Sovetsky Sport. September 26, 1985. This gymnastics tournament is one of the most important of the season. Now all the leaders of the national team, and candidates for the main team, will try to prove their justified claims to a place on the national team. After all, the 23rd World Championship starts in Montreal on November 4. And only the best of the best will receive a ticket to travel overseas.
Without this, you can't win the championship title.
The Moscow platform brought together almost all of the country's strongest masters. Gymnastics fans are already missing big competitions. And you really want to get to the stands as soon as possible, to be closer to your favorites - what new and interesting things have they prepared?
Let me remind you that the team leaders performed well this year. Minsk resident Yuri Balabanov and Kiev resident Oksana Omelyanchik became the all-around champions in April. Then, Leningrader Elena Shushunova and Muscovite Dmitry Bilozerchev distinguished themselves at the European Championships. A student of Viktor Gavrichenkov, a debutante at the continental championship, she won the all-around and received gold medals in three events: vault, uneven bars, and floor exercise. At the age of 18, the student of Alexander Alexandrov was recognized for the second time as the best gymnast of the Old World, and even set an unofficial championship record - he won 6 gold and 1 silver medals in two days. What excellence!
Team newcomers - Oksana Omelyanchik, Valentin Mogilny from Leninsk-Kuznetsk, and Tbilisi resident Vladimir Gogoladze - returned from Helsinki and Olso with medals.
The Universiade was also an important test for the gymnasts. Rivals from Romania, China, Japan, and the USA prepared responsibly for the meeting with us. But both our teams won! The judges named Dmitry Bilozerchev and Rostovite Natalia Yurchenko as winners of the tournament - the strongest all-around athletes.
How does the winner of the Friendship-84 tournament, Moscow schoolgirl Olya Mostepanova, feel? An injury didn't give her the oppportunity to go on stage to the audience. But recently, at exhibition performances in Italy, Olga showed her routines for the first time this season. She received a storm of applause for her new floor exercise - Tchaikovsky's 'Italian Capriccio' looked great in Italy. How will it look on the Moscow platform? We are waiting for the premiere.
European champion Lena Shushunova also changed her floor exercise routine. Her 'Caravan' is filled with such stunts that it takes your breath away...
However, all this awaits us ahead.
V. GOLUBEV