Skip to main content

'It's difficult to be a God' - documentary on Yuri Ryazanov (c. 2004)

By

The RGF has just published this half hour documentary on its YouTube channel - http://youtu.be/x9euD-9hLdk

Shot in about 2004, it charts the struggles of a young boy - Yuri Ryazanov - as he progresses in his gymnastics career, aspiring to sporting achievements of the highest level, as exemplified in this film by the gymnastics 'God' Alexei Nemov.

Black and white film enhances the intense atmosphere of the training and competition hall and there are some stunning close up shots of the haunting face of young Ryazanov.  Set in a background of  social and economic trauma as Russia finds its feet in the post-Soviet years, we understand that Yuri's life is one of order and discipline compared to the somewhat distressed community he sees around him in the centre of his home town, the city of Vladimir.  Pictures of a confident Nemov in training, and on the cover of 'Men's Fitness' magazine, lead us to suppose that sport provides the possibility of a better life.

If only young Yuri and his fellow athletes, including Dmitri Gogotov, can stay on the straight and narrow and endure the training necessary to make it to the top and be a 'God' like Nemov before him.

The film ends as we see Yuri compete in a national competition, wearing a T shirt for Russia, alongside his coach, Igor Kalabushkin.  

Yuri with his coach, Igor Kalabushkin

We remember Yuri for his great technical gymnastics, a style reminiscent of his hometown predecessor, 1988 Olympic Champion Vladimir Artemov.  Yuri too had 'Olympics' written all over him and would no doubt have impressed in 2012 had he had the chance.  He was a credit to the Vladimir School of Gymnastics, who nurtured him all the way to a bronze medal in the All Around at the 2009 World Championships in London.  

Sadly, only a few days after his greatest victory, Yuri lost his life in a car accident, on his way home.  This documentary helps us to remember the gymnast and the man.  Yuri Ryazanov, ambitious, hard-working, prodigiously talented and forever young.  

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Melnikova plans to increase her D scores before Jakarta

By
 Translation of highlights of article from Sport Express. Angelina Melnikova spoke to Sport-Express journalist Sergey Lisin about today's competition day.  ❓Did you expect such a victorious end to the day, considering how it started on balance beam? 💬 No. Just looking at the scoreboard just now gave me goosebumps; it's a great joy. This is my first time competing for Vladimir, and I'm so happy that we won this Russian Championships, competing for the Vladimir team, and we achieved such a historic victory. It was fantastic, thanks to the whole team. ❓And still, about balance beam. 💬 I don't want to talk about that shame. I have nothing to say, I'm just ashamed; I can't find any other words. ❓How did you manage to pull myself together after that? 💬 Actually, I'm in pretty good shape, and I was generally confident on all the apparatuses today. As a professional athlete, if something isn't working out, I can't give up on the next apparatus. ❓ Yesterda...
Post a Comment
Read more

Svetlana Boginskaya: I was always a bitch* in gymnastics

By
Svetlana Boginskaya, 15 years old, with her medals from the Seoul Olympics Nico translates the latest interview with gymnastics legend Svetlana Boginskaya, during a recent visit to her home country of Belarus. Svetlana Boginskaya: I was always a bitch* in gymnastics, so now I ask for forgiveness from everyone who came in contact with me. The National Olympic Committee of Belarus held a press conference with three-time Olympic Champion in artistic gymnastics, Svetlana Boginskaya. The meeting was devoted to the 25th anniversary of the Olympic Games in Seoul. In South Korea the Belarussian won two gold medals in the team competition and vault. As a gift to the Olympic Hall of fame, the famous gymnast, now living in the United States, donated one of her trophies that she won at the 1990 European Championships and a pennant for Best Female Athlete of the USSR in 1989. How happy we were when we could share with such stars as Boginskaya, Scherbo, and Ivankov,...
14 comments
Read more

The generations of gymnasts in Russia move on

By
Almost two years ago the IOC sanctioned Russia for invading Ukraine.  The IOC effectively banned Russia’s team from international competition in Olympic sports.   2020/1 was therefore Russia’s last Olympics, but even so they competed then not as Russia, but under the flag of the Russian Olympic Committee. There has been a long history of ‘diplomatic’ conflict between Russia and the IOC.  You could think back as far as 1984 when the team boycotted the LA Olympics, but more recently we begin with the ‘state doping’ that went on in particular at the Sochi Winter Olympic Games in 2014.  Gymnastics wasn’t affected at that time as the sport of gymnastics is clean, but the sanctions on sport in Russia, in general, have gradually become stronger.  It’s now only possible for gymnasts to compete internationally as individuals, with neutral status.  Neutral status is granted by their sporting administrative bodies, in our case the FIG.   It’s not an easy job, eit...
Post a Comment
Read more

RRG Archive - scroll by date, from 2024 to 2010

Show more