Sovetsky Sport. October 21, 1970. The XVII world gymnastics championships open tomorrow in Ljubljana (Yugoslavia). Our corresdpondent, master of sports V. Golubev, visited the final training session of the Soviet team.
They ran out onto the mat as if onto a lawn, scattered across it in their multi-colored suits, like flowers, one folded like a penknife, another frozen in a split, the third frozen in front of the mirror in balance... Thus began the girls' warm-up in the hall of the sports palace.
While the gymnasts are doing their exercises, I talk with the head coach of the women's team, L. S. Latynina.
How did the girls prepare for the championship?
"The athetes did a great job. They feel good, and there are no injuries. The championship participants carefully worked out their routines, which they showed to Soviet spectators at the national championship and in the USSR Cup competition. Everyone is ready to take to the stage of the Ljubljana Tivoli Hall."
And win?
"Who doesn't dream of victory and doesn't want it? If our sportswomen used to win with a big advantage, then at the last championship two national teams - the Soviet and Czechoslovak - were competing for team medals. Now three teams are really vying for the role of 'first violin.' The GDR gymnasts were added here, having grown significantly in skill. It should not be forgotten that gymnasts from Japan and the USA can also join the medal fight on individual apparatuses."
In short, the tournament promises to be both difficult and extremely interesting.
Tamara Lazakovich, a 16-year-old schoolgirl from Vitebsk, repeats the dismount from the compulsory uneven bars routine over and over again. It would seem that the landing is excellent and the amplitude is excellent, but the debutante of the championship wrinkles her forehead with displeasure, purses her lips offendedly and again clings to the top pole. A tenacious girl! Lazakovich successfully complements the well-coordinated ensemble of the team. After all, the other five are Olympic champions. Only N. Kuchinskaya from the Mexican team is missing.
Suddenly, the sun seemed to be shining into the gym, and for some reason suddenly everyone was smiling, and a little girl who was sitting on a bench and looking with admiring eyes at the gymnastic queens, began to stamp her feet, and we wanted to start dancing. Everyone is captivated with Olga Karaseva's "Russian Keleidoscope". Motifs of Russian ditties, rapid acrobatics, clap, bow, challenge, and smile. Yes, the European champion in floor exercise is determined to prove that she does not hold this title in vain.
Zinaida Voronina's coach V. N. Shelkovnikov approaches. I ask about his student.
"I won't hild that I'm pleased with Zina's readiness. In May, at the national championship, I was very worried about her. It was the first time she had competed after a long break. And she herself, of course, was nervous and perhaps doubting her own abilities. At the USSR Cup, Zinaida felt much more confident, and now, look for yourself, she is in good shape."
Lyubov Burda and Lyudmila Turischeva will go to the world championships for the first time. But they were in Mexico City and are well known to gymnastics conoisseurs. Burda is a two-time national champion. Turischeva won the USSR Cup twice. Both of them have mastered the most difficult elements, and both of them can achieve success.
Finally, Larisa Petrik. She says:
"As the captain of the team, I wouldn't wish for another team. We became so close, so helpful to each other and to our substitutes - Olya Korbut and Rusiko Sikharulidze - it's as if we grew up together. It seems to me that there are no weak points in the team, and we feel that we can win. But we don't expect an easy win. We will try very hard. I speak for all our girls."
The men's team held its last training session in the CSKA gym. The team includes Muscovites Mikhail Voronin, Sergei Diomidov, Viktor Klimenko, Valery Karasev, Georgy Bogdanov, and Viktor Lisitsky from Podmoskovya. The alternates are Vyacheslav Fogel (Moscow region) and Nikolai Andrianov from Vladimir.
All the names are familiar, and it's probably not necessary to list their titles. Only Bogdanov was not in Mexico City. He is 22 years old and won a place in the national team thanks to excellent performances throughout the year. He is a gifted and physically strong gymnast. He's proved himself to be an even all-arounder, which is very important for the team.
How are you? - I asked Voronin, the team captain.
"Cheerful. Recently we held a rehearsal and the training took place during the hours when the competition will take place in Ljubljana. The routines were performed in their entierty, as in front of the judges. I think wrestlers call it 'training in combat conditions'. Overall, I think the guys are quite ready. We are excited, however, before competitions as always. A duel with the Japanese gymnasts will require a tremendous amount of effort and nerves. But we all want to perform as well as possible."
V. GOLUBEV