Sovetsky Sport. April 19, 1980 (our special corresondent). At the individual and team championships of the USSR in gymnastics, the dispute in the compulsory program was completed by the men. Alexander Tkachev from Dinamo in Voronezh took the lead in the individual event, and the first team of the Armed Forces took the lead in the team event.
The hour of testing has stuck for our strongest gymnasts. The national championship is a very serious competition in all respects. Now the readiness of Olympic candidates is being checked, and it is being corrected - for the umpteenth time in four years! - execution of the trickiest elements of the compulsory program, and the final polish is brought to the optional exercises. And, of course, all attention is on the leaders, on those who distinguished themselves at the world championship in the USA last December.
At the solemn opening of the tournament, the senior coach of the men's national team Leonid Arkaev and the magnificent six world champions in the team competition - Alexander Dityatin, Nikolai Andrianov, Vladimir Markelov, Alexander Tkachev, Bogdan Makuts, and Artur Akopyan - as well as the all-around world champion Nelli Kim were awarded with certificates of honor of the Central Committee of the Komsomol. Tkachev was awarded the "Sports Prowess" Sign of the Central Committee of the Komsomol.
Of the strongest, only Dityatin and Akopyan didn't come out on the platform - they had minor injuries. But, we believe, their absence will not affect the overall picture of the men's readiness for decisive starts.
Even a day before the start of the competition, at podium training, it was clear who was in what uniform. Silent, Sasha Tkechev "rolled" pieces of routines so famously that his coach Mihkail Voronin even slightly held back the student's dust, protecting him from quick "ignition." Mikhail Yakovlich explained to us: "Sasha used to somehow dislike the compulsories - he said that it's kind of dry and there's nowhere to open up. So we began to look for "zest" in the program, we tried to polish the elements in such a way that they looked like a "signature dish," and immediately Sasha's interest was awakened. It's now a pleasure for him to perform the "school" where he feels every movement..."
Nikolai Andrianov, the Olympic champion, was extremely serious and focused. He, of course, experienced his relative failure at the world championships, and revised his training plans and increased his workload. Friends approach him and ask how he is at home, how is his wife Lyuba? He now has two small sons, Seryozha and Vova. Nikolai, like a true captain, takes care of his Burevestnik team - he will talk to them and reassure them.
In a word, the warmup clarified a lot, but the main thing is the competition. This is where you have to go all out. Coaches are worried and give their final instructions. But, perhaps, more than the others, Albert Azaryan was worried about his son Edik. Edik had a serious injury, and because of it he didn't even get to the world championships. How many workouts he missed! We doubted whether he could withstand things - would he break? So far, Eduard, who has grown thinner and stronger, survived, passed the hexathlon smoothly and secured second place. Well done!
From the very first apparatus, a beautiful and furious struggle began. Andrianov performed vault smoothly and pulled himslef into line in flight. A slightly blurred landing - 9.45. Tkachev immediately answered with a score of 9.65 on the pommel horse. As if under the beat of a metronome, the Voronezh citizen measured out his circles, crosses, transitions, and performed the dismount surprisingly cleanly, as if he had done a handstand. His Dinamo teammate, 20-year-old Minsk resident Vladimir Artemev, achieved an even greater effect - 9.7.
On the second apparatus, parallel bars, something happened to Andrianov. As always, he began the routine light and airy, but in the middle of the exercise he lost his rhythm, as if an unknown force pressed him to the bars, and the dismount tured out to be low. The score - 9.0. What a pity. He muttered, dissatisfied with himself: "I'll have to catch up again..." This has happened more than once with Andrianov - he lags behind after the compulsory due to mistakes, and then recklessly makes up for lost time. Errors really spur him on. Where does caution go? On high bar, Andrianov worked with such amazing amplitude, literally on the verge of risk, that it was breathtaking. Some of the judges liked it, and some didn't. They conferred and gave a score of 9.5. To be honest, it's probably not high enough for an almost flawless performance.
Muscovite Vladimir Markelov looked very good. Fedor Kulaksizov from Dnepropetrovsk also appeard in a new light, having won a bronze medal at the VII People's Spartkiad of the USSR. And Sergei Khizhnyakov from Rostov, a stubborn and courageous young man, continues to break into the coveted top six.
At the end of the night, Alexander Tkachev said to his coach, "It's good when it's easy to compete! Now I'm going to sleep better." And he smiled dreamily. After all, he has not yet been the national champion in the all-around.
TECHNICAL RESULTS
46th USSR gymnastics championships. Kiev. Sports Palace.
Compulsory program, men. 1. A. Tkachev (Dinamo) - 57.25 ; 2. E. Azaryan (Army 1)) 57.1; 3. F. Kulaksizov (Army 1) and V. Markelov (Army 1) - 57.00; 5. S. Khizhnyakov (Army 1) - 56.45; 6. N. Andrianov (Burevestnik) and V. Artemev (Dinamo) - 56.35; 8. B. Makuts (Army 1) - 56.3.
Team standings. 1. Army 1 - 284.35; 2. Dinamo - 279.7;3. Avangard - 276.25; 4. Burevestnik - 275.45; 5. Army 2 - 273.35; 6. Labor Reserves - 267.75.
G. BORISOV
V. GOLUBEV