Sovetsky Sport. August 31, 1972. To be honest, no one could have harbored any illusions about the outcome of the competition between the Japanese and our teams. The Japanese athletes remain the undisputed leaders in world gymnastics. We, on the other hand, currently do not have a national team that could give them a real challenge.
Therefore, the real goal was for the gymnasts to achieve the highest possible results, fully realize their potential, and try to lay a solid foundation for continuing the competition in the individual events. Unfortunately, our gymnasts were unable to fully accomplish these tasks.
The draw sent the Soviet team first to the floor mat. During the warm-up, Viktor Klimenko, while performing a double somersault, landed awkwardly and limped. This inevitably brought to mind Madrid and the European Championships: the exact same situation, Viktor lying helplessly on the doctor's table. But, as if trying to shake off unpleasant memories and intstill confidence in himself, Klimenko repeated the sequence and landed more or less firmly this time. All that remained was to wait and see what would happen on the actual attempt. Alas, nothing good. Viktor fell onto the mat in the exact same spot, tried to twist out of it, but can you really hide anything from the judges? The score was 8.95 points.
Nikolai Andrianov didn't quite manage the double somersault. He almost landed outside the mat. In the end, he scored 9.45 - not a very high score. M. Voronin and E. Mikaelyan received the same score. The other competitors received even lower scores.
They moved on to the pommel horse. And here, again, there was a setback. In the middle of his routine, Andrianov seemingly stumbled on the pommel horse, falling onto the platofrm, but then continued the exercise. Afterwards, Nikolai explained that he had placed his hand incorrectly on the horse's body and lost his balance. This was a serious mistake and was strictly punished - 8.8. Andrianov's chances of a high place in the individual standings immediately became problematic.
Klimenko displayed extraordinary courage. Ignoring his injury, he performs fiercely and passionately and receives a score of 9.55.
On the rings, Voronin, as always, stands out with his elegant power, although his landing isn't entirely precise. He has the best score among our athletes: 9.6.
The vault was Andrianov's last hope. He prepared for it meticulously, took a powerful run-up, and pushed off the apparatus strongly and sharply. The flight was spectacular, but Nikolai didn't stick the landing. The vault earned him 9.6. This was one of the few scores that brought him satisfaction on this difficult day. Klimenko received the same score on the parallel bars. Andrianov and Mikaelyan received the same score on the horizontal bar. But we learned the true value of these scores later, when the Japanese gymnasts took to the platform in the next shift.
Floor exercise. A. Nakayama performs a very difficult and original routine, without pauses or empty spaces. The score is 9.65 - what could be better! But E. Kenmotsu receives the same score with his unique triple twist. S. Kasamatsu, with incredibly high tumbles, lags behind by 0.05.
Pommel horse. Here, the seemingly frail S. Kato and Kenmotsu stand out. Both have a score of 9.6.
Rings. Nakayama is in the foreground again. There's nothing groundbreaking about his routine, as they say. The cross, the horizontal balance, the rotations with straight arms - all of this is quite familiar. Nevertheless, Nakayama seeks unusual combinations of elements, and this gives his compositions a fresh perspective. The score is excellent - 9.7.
Vault. This was the only event where the Japanese didn't show anything impressive. Even the world champion on this apparatus, M. Tsukahara, finished his difficult vault not with a clean landing but with a brisk run. However, the famous Japanese coach, Y. Endo, stated at the press conference that he was not at all surprised by this and knew that vaults were his team's weak point. The Japanese gymnasts were outperformed on this apparatus not only by our team but also by the gymnasts from East Germany, who were the best here.
Parallel bars. There was immediate compensation for the losses. Nakayama was good, performing a double somersault over the bars. But Kato was even better, flying high and far with a double back somersault on the dismount. There's no reason to regret the scores here - 9.75.
High bar. We expected the Japanese team to perform excellentlhy. And yet, they managed to surpass all expectations. Nakayama displayed incredible difficulty. Kasamatsu showed tremendous amplitude. Kenmostu performed with whirlwind speed. But where was the modest and unassuming Tsukahara? Why was he absent from the platform for so long? He was to conclude the team's performance, and then it became clear what a showstopper the Japanese had saved for the grand finale. The most interesting routine culminates in a dismount never before performed by anyone - a double somersault with two half twists. Dry gymnastic terminology cannot even remotely convey the spectacle of it. The arena erupted in applause, which continued for a long time. Tsukahara had to return to the platform and, contrary to all traditions, bow like a performer. And he truly was a performer on the horizontal bar.
The Japanese team's victory was complete. They scored 571.25 points, against 564.05 for the USSR team. Incidentally, our team was the only one that scored fewer points in the optional round than in the compulsory round. And on the second day, they beat the GDR athletes by a mere 0.5 point. Compared to the world championships in Ljubljana, the gap between our team of six and the Japanese team has widened even further. This is not just a gap in points - it is primarily a gap in class.
It cannot be said that our Olympic team is improperly assembled. None of the strong gymnasts who deserved a place on the team were left at home. But let's remember how the selection process went for the team went. In essence, there wasn't really a selection process at all. No one, except those who went to Munich, had any serious claims to the Olympic vacancies.
It would be unfair to blame the young competitors for the relative failure at this point. Perhaps it would have been more beneficial for 20-year-old Volodya Shchukin to stay home for now and gain much-needed experience. But the national team coaches simply didn't have anyone else available.
The Japanese team had no weak links. Each member contributed, and everyone fought for a high score. In the Soviet team of six, however, the entire burden of the competition fell on the shoulders of the leaders, who were helped to some extent by E. Mikaelyan, but 19-year-old Kolya Andrianov, while perhaps having broad shoulders, still needed to strengthen and temper his character. And that's why he faltered at some point.
It's too early to say that our men's gymnastics team suffered a defeat at the Olympics. It's possible that we will still experience some happy moments. But the luster of the silver medals for second place in the team competition is clearly dim.
Undoubtedly, conclusions will be drawm from the men's team's performancees in Munich after a thorough analysis.
TECHNICAL RESULTS
Team results. 1. Japan - 571.25; 2. USSR (N. Andrianov, M. Voronin, V. Klimenko, E. Mikaelyan, V. Shchukin, A. Maleev) - 564.05; 3. GDR - 559.70; 4. Poland - 551.10; 5. West Germany - 546.40; 6. People's Republic of Korea - 545.05.
M. SUPONEV