Gymn Forum: 1976 USSR Championships, Women's EF

Inspired Repetoire

Sovetskii Sport

May 23, 1976 Yesterday at the Lenin Central Stadium sports palace gymnasts competed for medals in the USSR championships for the individual events.

Vault: 1. N. Kim (Kazakhstan) 19.675 (9.8); 2. O. Korbut (Belorussia) 19.35 (9.7); 3. E. Davydova (RSFSR-1) 19.325 (9.625). In finals two different vaults were performed. Kim's repetoire of Tsukahara with twisting 1 1/2 salto backwards was very inspiring. Her vault was technically perfect. Kim subsequently performed a handspring 540-degree "screw" and became unbeatable.

Uneven bars: 1. Korbut 19.55 (9.9); 2. Kim 19.35 (9.7); 3. L. Gorbik (Belorussia) 19.15 (9.65). All three medalists were evenly matched, with stability and interesting variants in their routines. Among the young gymnasts were two representatives of the RSFSR-1 team -- Davydova, whose exercise included a complex salto between the bars, and L. Kalachinskaya. Her exercise was created by V. Levshin and showed original elements with different rhythms and change of direction.

Beam: 1. Kim 19.275 (9.7); 2. S. Grozdova (RSFSR-1) 19.075 (9.45); 3. M. Filatova (RSFSR-1) 19.05 (9.65). Grozdova was in first after preliminaries. She performed first and didn't fall from the beam. But her unique combinations were performed with errors. In addition, Grozdova's routine went 6 seconds over the limit which decreased her score by 0.3 points. So she finished in second place and not first. Kim continued her winning series.

Floor exercise: 1. Gorbik 19.4 (9.75); 2. N. Shaposhnikova (RSFSR-1) 19.25 (9.7); 3. S. Grozdova 19.225 (9.65). Gorbik gracefully, gently and touchingly executed her routine to Chopin's Prelude, created by L. Savarina, and won her first individual national championship individual gold medal.

So concluded the last day of the competition. In conclusion, it's necessary to say that Ludmila Turischeva and Elvira Saadi were excused from the competition by doctors. Also, Korbut and Kim did not take part in the floor exercise final.