Lioudmilla Tourischeva, 1972 Olympic All Around champion in artistic gymnastics, was held up as an example of the ideal Soviet citizen. Here she coaches one of the Soviet Union's leading gymnasts from the 1980 Olympics, Natalia Shaposhnikova The Soviet Union had a genius for lifting sport beyond the textbook, injecting the aesthetic where previously only goals had been in plain view. This was not only manifest in gymnastics. Do you remember the ‘Russian Five’, the players who elevated ice hockey to a creative sporting display, mesmerising their opponents and spectators with intricate patterns of play, so rhythmic and entertaining that they could have been set to music? In gymnastics, a sport where the aesthetic counted as much as the outcome, it was this ability to create spectacle out of competition that resulted in the most extraordinary athletic performances. The ‘Golden Era’, most commonly understood to cover the years from 1952-1...
There were beautiful pics. It was nice to see them in a different environment. I wonder why Nabs was outside, lol.
ReplyDeleteBTW here is an interview with Ksenia's coach, of course I have a vague idea because of google translate but we all know how that is, lol
http://summer.sport-express.ru/gymnastics/reviews/23260/
We need Lupita (sorry if I spelled wrong name) to translate that article. We all want to know what Marina says. We see her all the time with the gymnasts at competition. We barely get to know this coach. I believe she will be the main coach in London as well. I hope we get a translation soon :)
ReplyDeleteLupita is abroad at present on business. Let's wait and see if she has time to do a translate on her return.
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