Gymn Forum: Ten Questions for Angelika Hellmann

Ten Questions for Angelika Hellmann

Berliner Zeitung, 12 December 1973

At the GDR championships held in Dessau last weekend, Angelika Hellmann was the most successful participant and the winner of the all-around competition and uneven bars final, as well as second on vault, balance beam and floor exercise. After the individual event finals, the 19-year-old Berliner, who is coached by Jurgen Heritz, answered the following ten questions:

Berliner Zeitung: Were you expecting this great performance?

Angelika Hellmann: On the way home from the Japan tour, I asked myself whether I could do it. The enormous strain and the 8-hour time difference bothered me a bit. So, I’m all the more happy that it worked out so well.

BZ: Now that Karin Janz and Erika Zuchold have retired, you are now number one among our GDR gymnasts. Even though you are known as a competitive gymnast, is that going to put a strain on your nerves?

AH: Of course, it’s an obligation to always give your best. But psychologically it won’t bother me. I will continue to do the best I can.

BZ: Do you have a favorite event, and where do you think you still can improve?

AH: The uneven bars, on which I also became individual champion, is my favorite piece of equipment. Improvements are undoubtedly still available on the so-called sour beam. Here I have to acquire more security.

BZ: You went on a competitive tour of the USSR and Japan before these championships. What were your most lasting impressions?

AH: In Rostov-on-Don I was able to watch the Soviet hopefuls. I was amazed that even the 9- and 10-year-old girls had safely mastered difficult exercises at the level of our master class. In addition, among other things, the tucked somersault backwards on beam. We still have a lot to do to develop such talents. In Japan I was particularly impressed by the men’s gymnastics. Of course, the customs and traditions that were unfamiliar to us were a special experience here.

BZ: Do you have a role model?

AH: What I admire about Ludmila Turischeva is the high level of concentration she has in competition and her strong nerves difficult situations. But my real role model is my clubmate Karin Janz. During our training together, I was able to learn a lot from her. Dedication, diligence, and accuracy were characteristics that set her apart.

BZ: Where do you think gymnastics is headed?

AH: The routines have become more and more difficult. New elements are added. Nonetheless, security and elegance are required from women. Anyone who masters both will be absolutely top class internationally.

BZ: In what ways are the Soviet gymnasts especially superior to us?

AH: They have a tense posture throughout their exercises. That means concentration down to the tips of your toes. They show us how you can get the most out of an exercise. Especially on beam, they are superior to us because they are more secure.

BZ: Who of the GDR gymnasts do you consider to be your fiercest competitors?

AH: My clubmate Irene Abel, who unfortunately wasn’t at the tournaments due to illness, as well as Richarda Schmeisser and Kerstin Gerchau. In Dessau, Sylvia Schafer has also proven by winning two titles that she belongs to the top class. Other young talents like my clubmate Annelore Zinke who, however, still has too many weaknesses in the compulsories, but we will see. That is also necessary because we need to be able to defend the silver medal for the 1974 world championships.

BZ: What part do your parents have in your sporting development? Do you mind if your father, who is the head of the sports department at the SED Central Committee, attends your competitions?

AH: They got me into sport and help me through difficult times, even when things weren’t going so well. I thank them for that. It doesn’t bother me at all when my father is in the arena.

BZ: What are your professional intentions?

AH: I would like to finish my Abitur [high school exam and university entrance qualification] in the near future. After that, I intend to study sport with the aim of being able to work as a coach in my club SC Dynamo.