Skip to main content

Stella Zakharova calls for unity in Ukraine

By
Stella Zakharova today, courtesy of her Facebook page

1980 gold medal Olympian and 1979 and 1980 World Cup all around champion Stella Zakharova has contributed to a round table of Ukrainian artists and athletes on the Ukraine crisis. Other participants are Nina Matvienko (artist) and Evgen Nischchuk (Ukrainian minister of culture). 'Let us work together to raise Ukraine', says Stella.
 
Stella says a video of athletes and artists speaking about Ukraine is in preparation.

Since retiring from big time gymnastics in 1980, Stella has married and is the mother of two children.  She is an outspoken supporter of Ukrainian gymnastics, and has her own annual international competition, the Stella Zakharova Cup, currently in its thirteenth year.  The competition regularly attracts top gymnasts and is sanctioned by the FIG, but has had to be postponed this year because of the current troubles.

Stella Zakharova on beam at the Moscow News competition in 1980 (gold all around)


Stella comes from Odessa, Ukraine, the same home town as 1992 all around Olympic champion Tatiana Gutsu.  Today, she lives in Kiev.  As a gymnast Stella was athletic and strong, producing impressive work on all apparatus and especially on floor and vault.  Her powerful tumbling was memorable and ground breaking for the era.  Stella's training is recorded in this 1978 Soviet TV documentary, 'You in Gymnastics', where you can find her practicing her floor choreography at about five minutes in, with choreographer Lidia Sokolova, and coaches Vladimir Zaglada and Gennady Korshunov.  She was a wonderful gymnast. 

Updated 8th March

Just found this 1979 floor routine by Stella which is much more expressive and intense, exactly how I remember her.  http://youtu.be/9_Kuvl4fQM4

I know that all readers of this blog will wish Stella and her Ukrainian and Russian friends all the luck in the world in finding their peace.
 
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

We are satisfied - Aliya Mustafina

By
Photo credit: RGF An Allsport interview today with Aliya Mustafina : http://www.allsportinfo.ru/index.php?id=83075 'I think that we are to be congratulated on this bronze medal, we are more satisfied than frustrated', said Aliya Mustafina. 'We were a new team, all the girls are young, and it's their first time in such a serious competition.  I think today we performed to the best of our ability.  Yes, we have had two falls today - on the uneven bars and balance beam.' 'The young girls failed  psychologically, but  the first time you compete on the senior podium - it's not very easy.  No  one is sad.  I  am very pleased with such a performance.  Everything  was fair enough, maybe not everywhere and in all things, but overall it was quite as expected, both our rivals, and the judging.' 'I began to experience more pain in the ankle - continued Aliya Mustafina. - To do the dismounts I had to muster all my strength and clench my teeth.  ...
21 comments
Read more

Elena Gerasimova retires, invited to coach junior national team

By
Valentina Rodionenko speaks to TASS.  Google translate - Tokyo Olympic participant Elena Gerasimova has decided to end her career in the Russian national artistic gymnastics team. This was reported to TASS by the senior coach of the national team Valentina Rodionenko. "Lena Gerasimova has decided to end her sports career, but she wants to continue competing in student competitions," Rodionenko said. "The athlete has been plagued by injuries in recent years, which made it very difficult for her to endure the training loads that the members of the national team experience. Gerasimova is a very honest and very responsible person. That's why she came and said that she wants to end her career and compete only in student competitions." "I know how responsible and hardworking this girl is, so we suggested that she think about becoming a coach of the youth team on one of the apparatuses in the future. We will count on her. And now she works as a coach at the Anton ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Listunova interview

By
 Google translate from VK.com -  Match TV talked to Victoria Listunova about the Olympic summer without participating in the Games, recovery, and memories of Tokyo three years later. We are copying several fragments, and the full interview is available on the Match TV website ❓ Victoria, how are you feeling? How was your recovery from the injury? Was it an old problem or some kind of force majeure? 💬 The injury may have been cumulative, it was not immediately revealed, I am now trying to train in the same volume as before. I am restoring my program. It took a long time for rehabilitation. From April until mid-summer, I was completely without loads, so that the injury would heal and never bother me again. But it is not like I was resting all summer. I was constantly present at the training camps, went through all the recovery procedures. At first there was complete rest, then I trained as much as possible without pain. So there were trainings, but in a minimal mode. In the sum...
Post a Comment
Read more

RRG Archive - scroll by date, from 2024 to 2010

Show more