn't breathe for several minutes...
There is Elvira Saadi, and again failure. Has a chain reaction begun? This is the worst thing when one breakdown in a team leads to another. Tatiana Schegolkova also performs her routine with uncertainty. Yes, there seems to be a problem. And then Korbut's name is called. All this time she had been busily warming up, paying no attention to anyone. Olya went to the beam, such a small thing, with bangs and a bow - she has not changed over the years. Courage can conquer cities, as they say. Korbut captured the judges - 9.7. Everything was spectacular, and the tucked somersault (in general, it's time to call the somesault "Korbut," like the "Burda" twirl, and the "Diomidov" turn) at the end was simply amazing.
So, before the final rotation, here is the situation: Korbut - 66.675, Lazakovich - 66.4, Turischeva - 66.325, Burda - 66.35, Saadi - 65.7, Koshel - 65.575. From these results it is clear how much Turischeva had to gain on Korbut in order to win.
Lazakovich performed her Gutsulochka worse than two days ago. Apparently, fatigue hit her. A score of 9.5. Turischeva showed Glinka's Gloryin the optional program, solemn and exciting. But in the finale, her routine is different - she used the music of Franz Grote from the old Austrian film "The Girl of My Dreams." It's an outstanding achievement to perform two different floor routines in one competition. Lyudmila - one can understand her - could not fully open up, and a mischievous flirtatious smile, which in theory should accompany the melody, did not work out. But in technical terms, all the elements were performed impeccably - 9.8.
Olga Korbut scored 9.6 for Flight of the Bumblebee, 0.1 more than in the preliminary competition. Can you imaginehow the gymnast tried in the final! Olga Korbut received the USSR Cup for her diligence and hard work.
TECHNICAL RESULTS
USSR Gymnastic Cup. Women. Final. All-around. 1. O. Korbut (Army) - 76.275; 2. L. Turischeva (Dinamo) - 76.125; 3. T. Lazakovich (Dinamo) - 75.90; 4. L. Burda (Spartak) - 75.625; 5. E. Saadi (Dinamo) - 75.35; 6. A. Koshel (Labor Reserves) - 74.975.
V. GOLUBEV