Komsomolskaya Znamya. June 26, 1979. In the late autumn of 1965, Polina Astakhova - the last of that glorious generation of mid-century world and Olympic champions - stood poised to become the national champion. The balance beam was the penultimate apparatus. During the break, Astakhova walked thoughtfully, almost absently, along a practice team lying on the floor; coming toward her - with equal detachment - was a young girl. When they were separated by a mere step, Astakhova stepped off the beam, yielding the path to the girl. Within a few minutes, this chance encounter would take on a symbolic significance. Astakhova fell off the beam, and just moments later, the girl became the national champion. Her name was Natasha Kuchinskaya. She was sixteen years old.
Today, the world of sports is younger than ever before; we have ceased to be surprised by the record-breaking times of thirteen-year-old swimmers or the maturely restrained smiles of fifteen-year-old figure skating champions. Just a few weeks ago, a brief report appeared in the newspapers stating that the true revelation of the Kenyan national championships was the performance of an eleven-year-old (!) schoolgirl, Elizabeth Onyambo, who won a silver medal in the 1,500-meter race.
Artistic gymnastics is, in this sense, no exception. Indeed - quite the opposite, perhaps - the influx of young talents into elite-level sport seems to have originated precisely here. Just recall: Larisa Petrik, Olga Korbut, Masha Filatova, Nadia Comaneci. And now, Stella Zakharova. The star of this fifteen-year-old schoolgirl from Kiev began to shine brightly in the gymnastics firmament this season. It first rose at the American Cup, then dazzled at the international competitions for the Moscow News prizes, and now - finally - Tokyo.
She stepped out of the train car smiling, yet slightly bewildered - for the first time in her life, she had so many people waiting to meet her. Camera flashes, questions from reporters, bouquets of flowers...
We met the next day in the gymnastics hall of the Kiev Sports Boarding School. Stella had just finished her morning training session. She answered questions with a seriousness and thoroughness far beyond her years.
Q: First of all, let's clear things up. There are two versions regarding the start - the very inception - of your athletic journey. According to one, you wavered for a long time between rhythmic gymnastics and artistic gymnastics - seemingly torn down the middle between the two disciplines. According to the other, the coaching couple, the Kuksas, refused to accept you for quite some time, and it was only your persistence - (or, to be more precise when speaking of a nine-year-old girl, "childish stubbornness" - V.V) - that finally "melted the ice." So, which version is the true one? How, exactly, did it all begin?
A: It was quite ordinary, actually. In our family, our attitude toward sports wasn't exactly fanatical, but it was certainly devoted. My mother graduated from the Odessa School of Choreography, and to me, dance feels very close in spirit to sports - especially gymnastics. My grandmother, for her part, was a true athlete - a competitive cyclist who, at one point, even held the title of Ukrainian champion. So, my joining the artistic gymnastics section at the Odessa Children and Youth Sports School "Labor Reserves" was, one might say, a natural progression.
Q: How did you personally feel about this?
A: Just like all my peers who were enrolled in the section - with great joy. Though, as I recall, we tried not to show it. Now, it all seems rather funny to me.
Q: Why, specifically, artistic gymnastics - and not, say, a continuation of the family tradition through cycling, or rhythmic gynastics, which is much closer to that very same family background of Mom's choreography?
A: Why do people choose swimming over figure skating - or ice skating over track and field? Of course, much often depends on which sport appeals to the parents (these days, they constantly envision their children as future Rodninas and Zaitsevs, Mikhailovs and Turischevas); it depends on which sport's coach deems you "one of their own," as well as on your own character and desire. In my case, that last factor played a decisive role. And perhaps another factor was having such a kind and understanding mother, and the fact that I ended up with such excellent, yet demanding, coaches.
Q: So, gymnastics. Nature endowed you with it, and your coach - let's put it this way - recognized that gift within you: a talent for gymnastics. And that entails flexibility, strength, a musical ear, and a slender, graceful physique.
A: Flexibility, in fact, was precisely what I lacked. I had to work especially hard to develop it - three-hour training sessions, twice a day. Work, work, work... Vladimir Ivanovich was a strict man; he accepted nothing but hard work and total dedication. We appreciated this serious, "adult" approach. Few people ever left the group - mostly just those for whom sport was merely a passing fancy. Consequently, there were no "random" individuals among us; instead, there was a genuine collective of students and coaches - a true community of like-minded people.
Q: Could you ever leave them?
A: Probably not. And the point here lies not solely - or even primarily - in attachment, or in gratitude for what has been done for you (in the apartment of Maria Vasilievna and Vladimir Ivanovich Kuksa, there is even a small room set aside for her). Ours it not a blind obedience to the will, experience, or professionalism of a senior figure, but rather a creative collaboration.
Q: Acrobatics and tempo - such is the motto of modern-day gymnastics. The floor exercise consists entirely of such mind-boggling stunts that one marvels at how anyone could dare to attempt them. Isn't it terrifying?
A: The first time I attempt a new element, I am absolutely terrified. Sometimes I even marvel at how I manage to overcome the fear. But eventually you get into the groove, you get used to it; the element becomes "yours," and you simply work on perfecting it.
Q: Do you consider your program difficult?
A: It's moderate. In any case - at least in the immediate future, meaning up until the Spartakiad and perhaps even through the Olympic Games - the coaches do not intend to introduce any significant changes, as far as I know. There are some unusual elements in both the vault and floor exercises. In the vault, for instance, no one else in the world has yet been able to replicate the forward one-and-a-half somersault with a twist. In the floor, the two somersaults with a twist at the beginning - followed by two tucked somersalts at the end - should make for a very impressive routine.
Q: As a member of the Soviet Union's senior national team, you are still a newcomer - one who likely stands in need of both support and sound advice. How have your relationships with the team developed?
A: Just three years ago, my idol was Lyudmila Turischeva. I wanted to be like her in every way - in her single-minded determination, her strength of character, and her composure. Even Vladimir Ivanovich noticed this. Now, I feel something similar regarding Nellie Kim. One the national team, she took me under her wing, and for that I am deeply grateful to her. They say that in Tokyo, Comaneci was upset over several scores that she felt were unfairly low - and that is why she faltered. Every athlete has their own opinion on this matter. Personally, I take the judges' subjective biases completely in stride. Vladimir Ivanovich taught me to do this, and Nellie and I have discussed it more than once: if you take everything close to heart, it is unlikely you will be able to perform consistently and well.
Q: Which gymnast would you like to be like?
A: I believe that every good gymnast - and indeed, anyone at all - should be true to herself. After all, a copy of always just a copy, no matter how flawless its execution may be. As I have said before, I admire Turischeva and Kim, and I revere the talent and mastery of Astakhova and Latynina. Yet, in my own gymnastics, I would still prefer to remain true to myself.
Q: If you have some free time, what do you usually do?
A: I love reading fairy tales and science fiction. Just recently, I thoroughly enjoyed reading Turkish Fairy Tales.
Q: And now, regarding your plans for the future?
A: The most immediate ones are tied to the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR. I believe that, despite the intensity and difficulty of the competition, the Ukrainian team will be able to perform successfully. And I will strive to prove that my recent successes were no fluke - especially since medals won at the Spartakiad will serve as a ticket to the Olympic Games in Moscow.
V. VYKHOVANETS