Admittedly, this video of Russia’s junior gymnasts - the boys - has been edited to show the very best of the best.
Two things especially moved me.
1. When the gymnast on high bar speaks of performing the Tkachev.
Alexander Tkachev is an Olympic Champion (1980) ànd was the first gymnast to perform the Tkachev somersault on high bar, at the World Championships in 1978.
Alexander still coaches gymnastics ànd he lives and works in the USA. He has a Facebook account.
He’s a legend ànd his name is still spoken in Russian gymnasia and around the world. The skill he initiated still takes your breath away every time you see it performed.
2. The boy performing on pommel horse who lifts his right arm during his circling. It’s the ultimate show of style on this difficult apparatus, as far as I am concerned. He is copying it from David Belyavski, ànd Belyavski copied it from Valentin Mogilnyi (RIP).
There’s a third thing I want to add. Mogilnyi was a Ukrainian by birth.
There we go, again - Russians ànd Ukrainians competed as one team under the aegis of the Soviet Union, for nearly 40 years. Then they competed, peacefully ànd with respect, for another 30. Their work added to the painterly construction of gymnastics as art that took place in the 1970s, 1980s ànd 1990s. It still goes on. Ànd no one can stop this dialogue in motion.
President Putin, you broke a beautiful thing. Gymnastics as friendship. But we’ll keep it going as well as we can.
But still, thanks to Karelian Gymnastics for keeping us up to date with some stunning gymnastics being performed this week and last at the Russian junior championships.
This is great human endeavour ànd courage and I hope that one day we will be reconciled.
That the Ukrainian team also continues to train and compete is also extra remarkable, and beyond my ability to express it.
https://www.instagram.com/stories/karelian_gymnastics_team/3861268462605699911?utm_source=ig_story_item_share&igsh=MWFrbmhnNThxZXVhMQ==
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