Sovetsky Sport. June 24, 1980. The Cups are going to Leningrad. Twenty-three-year-old student of the Lesgaft Institute of Physical Culture Alexander Dityatin won the honorary trophy for the third time, and his 18-year-old classmate Elena Davydova won for the first time.
The men's competition passed without much incident. Except that A. Tkachev, obviously tired and nervous (since he is an emotional person) for no reason, sat down on the mat out of the blue and with a floor score of 8.9 flew out of the top six.
Particularly different on Saturday were those whose participation in the Olympics was still a question. B. Makuts was just on the verge of risk, on the very "croup" of the horse he famously twisted the 'circular scissors' (or as the gymnasts say, "Delesalle" after the name of its first performer). E. Azaryan showed a moon salto on floor to start, a steep triple twist in the middle, a "Delesalle", and a high double somersault at the end. Kulaksizov flashed a marvelously distant (perhaps the longest) vault.
At the end of the competition, L. Arkaev named the eight most likely candidates - four of whom he had selected in advance (in alphabetical order): Andrianov, Dityatin, Markelov, Tkachev, and four more: Azaryan, Akopyan, Kulaksizov, and Makuts. Characteristic is the statement of the head coach of the national team that if there were Japanese and Americans in Moscow, this would not change anything in the all-around. Happy at his confidence, I said: "You must be in a good mood now." "On the contrary," he replied. "I have no strength to refuse anyone. My head hurts."
Looking ahead, I note that the coach of the women's team A. Shaniyazov said that the Olympic certificate is the first ten in the all-around (see technical results), plus Nelli Kim and Elena Mukhina.
The women's competition is where the drama played out.
The prologue took place on Saturday, when S. Zakharova was ahead of N. Shaposhnikova after two rotations, but suddenly, in a somersault on the beam, she missed and fell (9.3). And then Shaposhnikova comes out, and this of course the heated delays are a test for Natasha's nerves. But she carefully laid out all her cards on the narrow beam - both the airplane [planche] and the flag [one-arm handstand], earned a 9.75, and regained the lead.
And then came the last day. Shaposhnikova's lead is 0.05, with Davydova close behind. That one, the national champion on vault, starts on vault. She performs a Korbut - full twists in the first and second phases, and the board immediately lights with 9.9. The rest are embarrassed, with breakdown after breakdown on vault. Shaposhnikova is on the uneven bars. Her giant swings, as always, make an impression, but one of them doesn't reach a handstand. Now she is chasing Davydova. The gap is 0.25.
Frowning angrily under her bangs, she rushed to the beam - 9.8. Bright-eyed Davydova showed off a "Tkachev flight" on the uneven bars, but here she had 9.7. The gap is 0.15. It's like in skiing, when you see your opponent's back: you push, harder and harder, more and more, and everything is in order...
After the third rotation, there is only 0.1 between them. It's just right for Natasha to demand a "ski track" from Lena. She goes private, takes a long time to tune in, and performs a layout Tsukahara without sticking the landing and earns 9.6. Is this enough? After all, Davydova is on the winning event - floor exercise. Coach V. Rastorotsky doesn't think it's enough. He imperiously demands from her on her second attempt a Tsukahara with a twist. Such a sudden increase in attack was excellent for him and Turischeva. But a technique that's good for one student is not always justified with another. Shaposhnikova falls.
Davydova is on the floor. What can be said about her routine choreographed by L. Sokolova? Movements flow like a stream, now boiling up with waterfalls of somersaults and whirlpools of twists, now quietly and gently flowing. Under the applause of the public, she receives the only coveted "ten" of the entire tournament.
We don't know much about Davydova; she didn't have anything higher than silver at the national championships. And in general, she is somehow in the shadows. But sitting next to me was a well-known Voronezh gymnast from the past, now a choreographer, Alevtina Demyanenko. She knows Lena well - after all, she left Voronezh recently, having only just entered the Institute. Demyanenko is a sublime and ardent person, and with Davydova she has a soul mate. She said: "Lena subtly feels everything, she is musical, she can do everything on the carpet: oriental - yes, Spanish - yes, Russian dance - as much as you like. She is a person of inspiration," said Demyanenko and quoted (not for the accuracy of words, but for the accuracy of the thought) the famous musician and teacher G. G. Neuhaus: "Inspiration is the disposition of the soul to the beautiful, to accept and comprehend the wealth of impressions." "Also," said Demyanenko,"Lena believes in Gennady Korshunov, her coach, as I believed in the late Shtukman." I know what that means - she is boundless and selfless.
Her gymnastics idols are Kuchinskaya and Korbut. This choice is thought provoking. These two were also pupils of duality, and their gymnastics was like poetry - giving themselves to the world. That's what Lena Davydova wants.
Sunday was the summer equinox. The sun didn't sink into to the ground for a long time, and Lena didn't fall asleep until morning.
TECHNICAL RESULTS
USSR Cup in gymnastics. Moscow. June 21-22. Half the sum of the compulsory and optional programs plus the final. Scores from the final are in brackets.
Men. 1. A. Dityatin - 115.925 (9.6, 9.75, 9.7, 9.7, 9.65, 9.8); 2. E. Azaryan - 115.525 (9.5, 9.65, 9.55, 9.65, 9.8, 9.7); 3. B. Makuts - 114.75 (9.6, 9.7, 9.55, 9.5, 9.7, 9.7); 4. V. Markelov - 114.65; 5. F. Kulaksizov - 114.525; 6. A. Akopyan - 114.24; 7. A. Tkachev - 114.1; 8. S. Khizhnyakov - 113.8; 9. A. Atakhanov - 112.925; 10. V. Artemev - 112.9.
Women. 1. E. Davydova - 78.325 (9.9, 9.8, 9.8, 10); 2. N. Shaposhnikova - 77.825 (9.6, 9.6, 9.8, 9.85); 3. E. Naimushina - 77.775 (9.8, 9.6, 9.85, 9.8); 4. S. Zakharova - 77.525; 5. M. Filatova - 77.4; 6. S. Agapova - 77.125; 7. G. Ionas - 76.775; 8. N. Ilienko - 76.675; 9. E. Ponomarenko - 76.65; 10. E. Polevaya - 76.1.
S. TOKAREV