Sovetsky Sport. April 25, 1971. Riga, 24 April (our special correspondents). It's not often that events like the Riga tournament happen in gymnastics. Representatives of thirteen countries on three continents accepted the invitation to the Latvian capital. Here are the Japanese, the gymnasts from the DPRK, Czechoslovakia, and the Soviets. In a word, all the trendsetters in gymnsatics. True, the Europeans, who have three weeks left before the continental championship, were wary of sending their leaders. Only the GDR trio included the proven K. Koste and M. Thune. The rest of the European teams are young. The Japanese quartet is led by Olympic champion A. Nakayama and world champion F. Honma. The DPRK team also has a strong line-up.
Participants compete only in the optional program, and on the final day they compete in the finals on individual events.
Our young quartet started on the pommel horse and passed their first event successfully, except for A. Maleev - he stumbled and received 8.9 points.
The Korean athletes, who competed with the hosts in the same shift, began to have troubles. Sin Hun Do, who played the role of 'tablesetter,' completely fell apart, received an 8.0, and then a kind of chain reaction began. Only Li Son Sob earned more than 9 points.
In general, the peaceful-looking gymnastic horse that day resembled a wild, unbroken mustang that stubbornly threw off its riders. The fate of the Korean athletes was shared by both the Czechoslovakians and the young Cubans. Even the proven fighter Honma didn't score above 8.25 points.
To some extent, this can be explained by the desire of many gymnasts to complicate their routines through interesting modern elements. There are circles on one hand, and multiple transitions without intermediate circles, and high crosses. But most lacked cleanliness and clarity.
Aftre three rotations, our young N. Andrianov was close to Nakayama, behind by only 0.1 points. V. Boiko and V. Komissarov were also close. But as soon as the leader went to the high bar all hopes for successful competition with him dissipated. The Japanese have total superiority on this apparaatus. They perform the most difficult routine with wide amplitude, at a fast tempo, and Nakayama manages to speed up his already rapid, quick speed during the excution. Li Son Sob also showed a brilliant routine on the high bar. Our guys looked much paler on this event, and Andrianov made serious mistakes to score only 8.85 points.
If there had been a team competition at the Riga tournament, our youth would have been ahead of the Japanese on the pommel horse, rings, and vault, and inferior to them on floor exercise, parallel bars, and especially on the high bar.
Naturally, attention in general was drawn to the duel between the Soviet and Japanese athletes. The young US team remained in the shadows: its eldest, B. Simmons, was 21 years old. The team is undoubtedly promising, the athletes strive to master the modern style and are not afraid of high difficulty, although they really lack purity.
The all-around winner Nakayama scored a high 57.0 points. Riga resident V. Komissarov, who took second place, performed without any disruptions and with great enthusiasm.
TECHNICAL RESULTS
Men. Optional program. 1. A. Nakayama (JPN) - 57.0 (9.4, 9.4, 9.55, 9.4, 9.45, 9.8); 2. V. Komissarov (URS) - 56.4 (9.45, 9.35, 9.3, 9.5, 9.4, 9.4); 3. V. Boiko (URS) - 56.2 (9.25, 9.25, 9.55, 9.45, 9.3, 9.4); 4. Li Son Sob (PRK) - 56.0 (9.2, 9.1, 9.5, 9.35, 9.35, 9.5); 5. K. Koste (GDR) - 55.75 (9.3, 9.2, 9.3, 9.2, 9.35, 9.4); 6. N. Andrianov (URS) - 55.65 (9.2, 9.55, 9.3, 9.45, 9.3. 8.85).
R. REKUN and M. SUPONEV
Sovetsky Sport. April 25, 1971. Riga, 24 April (TASS special correspondent). Seventeen-year-old schoolgirl from Vitebsk Tamara Lazakovich has proven herself to be the best female gymnast at the Riga international tournament. Competing on Saturday in the optional program, she scored an excellent all-around score of 38.4. A commemorative silver medal was awarded to Riga student Tatiana Schegolkova (37.9), and a bronze medal to Cathy Rigby from the USA (37.65).
Quite often the balance beam becomes the decisive apparatus in determining the all-around winner. This was the case in Riga. The 'perch' allowed Lazakovich to reach the highest step of the podium and literally brought the debutant of such a major competition, 13-year-old Nina Dronova from Tbilisi, to tears. Everything started out so well for Nina. Her excellent routine on the uneven bars - a 720-degree twist, a dismount with a twist - was awarded the highest score by the judges - 9.7 points. Lazakovich, who had already tasted gunpower at the world championships in Ljubljana, was five hundredths behind. The other competitors were at least two tenths behind. The second apparatus was the beam. Nina fell while trying to do a forward somersault and her score was only 8.45 points. The girl was upset, but then she showed her character. For floor exercises, she had the highest score of the day, 9.8 points, repeating Nakayama's 'record.' Dronova's first vault was very bad, but she again did not give up, and performed her second attempt masterfully. As a result, she took fifth place (37.35).
The winner, Lazakovich, performed as a top-class master and qualified for all four finals.
Japanese Miyuki Matsuhisa also entered the top six (fourth place, 37.4). This was to be expected from an experienced athlete. But the third to sixth places, taken by the Americans (Joan Moore was sixth with 37.10), are one of the surprises of the competition.
On Sunday, the gymmnasts will compete for awards on the individual apparatus.
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