Sovetsky Sport. April 18, 1984. The first gold medals were awarded in the Donetsk "Druzhba" Sports Palace at the national championship in gymnastics.
After completing the compulsory and optional programs, the strongest men's team was determined. The winner was the first Dinamo team, consisting of Yuri Balabanov, Vladimir Artemiev, Alexander Tumilovich, Sergei Baranov, Mikhail Kororin, and Sergei Miller. Head coach is V. Melnikov.
This time there was no heated argument on the platform. Dinamo had a carefully balanced team, and they broke away from their pursuers by a very respectable distance. Of course, Yuri Balabanov softened his tone but clearly inspired his comrades.
His coach Anatoly Ovsyak, who had once trained 1972 Olympian Vladimir Schukin, a man of composure and poise, looked excited. You bet! At last his pupil, 20-year-old Yuri Balabanov, about whom so much has been said lately (about his unusual talent, amazing improvisation, very unique routines) "cut through" on the adult platform. However, last year the student from Minsk won the gold medal on rings at the USSR Spartakiade. Now he has become a leader in the all-around.
It's been a long time since we've seen a gymnast with such amazing flexibility. But modern risky elements require, in general, a certain "rigidity" of the athlete. Balabanov's muscles are soft, elastic, he's like a "snake man" in the circus - he can wiggle and bend into a circle.
Yura performed "signature" elements on almost every apparatus (Ovsyak especially emphasized that the gymnast himself fantasizes a lot during training), and therefore his routines cannot be confused with anyone else's. Spectators greeted Balabanov's peformances on rings (9.8), floor (9.7), parallel bars (9.8) and high bar (9.7) with applause. In a word, Balabanov is a good addition to the national team, and we congratulate both his first coach from Vitebsk Valery Karyakin and Anatoly Ovsyak.
Of course, all the Dinamo athletes are worthy of praise. But I especially went to highlight Volodya Artemiev. The guys treat him very well, somehow carefully. And not only because Vladimir is a kind and benevolent person, but also because he sets an example of courage and dedication to gymnastics for everyone.
He was unlucky a few years ago - a leg injury required many operations and doctors forbade him to return to the gym, but Artemiev couldn't leave gymnastics. He returned to the platform! To be honest, no one can understand how you can peform and train after such an injury, but it turns out that it is possible! The reward for courage was the USSR Cup, which he won in 1982, and a gold today and a team victory.
What new items were shown on the platform? The floor goes to a judge of the All-Union category Yuri Bredikhin (Donetsk):
"Rostov gymnast Vladimir Fandeev, a student of the famous coach Alexander Safyanov, performed a Tkachev on the horizontal bar on one arm and a double somersault dismount, also on one arm. An athlete from the Moscow region, Mikhail Barynev, performed a unique vault - a flip and a double somersault forward. Simferopol resident Yuri Porplenko also demonstrated this record vault."
Yuri Korolev from Vladimir (he is stll in eighth place) and Minsk resident Pavel Sut (he is in ninth place) both performed somewhat unsuccessfully.
TECHNICAL RESULTS
50th USSR All-Around and Team Championships in gymnastics. Donetsk. 16 April.
Men. Sum of compulsory and optional rounds. 1. Yu. Balabanov (Dinamo) - 115.95; 2. V. Artemov (Burevestnik) - 115.4; 3. S. Martsinkiv (Army) - 114.7; 4. A. Tumilovich (Dinamo) - 114.25; 5. A. Tikhonkikh (Army) and M. Kokorin (Dinamo) - 114.15
Team results. 1. Dinamo 1 - 569.85; 2. Burevestnik - 563.45; 3. Army 1 - 562.45; 4. Trud 1 - 562.0; 5. Dinamo 2 - 559.15; 6. Labor Reserves - 546.75
V. GOLUBEV