I should be writing some important work this afternoon but instead find myself drifting off to the Olympics ... past, as well as present. I am a little disappointed not to be able to see the Russians fight for gold at my home Olympics at last ... but never mind. Let's remember some of the greatest Olympians ever, and hope for the golden tradition to be continued in 2012.
1952 - Marina Gorokhovskaya on uneven bars (she took silver on this apparatus, but was the all around champion)
You may well love the interesting techniques she uses here. Look for the enthusiastic audience participation too!
Watch it on Youtube.
1956, 1960 and 1964 - Larissa Latynina on floor
She's so languid.
In 1956, it was the Latynina and Keleti show, with Latynina winning the all around and sharing the gold on floor with her Hungarian rival.
In 1960 Latynina held onto both the all around and floor golds, keeping the gold in 1964 but being beaten to the all around title by the glamorous Vera Caslavska
Watch it on Youtube
1968 - Natalia Kuchinskaya
Kuchinskaya was the Soviets' leading gymnast at this competition, winning the gold on beam. When I interviewed Alexander Alexandrov in 1989 I asked who in his opinion provided the best role model for his team of gymnasts: he answered 'Kuchinskaya'.
Watch it on Youtube.
1972 - Ludmilla Tourischeva
You don't even notice that the music isn't orchestrated, such is the power and impact of Tourischeva's presentation. This video is cut up somewhat but I present it here as a record of Tourischeva in all her magnificence. Mustafina reminds me of her, not so much gymnastically but personally.
Watch it on Youtube.
1976 - Nelli Kim
The Montreal record is all but dominated by the amazing Nadia Comaneci, which does little justice to the mature and expressive Kim, who took gold in the team, silver all around, and gold in vault and floor, thus matching Comaneci's three gold medals at this competition. There's a blog post there: should Kim have won in Montreal?
Watch it on Youtube.
1980 - Elena Davidova
She was the deserved winner of the all around with this entertaining and innovative floor routine.
Watch it on Youtube.
1984 - Olga Mostepanova
Sadly, the Soviet Union boycotted the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games in retaliation for the western boycott of their own Moscow Olympic Games in 1980, leaving the gymnastics competition without a Soviet hero, or a true winner. But at the Alternative Olympics in Oloumoc, the incredibly beautiful Olga Mostepanova won. She thus became the only gymnast ever to record 10 on all four pieces of apparatus. Sadly, little video of entire routines exist of this mysterious competition (it's the Holy Grail of gymnastics!) so I'm presenting here Mostepanova on floor at the 1983 World Championships. Almost as good.
Watch it on Youtube.
1988 - Elena Shushunova
With my friend Tracey I interviewed Shushunova in 1989, the year after her phenomenal win in the team and all around in Seoul. What was her greatest worry? 'To be honest, I was thinking most about the team' she replied. Russia needs more gymnasts like Shushunova, an innovative firecracker who presented a genuine depth of emotion in so much of her work. Don't believe the detractors - Shushunova had great line, elevation and amplitude in her work and was far more than an acrobat. This routine brings tears to my eyes, and if I could transfer one gymnast from the past to the coming Olympics' Russian team, it would be Shushunova.
Watch it on Youtube.
1992 - Svetlana Boginskaya
Yes, I know that technically Gutsu was the top Soviet at this competition, but I always feel that morally and artistically Boginskaya was the leader and the best gymnast in the competition by far. In fact for me, Boginskaya was the best ever. See here her compulsory floor routine - and remember that gymnastics has to be artistic, to be artistic. How many of today's gymnasts could make a work of such simplicity watchable after almost 20 years?
Watch it on Youtube.
1996 - Lilia Podkopayeva
Has anyone but Lilia ever performed the double front with half out on floor? Did she install a secret trampoline in the floor?
Watch it on Youtube.
2000 - Svetlana Khorkina
The Russians had a disappointing competition in Sydney, what with their team breakdown, and the fiasco of the vault setting. Given Raducan's disqualification for a drug offence that even the FIG Medical Commissioner considers to have been questionable, we don't even have a recognised all around Olympic Champion. But we do have a great bars champion. She shows a quality of bars choreography, rhythm and style that is unique to the Russians and Soviets.
Watch it on Youtube.
2004 - Svetlana Khorkina
There was no one to rival her during this time, and her retirement from the sport post Olympics left a gap in the sport, and in the Russian team. I consider Dementyeva to have a little of Khorkina about her.
Watch it on Youtube.
2008 - Anna Pavlova
Russia reached its lowest Olympic ebb in 2008, but Pavlova still managed to contribute the best floor routine of the entire competition. A pity she couldn't deliver in the team competition, but with the benefit of hindsight perhaps that knee wasn't entirely reliable even then ...
Watch it on Youtube.
Gorokhovskaya, Latynina, Kuchinskaya, Tourischeva, Kim, Davidova, Mostepanova, Shushunova, Boginskaya, Podkopayeva, Khorkina,Pavlova ...? Who could continue the fantastic Russian legacy?
