Sovetsky Sport. September 1, 1984. I would like to immediately talk about three debutants of the national gymnastics team who, as part of their teams, won gold medals at the Friendship-84 tournament in the Czechoslovakian city of Olomouc. We will talk about Irina Baraksanova, Yuri Balabanov, and Alexander Tumilovich.
I chose these three masters because with their arrival in the national teams gymnastics, in my opinion, acquired some new touches, because in the exercises of these three there is the spring freshness of young victories and a subtle compositional completeness. Of course, the exercises of Dmitry Bilozerchev, Vladimir Artemov, Natalia Yurchenko, and Olga Mostepanova remain the standard of the world stage, but I still believe that Irina, Yuri, and Alexander will soon be able to surpass their comrades in difficulty and harmony.
Irina Baraksanova from Tashkent turned 15 on July 4. I have seen Ira perform more than once in a senior competition - last season at the national championship as part of the USSR Spartakiad (6th), and this year at the Moscow News tournament (2nd place with Elena Shushunova), at the Junior European Championships in Italy (winner along with Elena Zabrodina), at the national championship in Donetsk (bronze in the all-around), and at the USSR Cup in Moscow (gold on floor).
Each time I noted in my reports the chiseled figure and the sharp, assertive pace of Irina's performance. I was especially struck by the completeness of her line and movement. This is a sign of class, a stamp of talent.
Irina's gymnastics is risky and relaxed. It really does have a lot of elements where, with micron inaccuracy, everything can go down the drain. Ira knows this and is a little cautious, perhaps, although this word can hardly be used given her bold, wide range of performance. But when she doesn't think about all those thin threads that connect her complex elements and which sometimes break (Ira still has mistakes and falls), then Baraksanova surprises us with her true brilliance.
I am sure that with her character Irina will achieve a lot. Do you know how she came to gymnastics? Coach Valentina Evgenievna Yakovleva told me that one day she looked into a school yard and suddenly grabbed her head in horror: on the basketball backboard, where the iron structures were, a little girl was hanging in an unthinkable position and swinging upside down.
"My heart sank," Yakovleva recalled, "and the girl, seeing me, deftly jumped down and ran. I followed her, I barely caught up. I scolded her and then persuaded her to do gymnastics."
At the Friendship-84 tournament, Baraksanova didn't win any individual medals. But I would like to quote the words of the senior coach of the women's team, Andrei Radionenko, who gave an accurate assessment of this young gymnast's skill: "Ira deserves the kindest words. In Olomouc, she had her first start as a member of the national team. She didn't let the team down, even though she performed in the difficult role of 'table setter.' Her routines captivated the audience and her technique was masterful."
Now I present Yuri Balabanov, a 20-year-old Dinamo athlete from Vitebsk, the bronze medalist in the all-around at Friendship-84.
His performance cannot be compared with anyone else's - Yuri is as original as, say, Igor Bobrin in figure skating. Amazing flexibility allows him to perform elements that even world-class female gymnasts cannot master. Probably, we should already call by the name of the first performer his beautiful elements on floor, parallel bars, and high bar.
Yura Balabanov is from a large family in Vitebsk. The basics of gymnastics were taught to him by Valery Karyakin, a self-possessed man who sometimes lost patience in endless arguments with his student. Yuri's current coach is Anatoly Ovsyak, a well-known mentor in Belarus who trained the 1972 Olympian Vladimir Shchukin, giving a characterization of Balabanov, emphasized exactly on the difficulties of the relationship with him. Yuri himself is a sociable and cheerful guy, but he is so in love with gymnastics that he often forgets about 'tact' in classes, which sometimes turns into lengthy discussions. At 20 years old, he has a keen understanding of the nuances of technique, and you cannot talk to him about mistakes in execution at random or roughly - that would be turning him against himself. Then he immediately starts up and spoils his coach's mood. In general, Yura is easy going. And his impulsiveness helps him to 'explode' on the platform - reaching maximum amplitude in the most spectacular tricks.
Balabanov won the junior national championship, and at last year's USSR Spartakiad he won gold for the first time on the rings. In Luzhniki at the USSR Cup, he received the highest awards for victories on the rings and parallel bars.
TV viewers could appreciate Balabanov's performance at the 1984 Friendship tournament. When he did his exercises on the floor, parallel bars, rings, and high bar, applause rang out - this is Yuri's reward for his 'highlights.'
Finally, about Alexander Tumilovich, a 22-year-old Dinamo athlete from Vitebsk. He made his debut on the adult platform three years ago at the national championship in Minsk: he was 9th in the all-around and the gold medalist on the pommel horse. Everyone liked him - he's modest, shy, and elegant. And his class of work is not bad.
Sasha's coach Nikolai Liskovich is 42 years old. He started in the small town of Kobrin, Brest region, then moved to Vitebsk and was accepted as a women's coach at the school of Vikenty Dmitriev. Then Nikolai decided to work with boys.
"What struck me in Sasha Tumilovich was his seriousness and diligence, which was not boyish," Liskovich recalled. "He had everything laid out, strict in everything, especially in diet and training. When we went fishing with the guys, I tried to give more soup to Sasha, otherwise he was overdoing it with weight loss."
Shyness prevented him from rising quickly in the ranks, but his fine lines and beautiful routines were remembered by the judges at youth competitions.
Third place at the 1984 USSR Cup allowed Tumilovich to join the USSR national team. In Olomouc, he didn't let the team down, although he was very worried and almost ruined his routine on the high bar. But he still didn't fall, he held out. Therefore, his team medal is deserved.
V. GOLUBEV