Sovetsky Sport. June 3, 1975. The all-around European champion Nikolai Andrianov also won gold medals in the vault and on the parllel bars, shared the gold on floor exercises with Andrzaj Szajna (Poland) and on the high bar with Eberhard Gienger (FRG). Zoltan Magyar (Hungary) becamethe European champion on the pommel horse. Dan Grecu (Romania) became the champion on rings.
On the table near Andrianov's bed there are two European Cups - a large one (temporary) and a small one, a copy that he will keep. A photograph is inserted between the golden leaves of the large one - his wife Lyubov Burda-Andrianova with little Seryozha in her arms. I don't presume to say that Nikolai has become more serious only because of his current solid marital status, but that he definitely has changed even since last year.
He feels it himself. "Even in Varna I could tell myself that everything was in order when nothing was in order. I said this to myself during compulsories, after parallel bars, and then on the high bar, and after the floor exercise. It's happened to me before - I will go through some of the most difficult elements and think, 'that's it, I'm home free.' And I'll fall immediately. And now I'm only home free when I'm sitting the bench."
On the floor exercise, he truly performed like a champion. The double somersault in the beginning became an 'ordinary dish.' But I have never seen such a performance from him, at such a height, pushing himself at the highest point of the flight. Szajna, who shared the title with him, threw in a moon somersault and although he landed inaccurately, he was forgiven by the judges for the difficulty. The judges also rewarded the courage of the Czech athlete Jiri Tabak who, desperately twisting a double front somersault, sat down on the mat for a second. Performances of world champions, who became European champions, took place on the next two apparatus. Zoltan Magyar is the second Cerar on pommel horse: his swings are the same and his circles are even better - just like some kind of endlessly spinning top.
Dan Grecu on the rings is a living machine in a mighty series of strength elements pouring from one to another, with completely motionless rings. On these two events, Dityatin had great success with the public, and not only because he almost didn't make mistakes: he was very sweet, charmingly direct, and touching in his seriousness. In principle, Andrianov was close to standing on the same level as Grecu (as in Varna). He started briskly and wildly, shrugged his shoulders beautifully in the Azarian cross, but than alas, he got into the handstand position only on the second attempt, and the audience groaned in disappointment. However, Kolya's fortune, among other things, is that he is a cheerful person. Andrianov brought his own unique note to the platform, a vibrant and joyful one. He's like trumpeter in gymnastics. Competitions are a joy for him, and his high status in the world of elite sports doesn't prevent him from enthusiastically competing 'for points' with anyone during training, even with young boys. And most importantly, it was improvised, without any warm-up, otherwise it wouldn't be interesting. Nikolai confessed to me that last year, when he could have become, but didn't become, the all-around world champion, that his joy of mastering his body had slightly faded. "I would throw myself into an element, but I didn't understand what was what, what came next. But now I enjoy thinking things through, refining, figuring out what's what. Now it's interesting again. Even more so than before."
In theory, Nikolai's vault should have won with his unique one and a half forward somersault and twist. True, in an effort to land more spectacularly, not in a squat, he spoiled his already reliable springboard take-off. On the second attempt, he performed a Tsukahara and flew farther.
Before the finals, he said to me: "It's funny - I have the highest scores on my worst events." Then he raised his already upturned nose and said: "It true that I'm strong on it now." He meant, most likely, the parallel bars, from which he fell off a lot and landed inaccurately eight times out of ten. Now, after a double somersault, he stood up like a glove. In general, our guys shone on the bars and occupied the entire pedestal: Dityatin was second and Klimenko was third.
I spoke with Klimenko the morning after the all-around. I asked if his shoulder hurt, maybe that explained his breakdown on the horse? "No," said Klimenko, "nothing hurts me. Just like the [USSR] Cup, winning for the third time is elusive. It's like a spring: if you make a mistake at the start, you won't catch up later." I thought about what a difficult gymnastic fate went to Viktor: how, in his prime, he was left without the coach who raised him, how he tore his Achilles tendon, how his shoulder failed in Varna and he nearly lose the use of his arm.
Here he made a mistake not only at the start, but also at the finish - on the high bar. On his last event, Andrianov and Gienger finished head to head, only their style was different: Nikolai is lighter than a racing bicycle, and Gienger is more like a racing car. Sasha Dityatin finished the competition, crowning his exercise, like all previous ones, with an accurate dismount.
I asked Andrianov if he was somehow planning his future career. "Well, I will not leave the platform at all until I am in my 80s.""
TECHNICAL RESULTS
Men's European gymnastic championship. Bern. June 1. Individual event finals. Finals score is in brackets.
Floor. 1. N. Andrianov (URS) - 19.15 (9.6) and A. Szajna (POL) - 19.15 (9.55); 3. J. Tabak (TCH) - 19.05 (9.45); 4. A. Keranov (BUL) - 18.9 (9.35); 5. E. Gienger (FRG) - 18.8 (9.5) and E. Jorek (FRG) - 18.8 (9.3).
Pommel horse. 1. Magyar (HUN) - 19.5 (9.8); 2. Andrianov - 19.4 (9.7); 3. Gienger - 19.05 (9.5); 4. Dityatin (URS) - 18.9 (9.45); 5. M. Nikolay (GDR) - 18.8 (9.4); 6. I. Molnar (HUN) - 18.35 (9.05).
Rings. 1. D. Grecu (ROM) - 19.6 (9.8); 2. M. Bors (ROM) - 19.3 (9.65); 3. Dityatin - 19.15 (9.6); 4. Gienger - 18.9 (9.4); 5. Andrianov - 18.85 (9.2); 6. V. Klimenko (URS) - 18.8 (9.4).
Vault. 1. Andrianov - 19.025 (9.525); 2. Szajna - 18.975 (9.625); 3. Tabak - 18.775 (9.525); 4. Magyar - 18.7 (9.4); 5. Dityatin - 18.575 (9.325); 6. R. Bretscher (SUI) - 19.3 (9.0).
Parallel bars. 1. Andrianov - 19.4 (9.7); 2. Dityatin - 18.95 (9.5); 3. Klimenko - 18.75 (9.3); 4. Magyar - 18.65 (9.3); 5. Szajna - 18.5 (9.15); 6. Gienger - 19.2 (8.7).
High bar. 1. Gienger - 19.5 (9.7) and Andrianov - 19.5 (9.7); 3. Szajna - 19.1 (9.55); 4. Dityatin - 19.05 (9.4); 5. Klimenko - 18.6 (9.1); 6. Grecu - 18.5 (8.9).
M. SUPONEV