Sovetsky Sport. November 3, 1985. We were walking down the street. Autumn. Slush. Rain isn't rain, and snow isn't snow. But the mood is still good and upbeat. We talked about this and that, and then we remembered the recent USSR Cup in Izmailovo, and since we are both former gymnasts we began to discuss the chances of our teams at the world championship. It starts on November 3 in Montreal.
My roommate contradicted and objected to me all the same. I tell him something enthusiastic about some gymnasts, but he has doubts: "You're too optimistic." So, he says, the gymnast made a mistake, the program isn't well balanced. Things like that. Here's what I nicknamed him: "Pessimist." But in general the conversation turned out to be interesting. Maybe you're interested in listening to it too? Here it is. So, I'll be the optimist. OK?
Optimist: The USSR Cup outlined the contours of our teams and their leaders. At the April national championship in Alma-Ata there were many ambiguities; the recognized leaders made serious mistakes. For example, Dmitry Bilozerchev took only seventh place, Valentin Mogilny took sixth, Natalia Yurchenko took third, and Olya Mostepanovca didn't compete at all due to injuries. Now everything seems to have fallen into place. In principle, I'm pleased with the readiness of those who are planning to fly to Montreal.
Pessimist: Yes, the six team members have been identified, but as for excellent results, I would refrain for now. Let's take the women's team. Lena Shushunova won the Cup by a wide margin, but she had a fall on the balance beam. However, there's no doubt that, based on her capabilities, she will probably be able to storm the world's top gymnasts. In Alma-Ata she was second, in Moscow she was first, and she absolutely shone at the European Championship.
Honestly, I thought that Oksana Omelyanchik would be the leader of the season - she performed very well at the USSR Championship at at the All-Union Youth Games in Odessa. But, apparently, the 15-year-old schoolgirl had not yet gained confidence: she was third at the European Championship, and in Moscow she took fourth place.
I believe that it will be difficult for Natalia Yurchenko to defend her title of all-around world champion. She made serious mistakes on the European platform, and at the Cup she performed only in the compulsory program - and got 8.85 on the uneven bars.
Optimist: So what? Everyone knows Natasha's fighting qualities. Yes, there was a misfire at Oslo [sic], but what a great performance the Rostovite had at the Universiade! She was ahead of one of the best gymnasts in the world, Romanian Ecaterina Szabo, and also won two gold medals in the individual event finals. No, in Montreal she should be among the leaders.
And Omelyanchik? Don't forget that she lost just a little to Maxi Gnauck, from the GDR, and also took gold on beam and silver on floor. What about her program? It's no worse than Shushunova's, whose routines are called super difficult.
Pessimist: Don't hand out world championship medals so easily. Remember Budapest 1983. There, only Yurchenko and Mostepanova managed to win medals in the finals. It's a pity, of course, that this season didn't work out for Olya - she only managed to compete at the Cup. And in general, it was unsuccessful - she was eighth. Will she be able to get into shape by the start of the championship?
No, it will be difficult for our girls. I have the feeling that Gnauck has a determined mind. She is 21. Maybe this is the last chance for her to take a swing at the crown of queen of the platform. And Szabo, as was evident at the Universiade, works like a well-running engine. Her stability is respectable.
I also like the young gymnast from the GDR team Dagmar Kersten. That's who has good prospects! She's light, fast, and gets better from competition to competition. You should expect surprises from her.
And, of course, US Olympic champion Mary Lou Retton is preparing for the competition with special care. She needs to prove her claim to the role of leader.
Optimist: I agree, our gymnasts have plenty of rivals. These include Chinese athletes Huang Qun and Yan Yanli, vault world champion Boriana Stoyanova from Bulgaria, Hana Ricna from Czechoslovakia, and Kim Gum Ok from the DPRK.
Pessimist: The quality of judging is concerning. The judges have become very generous. Tens are appearing left and right, and objective criteria for assessing skill have been lost. In such conditions, it's no wonder to "confuse" who is the strongest and who is weaker.
Optimist: The problem of judging exists, and it's not a small one. But still, efforts are being made to objectify judging. Starting this year, new rules have been introduced, penalties for certain errors and for failure to comply with requirements have been detailed and clarified. Of course, this is a necessary step, and it's already brought results at the European Championships. However, further work in this direction is necessary.
Pessimist: We have a significant loss in the men's team - Dima Bilozerchev seriously injured his leg in a car accident. The national all-around champion, Yura Balabanov, has just recovered from an injury he received during the Universiade. World champion Artur Akopyan is out of action due to a muscle strain, and young, promising Vladimir Gogoladze is not entirely healthy. Who will shoulder the burden of leadership?
