Sovetsky Sport. October 25, 1974. The women's national team won a new remarkable victory. For the fifth time, our gymnasts became world champions. Moreover, we beat the second-place GDR team by 7.6 points. As part of the team: Lyudmila Turischeva (Dinamo, Rostov-on-Don), Olga Korbut (Armed Forces, Grodno), Elvira Saadi (Dinamo, Moscow), Rusudan Sikharulidze (Dinamo, Batumi), Nina Dronova (Gantiadi, Tbilisi), and Nelli Kim (Spartak, Chimkent).
The day was special. An amazing day. In the middle of it, the girls learned that Mosccow became the Olympic capital of 1980. They rejoiced and were excited. And it looked like a small symbol, as they walked that evening from event to event, carrying bags with Olympic rings over their shoulders.
Now we won't start from the beginning, but from the most acute moment. The penultimate apparatus was coming up - the beam. Our position was solid, but Larisa Latynina, who was sitting not far from me, was pale, and her clenched hands trembled slightly. "Are you not sure?" I asked. "It's the beam, anything can happen." There was a warm-up, and Polina Astakhova, the leading coach, leaned on the platform, kept the girls moving like a conveyer belt, looking at her stopwatch and saying authoritatively: "Time." They seemed extremely focused. I have provided these details in order to emphasize once again that yesterday's game was not a one-sided affair, and that it required strength, nerves, and the highest level of organization. The latter applies not only to these six, and to their coaches, butalso to all of our wonen's gymnastics from top to bottom: victories, even such triumphant ones, are not presented to anyone on a silver platter.
In the previous shift, the GDR athletes took the lead. Their scores did not fall below 9.3, and on uneven bars they soared to 9.9. It was young Annelore Zinke who showed something breathtaking - the 'Korbut loop' on one side of the bar, and then a flip on the other. It resulted in what could be called the 'Zinke figure eight.' Looking ahead, I will say that the bars are the only apparatus that our gymnasts lost to the Germans that evening. The result was 48.1 - 48.45. Try to calculate the average of five scores, and you will understand what a cosmic level the struggle was being fought on.
The GDR athletes looked great on the beam, although I should note that previously, gymnasts from this team, such as Erika Zuchold or Rita Schmidt, for example, performed more interesting routines on this apparatus.
And so when our team was on vault, the score was 47.8 to 47.5 in our favor. Our strength, among other things, is the diversity of our repertoire. Our rivals basically performed a full-twisting handspring. In addition to three of these we also have Kim's 540-degree twist (unfortunately, she could not stand on her feet and received the only score below 9 - an 8.6), the 'impossible' from a biomechanical point of view, Korbut's 'screw before the push' (the second twist, after the push, is reserved for the final), and a Tsukahara. Having done her first attempt with amazing height and accuracy, Turischeva immediately earned 9.8, and the creator himself, who was sitting in the front row, threw up his thumb. He, Mitsuo Tsukahara, knows all about the Tsukahara vault.
Everything went well on the uneven bars - the scores ranged from 9.4 to 9.8 (Korbut). Perhaps the judges were even a little harsh on us here.
So, we are back at the beam. Saadi started on it with 9.55, but if she had been the last to perform she wouldn't have received lower than 9.8. Such is the psychology of the judges; there has to be a 'build-up,' and there was absolutely nothing to deduct points for in this polished, high-class, and flawless work of gymnastics art. But the team's rule is the rule; Saadi had fallen the day before, so the path to the final on this apparatus should now be open to someone else, not her.
Sikharulidze wobbled slightly, barely noticeable... "Stop, stop, stop," I heard Latynina whisper. A 9.5. Kim. What a slender neck she has. "Iron Kim," who is 17. A 9.6. Dronova - 9.5. Korbut... She does a trick, straightens up, even leads with her shoulder - 9.8!
Turischeva comes out. We have already forgotten, but after all, in the depths of the team standings, the flame of eternal rivalry of the 'stars' is smoldering, but after 9.8, what score will Lyuda get?
In the afternoon, she had forced herself to sleep for a couple of hours, and before that she read and retold a story to Rastorotsky, which poor Vladislav Stepanovich completely forgot. He showed her two clenched fingers from the podium - feel your feet, as they say. What else could he do to help?
She got 9.9. Jaroslava Matlochova, the famous gymnast from Czechoslovakia, approached her and said, "I am an athlete myself, a coach myself, but I don't understand how you managed. Forgive my tears."
The score was in our favor on beam: 48.35 to 47.2.
There's nothing to say about floor. It was a gallery of masterpieces and applause from beginning to end. Kim - 9.55, Dronova - 9.7, Saadi - 9.8, Sikharulidze - 9.85, Korbut - 9.85, Turischeva - 9.9. The score was 49.1 to 47.65.
In conclustion, I will list all those who forged our vicgtory. Head coach L. Latynina; leading coach P. Astakhova; coaches V. Rastorotsky, R. Knysh, V. Aksenov, A. Gabriadze, S. Burdzhanadze, V. Baidin. Acrobatics coach B. Orlov. Choreographers G. Savarina, L. Sokolova, and E. Sumarokova. Accompanist A. Makarov. Doctor L. Legonkova. Masseurs N. Gavrilova and V. Shuster.
TECHNICAL RESULTS
World gymnastics championships. Varna, 23 October. Sum of compulsory and optional programs (optional scores in brackets). 1. Turischeva (URS) - 78.3 (9.8, 9.75, 9.9, 9.9); 2. Korbut (URS) - 77.8 (9.7, 9.8, 9.8, 9.85); 3. Hellmann (GDR) - 76.45 (9.5, 9.7, 9.6, 9.65); 4. Saadi (URS) - 75.75; 5. Sikharulidze (URS) - 75.7; 6. Dronova (URS) -75.55; 7. Goreac (ROM) and Zinke (GDR) - 75.25; 9. Kim (URS) and Medveczky (HUN) - 75.0
Team results. 1. USSR- 384.15; 2. GDR - 376.55; 3. Hungary - 370.6; 4. Romania - 369.3; 5. Czechoslovakia - 368.45; 6. Japan- 362.9
S. TOKAREV