Sovetsky Sport. May 12, 1977. Steffi Kraker (born in Leipzig on April 21, 1960, height 1m55cm, 42kg) first attracted the attention of the world gymnastics community at the 1974 Druzhba tournament in Pyongyang, where she took second place. However, her rise to the world elite was not as steep as that of both Romanian gymnasts - Comaneci and Ungureanu - whom she overtook then. This year she was fourth in Moscow and second in Riga.
A student of coach Gerschau from the Leipzig Sports Club, Kraker is a GDR hopeful at the European Championship in Prague. This is the interview she gave to the "Deutsches Sportecho" correspondent Hans-Jurgen Zeume before her departure for Czechoslovakia.
Q: When and how did you start doing gymnastics?
A: I was in the third grade. Coaches from the Leipzig Sports Club came to us and advised me to do gymnastics. My first coach was Frau Mai. I am currently training with Gerschau, who has already coached Zuchold, Bauerschmidt, Schafer, his daughter Kerstin, Hanke, and many others.
Q: When did you first join the national team?
A: it was before the Riga International competition in 1973.
Q: This year you were second behind Filatova in Riga and fourth in Moscow. How do you evaluate your results?
A: The Soviet gymnasts performed with maximum risk. But they don't always succeed. I usually performed without mistakes. This is also a success.
Q: In 1976, at the GDR championship in Sohl, you were the leader on the uneven bars. In Riga, you won this apparatus. What played a decisive role?
A: I managed to do a Korbut loop. I also performed the other sequences confidently and calmly, including the dismount - a swing with an arc and a piked back somersault. I was able to overtake Koppe, my teammate, who had the best preliminary score.
Q: What do you like about the Soviet gymnast Maria Filatova?
A: First of all, her calm and composure. Maria is a great talent, but little Natasha Shaposhnikova is hardly inferior to her. I think both these gymnasts and Nelli Kim will fight for victory in Prague together with the Romanians.
Q: What are your own plans for the European Championship?
A: To get a good score in the all-around and get to the bars final. I don't plan anything more.
Q: How did the competitions in Moscow and Riga help you?
A: First of all, in the sense that neither the famous names, nor the new elements, nor the loud applause threw me off balance there. In addition, compared to the other participants, it was noticeable that our team had made significant progress in floor exercise and performed successfully on the beam and uneven bars.
Q: Why don't you always include the double somersault in your floor routine, which was first mastered by the GDR gymnasts?
A: I have not yet fully mastered this element, and I dare to perform it only when I am in excellent shape. Soviet gymnasts demonstrated two double somersaults and even a moon somersault in Moscow. After Montreal, we also managed to make up for a lot, but in terms of expressiveness, the Soviet and Romanian gymnasts are ahead of us.
Q: You have said more than once that Lyudmila Turischeva serves as an example for you. Now she is a coach.
A: Lyudmila remains the same wonderful person. Purposeful and very friendly. She was the first to congratulate me on my victory on the bars.
Q: How do you see your gymnastics future?
A: A lot will depend on my performance in Prague, since it is from there that my start to the 1978 World Championsip will begin. And then we will see if I can participate in the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow. In general, I want to become a sports doctor or sports psychologist.
Q: What do you particularly appreciate about Klaus Koste, the new head coach of the Leipzig Sports Club?
A: He cares about everyone equally and discusses any problems that arise with us in detail. He never raises his voice, instills confidence in us, and cultivates courage in us. I think that Koppe, Emmrich, I, and other young gymnasts advanced quite quickly thanks to Koste.
Q: Are you afraid of any events?
A: Over the years, the fear has passed. Now I like working on the uneven bars the most. But I also like the other equipment, and I don't even feel afraid of the beam.
Q: If it weren't for gymnastics, what sport would you choose?
A: Figure skating, which is very close to gymnastics in essence.
Q: Did your parents do sports?
A: My mother swam.
Q: What's your favorite school subject?
A: Russian. Trips to Moscow and Riga really helped me improve it.
Hans-Jurgen Zeume, Deutsche Sportecho