Optimist: Yes, Dmitry and Artur were unlucky on the eve of the world championship. But we still have a team! Six fighters, six brilliant masters. Vladimir Artemov showed stability this season, and he is an authority figure on the international platform: world champion on the parallel bars, and second all-around at Friendship-84. Valentin Mogilny? His forward progress reminds me of the path of Alexander Dityatin - the same victories at the national youth championships, first in the Candidate [for Masters] program, then in the Masters program, the same successful debut at the continental championship. I like 19-year-old Valentin because he's not afraid of heights and is eager to fight. He's an honest, straight guy.
Merited Master of Sports Alexander Tumilovich is growing up before our eyes. His coach Nikolai Liskovich identified the most valuable quality in Sasha's character - conscientiousness! And in terms of sports, Tumilovich takes it with special elegance.
Finally, there's 1981 all-around world champion Yuri Korolev, and the 1985 Universiade winner in the team competition Alexei Tikhonkikh.
Pessimist: I don't know, I don't know. As long as the Chinese team remains the world champion. Even though they beat us two years ago by only 15 hundredths, they won. And now they have a strong team and all the leaders are in place. The fight on the platform intensified due to the fact that the GDR team has improved its position. Silvio Kroll, the European vault champion, is constantly improving his all-around training, noticeably tightening up his routines on the pommel horse and high bar. What about the Japanese? Koji Gushiken, Koji Sotomura...
Then I couldn't stand it and cut off the speaker in mid-sentence. Look, he doubts everything. But we must believe in our people, believe that they will do everything to win!
I looked around and...I was stunned! There was no one nearby. It turns out that I was talking to myself!
REPRESENTING THE USSR NATIONAL TEAM
23rd World Gymnastics Championships. Montreal. November 3-10.
MEN
Yuri Balabanov, Minsk, Dinamo. Born in 1963. Merited Master of Sports. All-around national champion, winner of Friendship-84 in the team competition.
Yuri Korolev, Vladimir, Spartak. Born in 1982. Merited Master of Sports. 1981 all-around world champion, two-time prize winner at the 1981 and 1983 European Championships. Pedagogical Institute student.
Alexander Tumilovich, Vitebsk, Dinamo. Born in 1962. Merited Master of Sports. Winner of Friendship-84 in the team competition. Pedagogical Institute student.
Valentin Mogilny, Kemerovo region, Armed Forces. Born in 1965. Two-time medalist at the European Championship, third all-around at the USSR Cup. Serviceman.
Vladimir Artemov, Vladimir, Burevestnik. Born in 1964. Merited Master of Sports. World champion on parallel bars, second all-around at Friendship-84 and winner in the team competition and parallel bars. 1984 USSR all-around champion. Pedagogical Institute student.
Alexei Tikhonkikh, Kemerovo region, Armed Forces. Born in 1961. 1985 Universiade gold medalist in the team competition. Individual event winner at the USSR Championship. Serviceman.
Eduard Gevorkyan, Yerevan, Ashkhatank. Born in 1964. National champion in individual events. Physical Culture Institute student.
Alexander Pogorelov, Volgograd, Armed Forces. Born in 1961. Merited Master of Sports. Silver medalist in the team competition and on high bar at the world chapionships. Winner of Friendship-84 in the team competition, two-time winner of the USSR Cup, multiple national champion in individual events. Serviceman.
Head of the team: Merited Coach of the USSR Leonid Yakovlevich Arkaev.
WOMEN
Natalia Yurchenko, Rostov-on-Don, Dinamo. Born in 1965. Merited Master of Sports. 1983 all-around world champion, 1982 World Cup all-around champion, USSR Spartakiade all-around champion. Pedagogical Institute graduate.
Olga Mostepanova, Moscow, Dinamo. Born in 1969. Merited Master of Sports. World champion in the team classification and on balance beam, winner of Friendship-84 in the team classification, all-around, balance beam, vault, and floor exercise. Winner of the 1984 USSR Cup. Tenth-grade student.
Elena Shushunova, Leningrad, Armed Forces. Born in 1969. 1985 all-around European champion, Friendship-84 winner in the team classification. Tenth-grade student.
Oksana Omelyanchik, Kiev, Spartak. Born in 1970. USSR all-around champion, third all-around at the European Championship and winner on the balance beam. Ninth-grade student.
Irina Baraksanova, Tashkent, Armed Forces. Born in 1969. Friendship-84 winner in the team classification, second all-around at the USSR Cup, national champion on the balance beam. Tenth-grade student.
Anzhela Schennikova, Ustinov, Labor Reserves. Born in 1969. Third all-around at the USSR Cup, national champion in individual events. Tenth-grade student.
Vera Kolesnikova, Voronezh, Spartak. Born in 1968. National champion in individual events. Tenth-grade student.
Head coach of the team: Merited Coach of the USSR Andrei Fedorovich Radionenko.
V. GOLUBEV