Sovetsky Sport. May 31, 1987. No one ran to interview her. The words of the director: "Judge Vera Caslavska, Czechoslovakia" flashed over the huge arena, over the stands, barely, it seems, catching onto some distantly vague memory. Well, gymnastics is the lot of the young, it is more challenging, new names are rushing to attack the pedestals. But how exciting it can be, believe me, to make a pilgrimage to a long-forgotten address, to look again and again at familiar features, touched by time and fate. Such a meeting - years later - took place recently at the recently concluded European gymnastics championships in Moscow.
Unlike today's 'meteorites,' fate gave Vera Caslavska a long life in sports. In 1958, when Caslavska was only 16 years old, she competed with the highly-experienced 29-year-old Muratova. Then she competed against Latynina, Astakhova, Manina, Ivanova. In 1966, a long and exciting duel with Kuchinskaya began: a duel of charm - who is more charming? And finally, at the Olympic Games in Mexico, where Vera was already a seasoned competitor, 15-year-old Turischeva appeared for the first time as part of the Soviet Union team. Over the eleven years she lived in professional sports, Caslavska won all possible titles - she became the all-around champion of her country, of Europe, the world, and twice of the Olympic Games.
Vera, you haven't been to Moscow for 25 years. What has changed over the years?
A quarter of a century is a huge time. And, of course, a lot has changed. I don't recognize Moscow - it's become completely different. But Muscovites are still the same - friendly, cheerful, and generous with applause.
I am gad to come visit you again. I follow events in the USSR with great interest. Your country now lives, it seems to me, at the threshold of truth and sincerity. Perestroika, glasnost - they are wonderful words. I know about the changes in the life of your country, and they sincerely make me happy.
But first of all, I myself have changed. I lived, worked, and raised children. I have two of them - Radka is already 18 years old and soon she will receive a matriculation certificate, and 13-year-old Martin. I completely forgot - I wrote a book, The Road to Olympus.
What was more difficult - the road to Olympus or what happened after sports?
It's much easier to win a world championship or Olympics than it is to raise even one child to be a real human being.
Vera, you are now a coach. What parting words will you give to your student when she stands on the threshold separating sport from ordinary, human, non-sports life?
I'll probably say: "Forget the flowers, the medals, the glory. Forget that you are a champion (if, of course, this happens). Remember the bruises after the falls, the leotard wet with sweat at the end of training. And start over." Yes, that's exactly what I said, but I'll also tell you that no one can ever forget their past, especially such a bright one as in sports. Day after day, night after night, we are condemned to return to our past, full of hopes and expectations of happiness.
What is your greatest sporting experience?
All my experiences in sports have been strong.
What minutes, hours, or maybe days, do you remember as the happiest of your life?
When my girls complain that they are dead tired, that they no longer have the strength, I tell them: "Time will pass, and you will remember these trainings as the greatest happiness, the greatest joy in your life." Why? Simply because everything is still ahead, because it is still only morning and you don't know what the day will bring you. But the morning is surprisingly sunny, fresh, and that's why you live in anticipation of happiness and miracles, and hurry them up: quickly, quickly.
You dedicated your life to sports. If you were again faced with a choice: sports or...
I have long excluded "if only" from my vocabulary.
But still...
If I had enough talent, I would probably try to become an artist.
Is this just a dream?
I really do draw. Sometimes, as artists say, I even compose. Landscapes. Oil. I painted a lot in Mexico when I worked as a national team coach. The colors there are bright and bold, it's simply a sin not to take up a brush. But still, I am Slavic, and our quiet landscapes are closer to my soul - a milk of fog spilled over the fields, rain on the edge - I'm not a great artist, I can tell you that.
Vera, which competition was the most difficult for you?
The 1967 European Championships in Amsterdam. Kuchinskaya competed. A year earlier, at the world championships in Dortmund, she won three gold medals in the individual event finals. And I was in good athletic shape at this time. But things weren't going well for me. Before the championship, my coach and I decided to completely change my program, make it more difficult, and update it. Nobody was sure of my victory, especially me. But that wasn't the most important thing. Kuchinskaya...everyone in Dortmund loved her. And what happened in Mexico! Remember? Natasha's name was on everyone's tongue. "The Bride of Mexico City." And I had already won many times. Everyone wanted a new champion. It's natural.
(Kuchinskaya and Caslavska. Caslavska won on the platform. Kuchinskaya won hearts. Vera won in Amsterdam too. Kuchinskaya couldn't stand it and fell from the apparatus. And despite the fact that the prima donna of the Mexico City Games was Natasha, Caslavska won the Olympic gold. But her victories always had a bittersweet taste. Like belated good news. Like late love.)
Vera, when did you finally decide that you would leave the sport?
This happened long before the 1968 Olympics. The first time I thought about leaving was when Kuchinskaya appeared on the world stage - she was young and beautiful. It seemed that I couldn't compete. But by impulse, I wanted a difficult opponent such as this.
It's very important for an athlete to leave on time, to put an end to it. Do it on takeoff, end your sports song on a high note. I remember how they persuaded my friend and my coach Eva Bosakova to stay in gymnastics for a while longer. She wanted to part with competition after the Rome Olympics. I saw her difficult decline. She trained frantically, exhausted herself, but the lightness and confidence did not return. This aimless self torture happened before my eyes, and it was then I vowed not to give into any persuasion from the coaches.
Gymnastics has changed over the past two decades, creating more and more spirals of difficulty. There is a huge distance between your gymnastics and the gymnastics of today.
It's difficult for me to be impartial, because I am a representative of that bygone generation. Our sport has become much more complex, I would even say riskier and more technical. Technology has grown to heights unimaginable to us. Perhaps the beauty of gymnastics is in its difficulty. But I also feel sorry for the gymnastics that is gone. It was more spiritual, more feminine. Progress cannot be reversed, but it's still a pity. True, at the current championship in Moscow I was pleased with the fact that not only the little ones took to the stage. This is a good sign.
In your opinion, what qualities should a good gymnast have? Could she possibly know the feeling of fear?
The feeling of fear is familiar to everyone without exception, I assure you. Don't believe anyone who says otherwise. Qualities of a gymnast? Probably the same ones that every modern woman should have - determination, intelligence, will... Femininity.
You have a wonderful name - Vera [faith]. I just want to add to it - hope and love. What do these words mean to you?
These are the components of life.
O. POLONSKAYA