Sovetsky Sport. April 21, 1980. (our special correspondent). At the USSR gymnastics championship, the winners in the men's team championship were determined. Sportsmen of the first team of the Armed Forces won medals - Muscovite V. Markelov, E. Azaryan from Yerevan, V. Makuts from Lvov, F. Kolaksizov from Dnepropetrovsk, S. Khizhnyakov from Rostov, and V. Turbanov from Volgograd. Dinamo was in second place, and the gymnasts from Burevestnik were in third place.
First, we will talk about what happened on the platform during the women's compulsory program. After looking at the technical results, you will probably shake your head in surprise - what density! And, of course, you want to know right away where is the 1978 all-around world champion Muscovite Elena Mukhina, and where is the Olympic champion Maria Filatova from Leninsk-Kuznetsk. Alas, these two famous gymnasts had serious mistakes, but only on one apparatus. But these losses have led to the fact that Lena is in 17th place, and Masha is in 22nd place. Far away...
Mukhina was visibly worried. After all, due to injury she had not performed for a long time, and she had not been at the world championship. On her first event, the vault, she blurred the flight pattern - 8.75. I must say that on the other apparatus Lena looked sluggish, and there was no purity of movement inherent in her.
On the uneven bars, Filatova could not complete one element. Her score was only 8.55.
Well, Natasha Shaposhnikova and Nelli Kim were in good shape on the first day of the competition.
Natasha, Nelli, and Svetlana Agapova from Yaroslavl (recall that she is a 1978 world champion in the team classification) mastered the compulsory routines perfectly. All three showed special sophistication of execution and the subtlety of the study of each element. It should be noted that the girls who took the first eight places did not experience any difficulties in the "school," and showed competent technique and beautiful style.
Now, let's move on to the men's team competition. And as a kind of epigraph to the events, we cite the statement of Merited Master of Sports, Boris Shakhlin:
"I liked this evening, when the best teams of the societies and departments were identified. Candidates for the Olympic team did not save their energy, as is usually the case during a team competition. They did not simplify their routines, they tried once again to "run in" the prepared elements. I'm glad there were a lot of new things. And this is now, perhaps, natural. Before the Olympics, only the USSR Cup remains, and stability is not in the gym but on the platform.
"I would like to praise Nikolai Andrianov for his new vault - a somersault forward with a 540-degree turn (9.8 points), Minsk resident Viktor Levenkov, who probably opens up an unusual direction on vault - he performed a round-off before hitting the springboard. Many guys mastered the double layout somersault on the rings and high bar. Almaty residents Maksim Tsygankov and Valentin Turbanov performed triple somersaults."
Yes, Boris Shakhlin, a chief judge by the say, is right: our leaders really tested themselves in a combat situation. Even after the world championship, adjustments were made to the exercises, and new combinations were added. Also, Alexander Tkachev from Voronezh is now a beacon for everyone: he was among the first to increase his workouts and to choose the final versions of his Olympic routines. Sasha has been looking for the best routines for himself for a long time, and at almost every competition during this 4-year anniversary he changed something, added something, threw something away. And, finally, everything turned out smoothly and logically. What interesting routines he now has on the floor (9.6), parallel bars (9.7), and especially high bar (9.85) - it was fun to watch!
We already wrote that Fedor Kulaksizov, who won the bronze medal at the USSR Spartakiad five years ago, is now showing gymnastics of a high quality level. He showed increased confidence, power, and courage.
After completing the compulsory program, Andrianov was not himself and worried. He complained to his coach Nikolai Gregoryevich Tolkachev: "What's happening? Why didn't I perform well? Why did I make a mistake? I shouldn't be losing like this..." The wise mentor replied: "You know, Kolya, everything happens in life. Throw away all bitter thoughts and compete harder. You need to test yourself in competitions. And then - remember that championship before Montreal. You caught up there. And right now you're not at your peak. Understood?"
Nikolai understood. And he was the same on the platform - resolute and reckless. He was assisted by Tolkachev's student Viktor Bysov. Andrianov made a mistake only once, on floor (9.25), but in general he performed evenly and moved into third place.
TECHNICAL RESULTS
USSR gymnastics championships. Kiev. Sports Palace.
Compulsory program, women. 1. N. Shaposhnikova (Dinamo) - 38.15; 2. N. Kim (Army) - 38.05; 3. S. Agapova (Spartak) - 38.0; 4. E. Davydova (Spartak) - 37.85; 5. N. Ilienko (Dinamo) - 37.8; 6. S. Zakharova (Labor Reserves) and E. Naimushina (Dinamo) - 37.75; 8. T. Arzhannikova (Dinamo) - 37.7.
Team standings. 1. Dinamo 1 - 189.15; 2. Spartak - 187.4; 3. Armed Forces - 186.1; 4. Labor Reserves - 185.0; 5. Zenit - 182.8; 6. Dinamo 2 - 181.7.
Sum of compulsory and optional programs, men. 1. A. Tkachev (Dinamo) - 114.8; 2. F. Kulaksizov (Army 1) - 114.3; 3. N. Andrianov (Burevestnik) - 113.5; 4. E. Azaryan (Army 1) - 113.35; 5. V. Markelov (Army 1) - 113.3; 6. S. Khizhnyakov (Army 1) - 112.95; 7. V. Levenkov (Dinamo) and B. Makuts (Army 1) - 111.75.
Team results. 1. Army 1 - 599.0; 2. Dinamo - 582.5; 3. Burevestnik - 566.75; 4. Avangard - 564.2; 5. Army 2 - 559.05; 6. Labor Reserves - 541.55.
G. BORISOV
V. GOLUBEV