Sovetsky Sport. July 2, 1972. On the second day of the USSR Cup competition, which is taking place in the Luzhniki Sports Palace, the gymnasts demonstrated their optional exercises. The sixteen girls who scored the best totals in the all-around will continue to fight for the main prize of the tournament on Sunday. In the individual standings, Lyudmila Turischeva is in first place.
The competition regulations are almost an exact copy of the Olympic ones. Another day has been added, another test of skill, character, and will. The girls managed it this way: here they are, let's say, participants in the Olympics, and today the winning team should be determined. So help each other as much as you can, and your personal success is therefore a contribution to the overall team effort. On the other hand, the female athletes needed high scores in general, because firstly they opened the way to the Cup final, and secondly they played a significant role in the distribution of awards in the individual events.
Now in our women's gymnastics, every competition is just a firework of super-complex exercises, which we were afraid to even think about before. Is it possible and necessary to overly complicate routines? No one, perhaps, will be able to give an exhaustive answer to this question now. Try, really, to figure out where is the line that separates difficult elements from 'Ultra-C'?
For example, three years ago I was struck when I saw a double twist on the floor during training, performed by Svetlana Buzina (now she bears the name of her husband, Levshina). Then, it was only the men that mastered it. Now, Lyudmila Turischeva, and it is said Lyubov Bogdanova, easily do this somersault with a 720-degree twist.
Now, Olya Korbut surprises us with her really fantastic exercises on the uneven bars and balance beam. But it is very likely that in a while she will have followers. What seems unique to us now will soon become the norm.
In the meantime, Korbut's flight over the poles and the famous somersault on the beam cause oohs and aahs and stormy applause. Well, the student of Renald Knysh fully deserves them. As the inventor himself deserves them - the modest, thoughtful Knysh.
As usual, we did not do without the traditional premiere of optional floor exercises. Olga Korbut - The Flight of the Bumblebee. Choreographed by Aida Selezneva, musical arrangement by Evsey Vevrik. What is it for a gymanst from Grodno to get a 9.5 on floor exercise? It's like a triumph. After all, Olya was lagging behind, her composition was kind of unpretentious and uninteresting. Now it can be argued that Korbut has no weaknesses in the all-around. The Flight of the Bumblebee is a subtly observed portrayal of Olga's characteristic features, her temperament, and her style.
Another premiere was Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata by Zinaida Voronina on the floor. Fascinating music is very suitable for a charming gymmnast. The fact that the Muscovite has prepared a new floor routine is proof of her serious intentions to fight for a place in the Olympic team. Voronina was in eighth place at the end of the night.
Olga Karaseva moved from 14th place to tenth. Olya, always smiling, was unusually quiet that day. Yes, she dreamed of solving a very difficult task - to catch up with those who had gone ahead. Now she needs to make one more effort in the final.
Nerves, nerves. How to deal with them? Olga Voroshilina fell on the uneven bars, and was left without a score. Elvira Saadi made a number of mistakes on the same apparatus. A score of 9.25 dropped her to fourth place.
Tamara Lazakovich performed her uneven bars routine at a slightly slower pace. But then she broke wawy and performed Gutsulochka, which we saw only for the second time this season, on the rise, cheerful and fresh.
Lyubov Burda is still in the shadows, although she performed bettewr in the optional program than in the compulsory one. She was especially successful on the vault and floor exercise. The Voronezh gymnast has modernized her uneven bars routine but has notvyet brought it to perfection. In general, Burda's stability and class are beyond doubt.
Now Antonina Koshel - V. Khomutev excitedly said: "I thought that Tonya was afraid the first day, that's why she made mistakes. But now I realize that Tonya overtrained. This is a lesson for me in the future. I will still praise her. She screwed up the beginning on floor, but found a witty continuation of the combination. She didn't get confused and navigated a difficult situation - that's good."
And, finally, about Lyudmila Turischeva, who does not know what fatigue and fear of rivals are. She made a great impression. Yes, Lyudmila is in excellent shape, always calm and balanced. She knows what she wants, what she is fighting for, and she succeeds in everything. The world and European all-around champion, it can be said with confidence, is ready for the Olympic competitions.
Last night, sixteen contenders for the USSR Cup for men were determined. In terms of the all-around, the leaders are: N. Andrianov (113.3), V. Klimenko (112.6), E. Mikaelyan (112.), M. Voronin (111.75).
TECHNICAL RESULTS
USSR Cup in gymnastics. Women. All-around sum after compulsory and optional rounds. 1. L. Turischeva (Dinamo) - 76.35; 2. T. Lazakovich (Dinamo) - 76.0; 3. O. Korbut (Army) - 75.75; 4. E. Saadi (Dinamo) - 75.6; 5. L. Burda (Spartak) - 75.35; 6. T. Schegolkova (Dinamo) - 74.35.
V. GOLUBEV