It had somehow escaped my attention that yesterday was the birthday of two Olympic Champions from Moscow, 1980 - Alexander Detiatin and Elena Davydova. Happy Birthday to both of these amazing gymnasts! Alexander Detiatin had competed at the Olympics in Montreal in 1976 as part of the Soviet Union's plan to begin to challenge the unbeatable Japanese team. National coach Leonid Arkayev had faith in him as one of a new generation of ambitious young men, and his plans first came to fruition with a gold in the team event in the 1979 World Championships, the USSR's first since 1958. Detiatin also made his mark, taking first in the all around competition. His victory here asserted his leadership of the Soviet team, an incredible feat considering his team mates included such legends as Nikolai Andrianov and Alexander Tkachev. Then in 1980, he became an international legend when he won the Olympic all around title. Like Detiatin, Elena Davydova was one ...
Reporting and analysing Russian gymnastics since 2010. Includes original and exclusive interviews with leading coaches and gymnasts, and historical issues dating back to the Soviet Union. The first blog to report extensively on the sport using Russian language sources. I read, I argue, and I have opinions. Be warned.