Komsomolskaya Pravda. March 13, 1973. The world's best gymnast, and Komsomol national team leader, answers questions from Komsomolskaya Pravda readers.
N. Sycheva from the village of Kolodezhnoye in the Voronezh region, T. Nosikhina from Astrakhan, M. Kasimov from Kiev, and others: When did you first come to the gym?
It was 1963, and I was in fourth grade. One day, a stranger came to our school gym class. He watched us attentively as we performed simple exercises, jotting down notes in his notebook. Then he suggested to several girls - me included - that we seriously take up gymnastics. Back in Grozny, the sport was not popular at that time. But this 'stranger' - Vladislav Stepanovich Rastorotsky, a coach at the children's sports school of the Ministry of Education of Checheno-Ingushetiya and now a Merited Coach of the USSR - was able, as it turned out, to instill a lasting interest in gymnastics.
G. Khodalyova from the Sladnovsky district of the Tuymen region, E. Kuznetskova from Tomsk: What was your very first victory?
I was eleven years old. The competition was called "Young Gymnast" - our children's sports school's championship. I still treasure the certificate of honor for first place. Without it, I probably wouldn't have received other, more prestigious awards.
A. Menchinov from Kandalaksha, S. Yakubov from Navoi, Uzbek SSR: Which of your sports awards is most precious to you?
It's not easy for an active athlete to answer such a question. It's possible they simply haven't won this award yet. From the past? I'll probably name two: the gold medal as the all-around world champion, that I won in 1970 in Ljubljana and, of course, the all-around Olympic champion title in Munich.
U. Savina from Volgograd: What is more important in gymnastics: talent or hard work?
Work. Daily, persistent, painstaking work 'until you sweat,' invisible to the discerning eye. Although natural talent is not an empty phrase either. In fact, the validity of the conjunction "or" between these two concepts, "work" and "talent", is questionable. It seems Goethe said: talent is toil.
V. Surmenko from Topki, Kemerovo oblast, I. Kogan from Severmorsk, and others: How do you feel about your widespread fame? Doesn't it weigh you down?
It's a wonderful and rewarding feeling to know that millions of people are rooting for you, genuinely concerned, and wishing you success. You feel an immense debt of gratitude to them, and this feeling is especially acute during important international competitions, where you defend the sporting honor of your country.
I recall how, at a meeting in the Komsomol Central Committee held in honor of the Soviet Olympians - the champions of the 20th Olympic Games in Munich - People's Artist of the RSFSR Yuri Nikulin addressed us athletes: "You have passed through fire and water with honor. Now you must pass with dignity through the 'brass pipes.'" He was referring to the test of glory. It is truly a difficult test...
O. Korovina from Leningrad: I wrote you a letter, but it's been three months and you haven't responded. So I'm thinking: you've gotten too cocky, I guess, Turischeva?...
I receive thousands of letters and telegrams from strangers, and most of them, alas, go unanswered. I can assure all my correspondents, however, that it's not a matter of arrogance. If I tried to answer every letter, I'd have to abandon both my studies and training... Today, I hope to at least partially atone for my guilt.
A. Lisogorov from Krasnodar, T. Melnikova from Penza, M. Sidorenko from Primorsky Krai, and others: How much do you train to keep yourself in shape?
Twice a day, morning and evening. A total of 5-6 hours. Like all gymnasts, I train on the trampoline, do choreography, and general physical training. And, of course, I work on the apparatus.
P. Krasnov from Vladivostok, T. Golikova from Krasnoyarsk: What is your favorite apparatus?
All of them are my favorites. They are so different from each other, each with their own unique 'temper'. And each one is interesting to 'tame' in its own way.
A. Galushka from Lvov, M. Rakhimkulova from the city of Karshi, Uzbek SSR, T. Poluneva from the Tula region: Who is your favorite writer, your favorite poet?
Writer - Nikolai Ostrovsky, poets - Yesenin and Blok.
A. Pogarsky from Blagoveshchensk, A. Barkhatov from Penza: What about your regime - is it very strict?
It's tolerable. Sometimes you have to break the rules. For example, during exams: you spend the night poring over your textbooks - and your whole routine goes down the drain...
F. Manasova from Novouzensk station in the Saratov region, V. Pereverzeva from Barnaul, and others: Will you become a coach in the future?
Yes, I've almost made up my mind. I'm currently studying physical education at Grozny University. I dream of working with young gymnasts, the beginning ones, who don't know anything yet. I want to start from scratch, just like Rastorotsky once did with me.
B. Kondratiev from Kishinev: Are you married (pardon my immodesty)?
No.
N. Baturkina from the Smolensk region, G. Dzhusoev from Tskhinvali, and others: If gymnastics hadn't been invented, what other sport would you have chosen?
Honestly, it's hard to even imagine such a thing. I'm apparently loyal, because I simply can't imagine myself without gymnastics.
