Sovetsky Sport. April 21, 1984. Alma-Ata schoolgirl Natalia Ilienko wins the all-around gold medal at the national championship.
She is graceful and lyrical, and her gymnastics is a gymnastics of fine lines, poetic and sublime. Difficult elements, which require strength or sharpness to perform, acquire soft outlines in her contours.
Previously, Natasha Ilienko was let down by a lack of stability. Experts sometimes shrugged their shoulders: "With such weak acrobatics and simple vaults, it's hard to figure out her place on the national team." Yes, it wasn't easy for Natasha. And it was even more offensive for coach Natalia Konstantinovna Popova-Tsapenko to listen to them, who has always been with her student for ten years. I asked Popova many times what qualities she valued in Natasha, and each time I received the same answer: "Extraordinary hard work and a sharp mind."
Watching Ilienko in training I was amazed by her tirelessness. But Natasha is like this not only in the gym but also at school. She is finishing tenth grade and, by the way, is competing for a gold medal.
Ilienko is a two-time world team champion and the winner of the highest world title in floor exercise in 1981. Natasha stood out on the mat in Donetsk as well, but in order to get high scores, she had to make her second tumbling pass in her floor routine more difficult. In general, compared to last year's world championships, where Natasha didn't win any individual medals, she updated her exercises on three apparatus.
At least year's Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR, Ilienko was second after Natasha Yurchenko. Now she has reached another peak.
Let me remind you that Muscovite Olga Mostepanova was in the lead going into the final. Elena Shushunova, Vera Kolesnikova, and Tatiana Frolova could have competed for the championship medals. But they went to an interantional tournament (together with Anzhela Shennikova, who was in 11th place). Thus, the main dispute was led by Mostepanova, Ilienko, and 15-year-old Ira Baraksanova from Tashkent.
On vault, Baraksanova received 10.05 (according to our rules, the Yurchenko vault with a twist is valued at 10.2 points). The judges gave Mostepanova 9.9 for a Tsukahara with a twist. The gap between Olya and Ira was reduced to a minimum.
When Ilienko fluttered easily from pole to pole on the uneven bars, and then even smiled (which happens extremely rarely to her at competitions) when she saw 9.7 on the scoreboard, the other gymnasts for some reason trembled. World champion Olya Bicherova made a mistake - only 8.85, and Mostepanova's foot touched the pole (9.5). Everyone decided that now the young Ira Baraksanova would probably come out ahead - her routine here was simply excellent. But she, unable to control her nerves, also lost control - only 9.3.
It seemed that Mostepaova had a direct path to the coveted title - the world champion would not allow herself to be surpassed on the balance beam. Indeed, Olga cleanly performed her exercise, her body freezing in graceful balances, but ruined the dismount (9.4).
Now Mostepanova found herself in third place, because Ilienko earned 9.8, and Baraksanova with desperate determination and dash, "twisted" all her somersaults (9.7).
Then I asked Yuri Tsapenko, a famous former gymnast who, together with his wife, has been training Natasha Ilienko for several years: "What was the most difficult thing for your student in the final?" "The beam," he answered, "and before the floor, Natasha asked me: Yuri Yakolevich, please stand next to me on the platform and encourage me. I know that shouting in the arena is not allowed, and I practically whispered 'Natashenka, okay, Natashenka, now the last link!' She heard everything and and succeeded - 9.85 - victory!"
The fate of second place was also decided on the floor: Mostepanova got 9.8, and Baraksanova got 9.7.
Now the gymnasts will compete for the championship on the individual apparatus.
TECHNICAL RESULTS
50th USSR Individual and Team championship in gymnastics. Donetsk. 19 April.
Women. All-around final. Half the sum of the compulsory and optional programs, plus the final. 1. N. Ilienko (Dinamo) - 77.6; 2. O. Mostepanova (Dinamo) - 77.35; 3. I. Baraksanova (Army) - 77.275; 4. O. Omelyanchik (Spartak) - 76.625; 5. E. Brazhnikova (Trud) - 75.7; 6. A. Shishova (Dinamo) - 75.475; 7. N. Ivankova (Army) - 75.225; 8. I. Klimenko (Spartak) - 75.025; 9. O. Bicherova (Army) - 74.825; 10. O. Kondratieva (Trud) - 75.8; 11. L. Kharisova (Army) - 74.625; 12. G. Kulaeva (Zenit) and I. Aksenova (Dinamo) - 73.9.
V. GOLUBEV