Rewriting Russian Gymnastics

It was 1978 and we were watching the Strasbourg World Championships.  Rivalry between the Soviet Union and Romania was at its height; only a few months earlier the Romanian team had walked out of the European Championships, held in Prague, as national coach Bela Karolyi bitterly contested scores and alleged cheating by the East German and Soviet-led judging panels. In the Soviet Union women's team there had been a changing of the guard since the 1976 Olympics. Key new faces on the team included the eventual all around champion, Elena Mukhina, and bronze medallist, Natalia Shaposhnikova.  Legends Ludmilla Tourischeva, Olga Korbut and Elvira Saadi had left the playing field, and now Nelli Kim led the team, alongside the young veteran of the 76 Games, Maria Filatova. The video below, a Soviet produced, black and white information programme, shows important gymnastics from these Championships, including all of Elena Mukhina's routines.  Mukhina is featured here as an origin...