With Risk and Virtuosity, the Victory: Bernd Jensch
Turnen, 1/83
The SKDA (Sport Committees of the Friendly Armies) Championships, held in late November 1982 in Potsdam, provided the local ASK gymnast Bernd Jensch a road to the upcoming 1983 European and world championships. The 1981 World Cup participant confirmed his worth there (before the GDR championships) with a victory in the all-around. His impressive enthusiasm and fighting spirit offered the basis that the now 27-year-old was able to stock up his routines with new skills. The beginning of floor exercise with a Tsukahara was the newest part of this exercise, as was an original combination on parallel bars. The Potsadmer already has the future in mind: "It is simply necessary that one explores creative possibilities in the race of rapid international development. I'll try a Jager from one-arm giant on high bar and a full-twisting salto on vault." That Bernd Jensch - a member of the GDR team since 1974 - makes a constant effort to improve the already established repertoire demonstrated his virtuosity on high bar and rings. He added a full twist to his tucked double somersault dismount on rings.
In the international field of participants from Army sports teams of six countries, Jensch's teammate Holger Behrend won floor and pommel horse. CSKA gymnast Sergei Linyayev from Moscow excelled on high bar with two consecutive Tkachev saltos and a triple somersault dismount.
With fast-paced, high-risk routines, the young ladies were impressive. Thirteen-year-old Irina Baraksanova placed 5th all-around and won floor. The stability of her routines is not yet equal to the difficulty in her routines. In the team competition, she showed the Yurchenko vault (9.25 points). On uneven bars she showed giant swings and a stalder on the low bar, but her somersault dismount lacked momentun so she ended up on her seat. She showed courage by mounting beam with a Gnauck (round-off, flip-flop) and ended with a double somersault. She scored 8.6 points for each of these exercises. Only on floor did she manage to successfully connect consummate skill and difficulty. She performed a one-and-a-half twist to double back somersault, and two more double somersaults. She showed appealing choreography, and got the highest score of any competitor: 9.95 points.