Sovetsky Sport. July 13, 1971. My interlocutor needs no special introduction. Boris Shakhlin! Who doesn't know the 'iron' Shakhlin - winner of the world championships and Olympic Games, the USSR championships and Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR, holder of the Order of Lenin, Merited Master of Sports, judge, authoritative figure of the International Gymnastics Federation. Our meeting took place at the famous gymnast's apartment, in one of the new buildings on Lesya Ikrinka Boulevard in Kiev.
Boris Anfiyanovich, you hold the title of absolute champion in gymnastics of the II Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR. What place does this victory take in your sports biography?
In 1959 I was already, as they say, a 'titled' gymnast - the absolute champion of the country in 1954, 1957, and 1958, but the all-around victory at the II Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR was especially joyful and significant for me. Firstly, it strengthened my faith in my own strength, which was especially important for me on the eve of the Olympic tournament in Rome. And in the Italian capital I managed to beat the Japanese Ono in the all-around and become the absolute champion of the Olympic Games, and in addition win gold medals on pommel horse, parallel bars, and vault, and a silver on rings and a bronze on high bar. I owe these successes largely to the school of the II Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR.
School? What do you mean by this word, because you yourself said that by 1959 you were already an experienced gymnast?
Absolutely true, but speaking about the school of the II Spartakiade, I used the word 'school' not in the gymnastic sense, not in the sports sense. I meant something different. I'll try to explain my point. At first glance, the national championship and the gymnastics competition of the Spartakiad that follows or precedes it are a phenomenon of the same order. The composition of the participants is almost the same, the program and requirements are generally similar. But this is only at first glance. In fact, in terms or their psychological climate, the gymnastics competitions of the Spartakiad are significantly different from ordinary championships; their atmosphere is closer to the Olympic one. Of course, even at regular championships, an athlete tries to perform as best as possible, to bring his team as many points as possible. But at the Spartakiad his sense of responsibility for himself and for his performance almost doubles. He no longer lives in the interests of a small circle of teammates, but in the interests of the entire delegation, republic, or city that he represents at the Spartakiad. That is, his view of his performance becomes sharper, his horizons are broader, it is easier for him to 'give his best,' to show everything that he is capable of. He is obligated to this not only by his duty to his teammates and coach, but also by a heightened sense of responsibility to his fellow countrymen, representatives of other sports, fighting side by side in it for victory in the overall standings of the Spartakiad. This is a very important psychological factor, the role of which in the process of preparing for the next sports competition can hardly be overestimated. This is how it is generally intended: the Spartakiad is a general test of strength and excellent training on the way to the next Olympic Games. I have always attached great importance to my performances at sports competitions and prepared for them very carefully. By the say, at the III Spartakiad I also managed to become the absolute champion.
You will act as a judge at the V Spartakiad. What do you expect from the upcoming tournament?
First of all, real gymnastics. In my understanding, there are performances that would satisfy both the athlete himself and would delight the viewer's eye. I have already spoken about my concerns regarding the exercises of the compulsory program, which even our best gymnasts have not yet mastered in the best way, in my opinion. At the Spartakiad, alll members of our team will gather together for the first time, on one platform, and experts will assess with maximum accuracy what has been done in the compulsory program and, more importantly, determine the ways of work for the coming year that separates us from the Olympics. Of course, the Spartakiad will bring some clarity to the problem of recruiting our Olympic team. In the meantime, based on the results of their performance at the European Cup, I think that Klimenko, Voronin, Andrianov, and Bogdanov can quite confidently claim inclusion in this team, but who is behind them - this question will be answered on the Moscow platform.
Readers of Sovetsky Sport will undoubtedly be interested to hear about your current work. Tell us at least briefly about this.
I work at the Kiev Institute of Physical Culture as an assistant professor in the gymnastics department. I like teaching work, although in general I gravitate more toward coaching. For the third year now, I have been working with a group of gymnasts under the PSM program - improving sportsmanship. Among my wards there are one Master, three candidates for Master, and First Class students. Their prospects? I think that upon graduation they will become good coaches. My public duties take up a lot of my time - in our federation and in the FIG, on whose technical committee I am a member. The scope of action of the technical committee (it includes seven people headed by the president of the Swiss Federation, Arthur Gander) is very extensive: drawing up compulsory programs, organizing various courses and symposia, arduous concerns about the development of modern sports gymnastics in the same direction, training judges, and finally, all organizational concerns about holding international competitions.
Interview conducted by G. BORISOV