Sovetsky Sport. August 2, 1989. "Do you want songs? I have them." Yes, but the verses in them will be sad. And without any morality. Listen: our superstar of the world stage Dmitry Bilozerchev was expelled from the training camp along with his young friend from the gold Olympic team Vladimir Gogoladze. "They went on a spree." For two days. They didn't show up at the sports base in Esher.
We now openly write and talk about our professional attitude to the matter. In all areas. Sports in this sense are no exception. After all, this is the same hard work as, say, the work of a turner, mechanic, miner, or digger. Yes, the work is not easy, but it's very creativce. And satisfying. And, by the way, it pays well.
Bilozerchev was admired: a prodigy! And even then, he is the youngest European and world champion in the history of gymnastics. He was a collector of fortune and medals. Elegant and handsome, Dmitry easily climbed higher and higher up the ladder of sports glory. But one day, looking at something bright at this captivating height, he stumbled.
Everyone knows this story well. Just two weeks before the start of the 1985 world championships, Bilozerchev, having had alcohol, returned with his comrades Oleg Kapetov, Mikhail Kokorin, and Sergei Gusev to the sports base near Moscow. At night. In the rain. An accident on a wet highway ruined the plans of the young driver of the brand new "Neva" - he had a severe leg fracture. There was an examination by traffic police officers, a hospital bed, and exclusion (along with his three friends) from the team.
The gymnastics world followed Bilozerchev'a recovery. He behaved courageously, although there were days when he cried, buried in his pillow. Out of despair. From the consciousness of his guilt. Few people believed in Dima's return. The leg was 'glued together' from 38 pieces. Almost like Valery Brumel.
I still remember the pictures from the hospital ward: Dima doing an 'L' on the headboard of the bed, doing push-ups, working with dumbbells, 'jumping' on crutches. We still know little about the body, about what a person can do if he wants. The senior coach of the men's team, Leonid Arkaev, by his own decision, and approved by the All-Union Federation, allowed Bilozerchev to come to the training camp. "After all, the guy would be lost." And everyone understood Arkaev's mercy.
I also remember when a letter came to the editorial office about a month before the tragedy. Some person wrote with indignation and bewilderment: "I don't know where to turn. I live in the same building with Bilozerchev. I was happy about his successes. But several times I saw him buying vodka. Is it for himself? This is terrible, he's only 18 years old. Stop him, sport does not forgive such things."
Frankly, I didn't believe it then and politely answered the reader that he was probably mistaken.
We do not like inhumanity and we do not like rancor. Bilozerchev, who underwent a second operation within two years (on the other leg), was worthy of forgiveness. He created his own destiny. He wanted to return to the sport. And he returned. First, right away, he won the USSR Cup, and then the title of 'king' of the gymnastics platform. For a second time. After two years of training. Isn't that a miracle?
In the Olympic year, Bilozerchev was again the leader of the future Seoul team (he won both the USSR championships and the USSR Cup). But I noticed that a certain imposingness appeared in his gait, and his gaze was pensive. It was very difficult to talk to him; his eyes were angry. "Why are the pestering the champion with questions?"
For some reason, another 'story' about Dmitry at the last training camp in Minsk before leaving for Seoul was hushed up at the meeting of the Presidium of the All-Union Federation. Rumors spread, but no one gave an explanation. Alas, for some reason, washing dirty linen in public seems more useful to us than openness. And the shine of medals is more important to us than the fate of a person.
Bilozerchev drank again in Minsk. He drank quite a bit. And the guys themselves turned away from him. They told the coaches that they did not want to see an athlete on the team who violated the rules and who had lost contact with his comrades. And yet, the leaders of our gymnastics and the State Sports Committee of the USSR, "for the purpose of the overall victory of the Soviet team" included Dmitry in the Olympic team. We still thought that no one was irreplaceable.
But it was in vain. Volodya Artemov became the all-around champion. Valera Lyukin became second, and Bilozerchev only third. He was 'outraged' by this situation and, ascending to the pedestal, 'forgot' to acknowledge Artemov's hand in front of the surprised audience.
The 'offended star' having received substantial bonuses for three gold and one bronze Olympic medals, went on a commercial tour of Australia, became capricious and announced at the beginning of this year that he would apparently quit gymnastics.
For the sake of objectivity, it must be said that at that time Dima was having difficulties in his life: his child was born, his wife was sick. He got a new apartment, and it needed to be furnished. As they say, he had a lot on his plate. And natural fatigue set in after a difficult season, after many injuries. It wouldn't have been a big deal if he would become a coach at 22 years old.
But when Dmitry recovered, when everything slowly fell into place, he began to say that he was misunderstood and that he was ready to train and compete at the world championships. It was a laudable desire. Bilozerchev went to the training camp, having missed the USSR Cup. And then it turned out that the 'star' doesn't really want to adhere to the regime, snaps at impartial comments, and sets ultimatums.
Then, at the recent training camp at the sports base in Esher in July, there was another breakdown. Frankly, I didn't expect this from Vladimir Gogoladze. He seemed like a modest guy to me. With incredible difficulty he made his way onto the Olympic team, becoming the first Georgian gymnast to be awarded Olympic gold.
I call Gogolaze a 'young friend.' This is true, by the way. He is 23 years old. I really liked him five years ago at the European Junior Championships in Italy. The guys called him Lado. He was shy and blushed like girl. And then in my report I called Gogoladze one of the most promising gymnasts of the new generation. A year later, Lado competed at the adult championships of the continent, and then for almost two years he went into the shadows. His body was growing, his program was being revised, and the fact that Vladimir still managed to cling to the handrail of the 'Olympic carriage' is the merit of his coach Arnold Kvetenadze, who imbued his student with his heart and soul. There is nothing sadder for a coach than to learn about the fall of his student...
As the head of the Gymnastics Department of the USSR State Sports Committee Leonid Arkaev said that Bilozerchev and Gogoladze had a corrupting effect on the members of the team. There was clear preparation for the world championship, everyone was training, updating routines, and these two suddenly 'go on a spree.' And now the road to the world championship is blocked for them.
At the beginning of this article, I promisd not to read morals. The situation is so typical for our sport that it requires almost no explanation, commentary, or conclusions. But, forgive me, I still can't resist and quote the statment of the great moralist Ivan Andreevich Krylov: "The first and most difficult task of a person is to conquer his desires." There is a great meaning in these ingenuous lines. Each of us in our young adulthood faces a situation when it is necessary to make a choice - to follow the wide road, dressed in the knightly armor of honor and conscience, or to turn onto the narrow path of seductive temptations leading into the thicket of 'a beautiful life'.
I'm not sure these two have already chosen a path yet. There is still time for them to come to their senses. If they really understand what a professional attitude is.
V. GOLUBEV