T. Zhuravleva from Barnaul: Why are you always so serious during competitions? You never smile!
You see, the most important thing for a gymnast on the platform is concentration. At such moments, you literally have to detach yourself from everything that surrounds you. Others, I know, can do this with a smile on their faces. I can't, and I don't try. I never follow the competitions I participate in. I completely withdraw into myself. Because I take every fall, every failure of others, very personally, and this - I know from bitter experience - can lead to my own failure. And I also like to smile - standing on the podium.
L. Mishin from the Ivanovo region, P. Shirokov from Moscow: Which recent sporting achievements made the most indelible impression on you?
The Soviet basketball team's victory at the Olympic Games. Or rather, their match against the Americans, who had reigned supreme for 36 years and now found themselves dethroned. Everything was decided by a tiny fraction - three dramatic seconds. But even these moments were enough to fully reveal the best traits of the Soviet athletic character: an unwavering will, iron composure, and team spirit.
Lyalya Valya, and Galya (they didn't give their last names) from Ufa: We're thirteen years old. They won't let us into the gymnastics club: 'We're hopeless.' Is that true?
I won't lie: it's true. At your age, for example, Nina Dronova was already a member of the USSR national team. Nowadays, if you dream of achieving greatness in gymnastics, it's best to start training at age six or seven. This sport is literally becoming younger before our eyes. Whether that's a good or bad thing is a highly debatable question, and that's not what we're talking about here. I'm 20, for example, and I'm already wearing 'old ladies' clothes.' But for health and fitness, it's never too late to join the gym.
S. Popovich from Kirov, G. Kharkov from the Arkhangelsk region, and others: Where was it more difficult: in Mexico City or in Munich?
In Munich, undoubtedly. There I was the leader and Komsomol organizer of the team, which meant I bore the responsibility not only for myself, but for everyone.
A. Sakhonenko from the village of Chernova in the Sumy region: Do you have an ideal in gymnastics?
Ideal? In other words, a barrier beyond which one can't even imagine? That's not the case in sports - there's no limit to improvement. But there is a name I admire: Larisa Latynina.
D. Tairova from Baku: I heard that after the Olynmpics you made your program more difficult and learned new elements.
I don't think I've come up with anything particularly original yet... I've definitely made a number of elements and sequences more difficult, and that's only natural: standing still means falling behind. I'll be happy to reveal all the 'secrets' at the next season's competitions.
B. Kharitonov from Odessa, L. Kikhadze from Kutaisi: You've already won every conceivable sporting title. So is it worth continuing?
I think it's worth it. Once you're conquered a peak - and your strength is far from exhausted - you want to climb it again and again. This, in my opinion, is the 'living soul' of sport.
N. Oleynik from Kharkov: They say strong gymnasts aren't nervous at all before their performances. Is that true?
No. After all, pre-competition jitters aren't an athlete's enemy, but rather their ally: they help them better prepare for the competition; without them, the gymnast lacks the inspiration they so desperately need. But this is true until jitters develop into their opposite - nervousness and fear. These are signs of weakness, and we're talking about strong gymnasts.
K. Podkorytov from Kaliningrad, N. Baturkina from Smolensk region: What is your favorite time of the year?
It's just arrived - spring. It's the time of blossoming, the time of great hopes...
A. Kurbanov from the Karaganda region: Do you like yourself as a gymnast?
It depends. When watching a video of a performance - and you can only judge yourself objectively from the outside - I'm primarily, out of habit, looking for mistakes, rough edges that need to be corrected in the future. However, I'm not at all unfamiliar with the feeling of self-satisfaction. It comes when everything goes as planned.
N. Klimanova from Zheyaeznogorsk-Ilimsky, Irkutsk oblast, N. Ryabina and A. Ivancheva from Pyshma, Sverdlovsk oblast: Can you name the happiest and darkest day in your entire sports life?
The happiest, you probably guess, was the one I experienced at the Munich Olympics. The darkest...it happened in 1970 at the USSR championships in Minsk. I was as prepared as ever. It was great, I put in so much work and effort! I was leading almost to the end. And then, disappointingly, I fell on the last event - the floor exercise.
A. Belova from the village of Bessonovka in the Penza region, E. Kalachev from Kirovbad, D. Kuralimova from Aktobe: How do you cope with failures - it is long, difficult?
I wouldn't say it's too long, but it's hard. For days, I'm beside myself, though I try not to show it. How? Why? Why? I try to get to the root of what happened. However, little by little, the sharpness of the initial feeling of hopelessness dulls. And now I think less about the past and more about the future. Because the most important starts are always those that are yet to come.
B. Argimaeva from the Veysky district of Krasnoyarsk Krai, S. Fishman from Chernovtsy, S. Ershov from Sverdlovsk, and others: Do you dream of competing in the 1976 Olympic Games?
I'm not just dreaming, I'm preparing!
YU. YURIS