Sovetsky Sport. June 15, 1979. Visiting card: Natalia Yurchenko. Dinamo, Rostov-on-Don. Born 26 January 1965. Master of Sports International Class. All-around champion of the VII Spartakiad of the RSFSR in gymnastics, and champion on vault and floor exercise.
At the time of the 1979 USSR Cup, which took place in April in Chelyabinsk, the name of this young gymnast was almost unknown. It was rumored that V. S. Rastorotsky had a very talented girl and that he found her somewhere in the north - either in Vorkuta or Norilsk. Sometimes, with undisguised envy, they would add: "What a lucky man."
However, Rastorotsky wasn't looking for Yurchenko. It was G. A. Khasanova, a skilled coach and teacher, that found Natasha when the first grader came to the children's and youth special sports school in Norilsk at the beginning of 1973.
Galina Alexandrovna worked with Natasha for three years and became convinced that her protege possessed such motor skills and character traits to achieve high results.
Of course, it would be an honor to coach a master of sports in Norilsk, where gymnastics had just begun to take root. However, Khasanova correctly decided that the girl should train where her talent could be fully revealed.
In the summer of 1976, the Norilsk special sports school took its students to Adler. The camp of the Rostov sports school, where Rastorotsky works, was also established there. This is where Natasha's 'watch' took place. Instead, they decided that she needed to continue her sports education in Rostov-on-Don. Both her father, the head of the labor and wages department at the copper smelter, and her mother, a senior accountant at the railroad department, gave their consent.
Natasha didn't get to Rastorotsky right away. First, she studied in V. Burdina's group, 'proved herself,' and then was transferred to the skilled hands of the venerable trainer.
Vladislav Stepanovich was in no hurry to enter the young athlete into youth competitions, rightly believing that a gymnast should take to the platform when she is well prepared. Only in 1978 did the time come for her first competitions. In April, Natasha participated in the Riga-78 international tournament, won floor exercises and became a Master of Sports International Class, not yet being a Master of Sports. In August, at the Druzhba competition for young athletes from the socialist countries in Havana, Yurchenko received gold medals for the team championship and the uneven bars.
Her debut with adult athletes took place in Chelyabinsk and was successful. Yurchenko came in fourth after N. Shaposhnikova, E. Naimushina, and S. Agapova.
In Kuibyshev, in the finals of the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the RSFSR, Natasha significantly outpaced her experienced friends L. Milovanova, E. Primak, and E. Safonova.
What is Natasha like in real life? You can't say anything better than the 'dry' description given to seventh-grader N. Yurchenko by the management of the Rostov school:
"Excellent student. She especially likes humanities. She is serious and has independent work skills. She reads a lot, and her range of interests is diverse. She has an excellent memory and logical thinking. She is a role model in the class. Her peers love her for her hard work, modesty, and sensitive attitude towards her comrades. She was elected as chairperson of the squad council. She carries out her assignments conscientiously."
As a gymnast, Natasha is distinguished by her courage and determination, persistence in achieving her goals, exceptional work ethic, and the ability to transform herself from a shy quiet girl into a daring girl and perform her most difficult exercises with artistry.
Natasha was once asked: "What attracted you to gymnastics?"
"Training is like school: you learn something new every time. And I really love learning."
"Do you miss home?"
"There is no time to be bored - the whole day is filled with things to do. But when I go to bed, I often think of my mom and dad, and snow-covered Norilsk. After all, I haven't been home for three years. But my parents now spend their holidays with me in Rostov-on-Don."
E. AVSENEV