Krasnaya Zvezda, January 15, 1986
Dear Editors! It is true that Olympic gymnastics champion S. Grozdova, having retrained as an acrobat, achieved significant success in her new sport? If so, please tell us how she accomplished this.
Lt.Colonel V. KUROEDOV
"It seemed to me that she would never fly to me again, a migratory bird of fortune. I told myself: miracles don't happen. They do, it turns out... But maybe this isn't a miracle after all?" And a little later: "I want to prove to everyone, and most importantly to myself, that I can fight and want to fight with dignity. But miracles don't happen on their own; miracles must be made."
These lines are from the diary of Merited Master of Sports Svetlana Mikhalicheva, better known to sports fans by her maiden name, Grozdova. They were written on one of the most difficult days of her life, when the question arose in all its urgency: would Svetlana be able to remain in professional sports or, having come to terms with extremely difficult circumstances and a serious illness, would she leave it forever. It was then that the young Army athlete demonstrated her strong character - through tremendous effort, she returned to the gymnastics podium. And not just returned. At the Montreal Olympics, she and her teammates from the USSR team became champions. That was exactly ten years ago.
But this seemingly fragile young woman faced serious challenges more than once. And Svetlana always found the strength to continue training, proving to everyone that she was still capable of achieving excellent results. Without realizing it, Grozdova inspired confidence in other athletes by her example, convincing them of the need not to give up even in the most unfavorable circumstances.
The year of 1975 marks a special moment in the then-short sports biography of the sixteen-year-old Rostov athlete. A mysterious illness, never fully resolved by doctors, confined Grozdova to a hospital bed for months. It's bitter. It's insulting. After all, she'd only just gained recognition and authority on the international stage and was among the leading candidates for the national Olympic team. And then, suddenly, her hopes were dashed.
Grozdova was considered an exceptional gymnast. She particularly delighted spectators and experts on that most treacherous apparatus - the balance beam. Svetlana fearlessly soared onto the narrow ten-centimeter strip of wood, dazzling the experts with her brilliant routines. Her innovation was that the Army athlete performed the most difficult elements not along the apparatus, but across it. She possessed an amazing sense of balance, which her coach from Rostov's SKA, Ruslan Spiridonovich Lavrov, helped her develop. However, it wasn't just her reckless spirit that made Svetlana stand out among her peers, but also her astonishing work ethic and ability to overcome any obstacles on the path to her goals. And in my opinion, the main credit for this goes to her family and her parents, Valentina Nikolaevna and Khristofor Sergeevich.
The Grozdovs are well-known in Rostov-on-Don. Merited Builder of the RSFSR, USSR State Prize laureate, and city council member, Kh. Grozdov has led one of the best masonry teams for many years. Svetlana's mother also works in this team. The Grozdovs build brick residential buildings and administrative buildings that are the pride of the entire city. This outstanding athlete grew up in this strong working-class family.
"Even though my parents weren't seriously involved in sports themselves, they supported my passion for gymnastics from the very beginning," says Svetlana. "When I missed an entire season due to illness, they never shared the doubts of those around me about my bleak athletic future. I remember my father sharing his own struggles with me. After all, being a bricklayer isn't an easy profession; it requires extraordinary hard work and persistence. And my mother once told me point blank that if I truly loved gymnastics and had my own style, I would definitely return to the platform. 'I, for example,' she said, 'can immediately recognize the brickwork I've done, distinguish my wall from others, because I value my work so much.' A huge thank you to both of them for their support during those difficult months. And, of course, I'm very grateful to Ruslan Spiridonovich, my dear mentor in sports and life, who continued to believe in me even when, after being discharged from the hospital, I resembled my own shadow and weighed 14 kilograms less than before."
The coach and student worked together to achieve the miracle through hours of daily prctice, inventing new moves and refining old ones. The situation was complicated by the fact that their competitors had leapfrogged ahead over the course of the year. And catching up is always difficult.
