Sovetsky Sport. December 1, 1979. On the eve of the World Gymnastics Championships in Fort Worth near Dallas (USA, Texas), at our request, the sports editors of TASS and ADN conducted an interview with the winner of the gold medal on the uneven bars at this year's World Cup, Steffi Kraker (GDR), and world all-around silver medalist and winner of three gold medals at the 1976 Olympics, Nelli Kim.
Why do you love gymnastics?
Kraker: I like the aesthetics and expressiveness of this sport. In addition, gymnastics evenly distributes the load on all the muscles of the body, improves it, and makes girls beautiful, strong, and agile.
Kim: Probably because gymnastics is my life. It brings both joy and sorrow. It helped me understand how limitless the physical capabilities of a person are, gave me the feeling of being in peak athletic shape, when you feel that you can do anything. And what if you are the first in the world to perform some element? This feeling is extraordinary...
Do you think there is a limit to the level of difficulty a gymnast can master? What is the basis for such rapid progress in mastering elements of the highest difficulty?
Kraker: The idea that increasing difficulty may eventually reach an insurmountable limit has recently been refuted by the development of gymnastics itself. There is no limit to the wealth of ideas of coaches and gymnasts. I think that the coming years will be marked by the search for new elements. This path of development of the most modern gymnastics was started by Olga Korbut and continued by Nadia Comaneci from Romania. They were pioneers, they set an example. Other gymnasts quickly realized that only by mastering this type of gymnastics can one fight for victories in major competitions, can one create a name for oneself in this sport.
Kim: I thknk that there is a limit to difficulty. Now most gymnasts competing on the international stage have mastered the arsenal of elements that allow them to compete at the highest level. I believe that now difficulty will not increase particularly, but basically the same elements will be mastered - but in different interpretations. After all, it's becoming increasingly difficult to find new things. It's necessary, using all your imagination, to "weave" these elements into new connections, in which they will take on a new "sound."
I think that progress in mastering elements of the highest difficulty is achieved through early specialization. From the very first steps, young gymnasts, with their easy receptivity, acquire those motor skills that will help them quickly master modern "Ultra-C" elements. In addition, we are all fearless at an early age and for us it's a kind of game. At a more mature age it's much more difficult to cross this threshold.
What character traits to you value most in prople, and in particular in sports people?
Kraker: Openness and honesty. In gymnastics, in addition, you need to be able to fight and endure defeats with dignity.
Kim: Fairness, integrity, high demands on oneself and on people.
What do you value most in a coach?
Kraker: In my opinion, a coach, thanks to his qualities as a teacher and specialist, almost always plays the main role in the development of an athlete. What I especially appreciate about my coach Helmut Gerschau is his patience, and also that he knows everything about everything. In addition, he is able to psychologically prepare me, to make me courageous in the most critical situations.
Kim: First of all, a coach should not be a dictator. Gymnastics is his creativity, and therefore any composition, any element, should be created in the creative partnership of the teacher and his student. Personally, I am a terrible debater and often argue with my coach Nikolai Miligulo. But I think that these debates give rise to truths that serve the cause of our beloved gymnastics, and we share the victories equally.
Do you have a favorite event, which one, and why?
Kraker: I love the uneven bars more than anything else. This apparatus best suits my character and my abilities. It was here that I managed to achieve my first successes, and these successes inspired me.
Kim: Floor exercise. I think that in this event that the greatest opportunity for communication with the audience and self-expression is obtained. Here, there is a chance to reveal some features of one's character through the routine, to demonstrate one's artistic abilities. And if you feel that the audience is picking up on your mood, that it is pushing you, that there are threads of mutual understanding between you, then that's very nice. I think that in the other events it is impossible to achieve this.
Other than gymnastics, what sport can you imagine yourself doing?
Kraker: I would take up figure skating.
Kim: Figure skating - pairs or ice dancing.
What can you say about the gymnasts of the USSR (GDR)? What unites and distinguishes the gymnastics schools of the two countries? What can you say about each other?
Kraker: I have always admired the harmonious combination of elegance and the highest difficulty in the routines of Soviet gymnasts. I think what our schools have in common is the struggle for increasing our difficulty. We often communicate with each other, sharing experiences in mastering the most difficult elements both during competitions and during personal communication. Now the Soviet gymnasts are ahead of us in the class of perfoming routines.
I consider Nelli Kim a gymnast worthy of emulation. She has been among the world's elite for many years now. I can imagine how difficult that must be. It requires not only persistent training, but also constant self-improvement and a high degree of fighting spirit.
Kim: The GDR women's gymnastics school has always been distinguished by its bold, powerful work on the apparatus. The best representatives of this country are characterized by a high level of performance skill. But I believe that the main drawback of this, I emphasize, very strong school has always been a certain dispassion, a lack of emotional color in the performance. It seems to me that after a certain "lull" in GDR gymnastics, an upswing is beginning, and young gymnasts are successfully overcoming the barrier of "coldness." First of all, this can be said about Stelli Kraker. She managed to achieve great results in the biggest competitions. I wish her luck on this difficult path.
What is your assessment of the balance of power on the international stage in women's gymnastics ahead of the 1980 Olympics?
Kraker: The world elite is becoming increasingly competitive. Previously, only Soviet and Romanian gymnasts were mentioned here. Now, visible progress has been made by gymnasts from the USA. This also applies to individual athletes from Czechoslovakia and Hungary.
Kim: There hasn't been much of a "regrouping of forces" on the international stage lately. The Romanian gymnasts, led by Nadia Comaneci and Emilia Eberle, are still very young. The US athletes have been caused a lot of trouble for the leaders this year, but that is nothing new. There are contenders for successful performances in Czechoslovakia, Hungary, and the GDR. Soviet gymnasts, who do not intend to give up their positions, are preparing for the upcoming competitions with great responsibility.
What do you think is the ideal gymnast?
Kraker: The ideal gymnast must be diligent in training, have a certain amount of talent, strength, mobility, and elegance. She must be able to demonstrate the routines prepared in training at the highest level, and this is impossible without willpower, a willingness to take risks, and endurance.
Kim: The ideal gymnast seems to be a combination of several qualities that I have not yet managed to see in one person. To make this characteristic more clear, I will say this: the ideal gymnast should have the stability of Ludmila Turischeva, the technicality of GDR gymnasts Erika Zuchold and Karin Janz, and the emotionality of Natalia Kuchinskaya. To this it remains to add a real fighting spirit.
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