Travelling back in time to 1985, all 15 of the top spots in the women's all around competition at the European Championships were taken up by Eastern European countries who were part of what was then called the Soviet bloc. The Soviet Union, the German Democratic Republic, Romania, Hungary, Czechoslovakia, Bulgaria were all in the mix. Spain's Isabel Soria, 16th that year, was the first gymnast from the West to appear on the results sheet. Event finals were an exclusively Soviet Bloc affair.
38 years later, we see this turned on its head almost completely. True, we have Hungary's Sofia Kovacs in second place, and the Romanian team is making a return with its gymnasts, Anna Barbosu and Amalia Ghigoarta, in 9th and 10th place; but otherwise gymnastics is entirely Western.
Britain did look dominant from the very start, and Italy are their closest competition. The gap between first and second placed Italy was almost three points; it was a similar situation between second and third, then the standards evened out with some very close competition between places four and seven: Belgium, France, Romania and Hungary.
The competition to qualify for the individual all around shows a range of just over four marks between the gymnast placed first, Britain's Jessica Gadirova, and tenth placed Amalia Ghigoarta. With one point being taken for a fall, and wavering D scores, that isn't a huge gap and the placings could easily vary tomorrow.
This hasn't happened suddenly, obviously; but the absence of Russia has made the change much more visible, and asks the question - what will gymnastics be like without their leadership, technical, artistic and competitive? Well, we will have to see.
A small point that I know is going to annoy some of you. Russia - Urazova and Listunova, then Melnikova - did crack the wolf turn on beam and floor. Do you remember the time when a wolf turn was basically nothing more than an opportunity to groan with horror? Some time before the last Olympics - not a moment too soon - the Russian choreographers took it on themseleves to address this problem, training first the best juniors (Urazova and Listunova at the time) to perform the skill well. Posture, lift, technique over power, leg extension - they actually managed to transform the wolf turn from horror to beauty. The change involved conceptualisation, planning, technical knowledge, skill, and probably a good deal of teamwork. This is only one example of where I can see standards slipping without Russia to lead the way. Who else bothers to refine their movement to a point of perfection?
There is a very real chance that the developing Western hegemony of gymnastics will become lasting. Many of you will welcome that, and I understand from a sporting perspective that it's great to see Britain, Italy, Belgium win, and to have really interesting competition on the day. But gymnastics has always been a bit more than that - there is that element of artistry and innovation that is so important to its identity.
I can see Russia slipping away from gymnastics for a very long time, never to be retrieved; where will the money and motivation come from, if they can't compete internationally? Who will have the ideas, who will lead the sport, without the mighty Russia, its scale, its power, its heritage, its sporting intellect?
Please, do comment.
Yes and it's depressing.
ReplyDeleteI will say the one thing that gives me hope is that Asian gymnastics also has a beautiful tradition and USA gymnastics is in a more uncertain place as a program after their corruption was exposed. And the Code is kinda trying to force people to be artistic?? But it makes no difference if it still rewards and encourages the same kinds of gymnastics, and if Western cultural power remains unchallenged.