And so, after a long hiatus, she competed for the first time at the Armed Forces Championships in the spring of 1976. The inimitable Olga Korbut was considered the leading contender for gold in the all-around. But the unexpected happened: the half-forgotten Grozdova won a landslide victory, pushing Korbut into second place. Nevertheless, her success was widely dismissed as a fluke. All doubts were settled by the All-Union Championships that followed shortly thereafter, when the Rostov native became the all-around champion. A little later, in Montreal, gymnastics fans warmly applauded Svetlana and her five teammates from the USSR national team, who won Olympic gold.
Upon her return from Canada, she was given an unforgettable welcome in her hometown. At schools, universities, and businesses, Grozdova was often asked what whe would do after leaving the big stage. Such questions were baffling, as she had no intention of stopping training and competing.
However, it turned out that she was included on the national team less and less frequently. Grozdova won her last gold medal on the gymnastics platform in 1979 at the World University Games.
Soon after, a large group of Soviet gymnasts and acrobats embarked on a tour abroad to perform exhibitions. The audience enthusiastically welcomed our masters, but the usually cheerful and energetic Svetlana rarely smiled: the prospect of leaving professional sports wasn't appealing at all. But then one day, to Svetlana's considerable surprise, the renowned acrobatic coach V. Groisman suggested she try a new sport.
"But I never intended to do acrobatics," she answered, confused. "No, no, I won't be able to do it..."
"You see, the thing is, in a duet, the most important thing for the partner is to maintain balance while performing exercises 'on the second floor'. Besides, you're not afraid of anything. So think about it some more, don't rush," Groisman urged.
And Svetlana decided to take a chance. This move was difficult, especially because she had to move to a different city, where Groisman lived. After her first few training sessions, she realized how different gymnastics and acrobatics are when practiced at the highest level. But she still had to establish mutual understanding with her partner, without which it was impossible to hope for victories in major competitions. Unfortunately, they never found common ground. Perhaps it was a good thing that it happened that way, though, because otherwise she would hardly have met Evgeny Makhalichev who, a few years later, became not only the co-author of her major victories but also her closest friend and husband.
When Groisman suggested they team up, Evgeny was already a two-time USSR champion. Originally from Yaroslavl, he became interested in acrobatics while serving in a unit of the Moscow Military District. Evgeny quickly learned that acrobatics was especially beneficial for paratroopers and pilots, and that it was part of the daily training of cosmonauts, many of whom were passionate about the sport.
Army men have long set the tone on the national stage, and many of them are European and world champions. In short, when the naturally strong and resilient Makhalichev decided to take up acrobatics seriously, he quickly realized it was exactly what he needed.
He was thrilled with the offer to perform a duet with the renowned gymnast and Olympic champion. What did Evgeny think of Svetlana after their first training sessions together?
"I immediately liked how she tried to figure out everything on her own. It probably came from her working nature," recalls Warrant Officer E. Makhalichev. "Sveta also loved to improvise in class."
And this is what his new partner thought then:
"Of course, I acknowledged Zhenya's authority, but at the same time I tried to make it clear that I wasn't going to be just another extra in the duo. I quickly became engrossed in the training; I wanted to create something of my own and, overall, the work was a joy."
They first made a name for themselves a few years ago. In 1983, the Army pair won all the All-Union competitions. The following season, they won the world and European Championships. They confirmed their class last year by becoming world champions again. At the Beijing competition, they won six gold medals between them! In late autumn, Evgeny and Svetlana celebrated their first wedding anniversary.
Experts believe they are currently unrivaled. Nevertheless, the Makhalichevs, who currently compete for the Rostov Higher Military Command and Engineering School of the Missle Forces named after Chief Marshall of Artillery M. I. Nedelin, continue to prepare new routines that significantly exceed their previous ones in difficulty. Like all true champions, they cannot do otherwise.
V. PADZHABLI