1952 - Marina Gorokhovskaya on uneven bars (she took silver on this apparatus, but was the all around champion)
You may well love the interesting techniques she uses here. Look for the enthusiastic audience participation too!
Watch it on Youtube.
1956, 1960 and 1964 - Larissa Latynina on floor
She's so languid.
In 1956, it was the Latynina and Keleti show, with Latynina winning the all around and sharing the gold on floor with her Hungarian rival.
In 1960 Latynina held onto both the all around and floor golds, keeping the gold in 1964 but being beaten to the all around title by the glamorous Vera Caslavska
Watch it on Youtube
1968 - Natalia Kuchinskaya
Kuchinskaya was the Soviets' leading gymnast at this competition, winning the gold on beam. When I interviewed Alexander Alexandrov in 1989 I asked who in his opinion provided the best role model for his team of gymnasts: he answered 'Kuchinskaya'.
Watch it on Youtube.
1972 - Ludmilla Tourischeva
You don't even notice that the music isn't orchestrated, such is the power and impact of Tourischeva's presentation. This video is cut up somewhat but I present it here as a record of Tourischeva in all her magnificence. Mustafina reminds me of her, not so much gymnastically but personally.
Watch it on Youtube.
1976 - Nelli Kim
The Montreal record is all but dominated by the amazing Nadia Comaneci, which does little justice to the mature and expressive Kim, who took gold in the team, silver all around, and gold in vault and floor, thus matching Comaneci's three gold medals at this competition. There's a blog post there: should Kim have won in Montreal?
Watch it on Youtube.
1980 - Elena Davidova
She was the deserved winner of the all around with this entertaining and innovative floor routine.
Watch it on Youtube.
1984 - Olga Mostepanova
Sadly, the Soviet Union boycotted the 1984 Los Angeles Olympic Games in retaliation for the western boycott of their own Moscow Olympic Games in 1980, leaving the gymnastics competition without a Soviet hero, or a true winner. But at the Alternative Olympics in Oloumoc, the incredibly beautiful Olga Mostepanova won. She thus became the only gymnast ever to record 10 on all four pieces of apparatus. Sadly, little video of entire routines exist of this mysterious competition (it's the Holy Grail of gymnastics!) so I'm presenting here Mostepanova on floor at the 1983 World Championships. Almost as good.
Watch it on Youtube.
1988 - Elena Shushunova
With my friend Tracey I interviewed Shushunova in 1989, the year after her phenomenal win in the team and all around in Seoul. What was her greatest worry? 'To be honest, I was thinking most about the team' she replied. Russia needs more gymnasts like Shushunova, an innovative firecracker who presented a genuine depth of emotion in so much of her work. Don't believe the detractors - Shushunova had great line, elevation and amplitude in her work and was far more than an acrobat. This routine brings tears to my eyes, and if I could transfer one gymnast from the past to the coming Olympics' Russian team, it would be Shushunova.
Watch it on Youtube.
1992 - Svetlana Boginskaya
Yes, I know that technically Gutsu was the top Soviet at this competition, but I always feel that morally and artistically Boginskaya was the leader and the best gymnast in the competition by far. In fact for me, Boginskaya was the best ever. See here her compulsory floor routine - and remember that gymnastics has to be artistic, to be artistic. How many of today's gymnasts could make a work of such simplicity watchable after almost 20 years?
Watch it on Youtube.
1996 - Lilia Podkopayeva
Has anyone but Lilia ever performed the double front with half out on floor? Did she install a secret trampoline in the floor?
Watch it on Youtube.
2000 - Svetlana Khorkina
The Russians had a disappointing competition in Sydney, what with their team breakdown, and the fiasco of the vault setting. Given Raducan's disqualification for a drug offence that even the FIG Medical Commissioner considers to have been questionable, we don't even have a recognised all around Olympic Champion. But we do have a great bars champion. She shows a quality of bars choreography, rhythm and style that is unique to the Russians and Soviets.
Watch it on Youtube.
2004 - Svetlana Khorkina
There was no one to rival her during this time, and her retirement from the sport post Olympics left a gap in the sport, and in the Russian team. I consider Dementyeva to have a little of Khorkina about her.
Watch it on Youtube.
2008 - Anna Pavlova
Russia reached its lowest Olympic ebb in 2008, but Pavlova still managed to contribute the best floor routine of the entire competition. A pity she couldn't deliver in the team competition, but with the benefit of hindsight perhaps that knee wasn't entirely reliable even then ...
Watch it on Youtube.
Gorokhovskaya, Latynina, Kuchinskaya, Tourischeva, Kim, Davidova, Mostepanova, Shushunova, Boginskaya, Podkopayeva, Khorkina,Pavlova ...? Who could continue the fantastic Russian legacy?
Thank you for this! Glad to see especially your tribute to Tourischeva. She was so elegant and one of the greatest of all time.
ReplyDeleteA real class act!
Yes, Ludmilla was a class act and a great gymnast. I love watching her more than any other gymnast.
ReplyDelete