We can actually see the specific moments where it is possible for misrepresentation to be inserted into the documentary. The celebrity coaches Mikhail Klimenko was competing against often had dozens of young, aspiring gymnasts. They suggested this was something that Biles should have done for her team - pushed through the pain. I know many won't watch it mainly due to the length of it, but I HAD to just explain basically everything because the point of this video, for me at least, is that maybe a coach will see it and the tragey won't repeat, normal people will see it and remember her name. It is the type of foreshadowing moment that feels more appropriate for a fictional story. Perhaps the most significant part of the footage comes when Romanian gymnast Nadia Comaneci is invoked in the discussion. So, for an athlete to know when something is increasing that risk, is significant. Biles would pull out under the glare of the spotlight; Mukhina ultimately paid the price for not being able to do the same. For Mukhina, a disturbing pattern had already emerged of an athlete being forced to push through injury in a clamor to the pinnacle of her sport. Whereas everyone was thinking that the next great breakout star was going to be a junior between the ages of 10-12, it ended up being a 17 year old Elena Mukhina. Elena Vyacheslavovna Mukhina ( first name sometimes rendered "Yelena", last name sometimes rendered "Muchina"; June 1, 1960December 22, 2006), born in Moscow, Russian SFSR, was a former Soviet gymnast who won the All-Around title at the 1978 World Championships at Strasbourg, France. Sending love to you @Simone_Biles -Team UNITED States of America . Autonomous Nonprofit Organization TV-Novosti, 20052023. I always try to add a hint of humor in each blog and promise to always unapologetically be myself. In last summer's Spartakiad, the Soviet Union's sports festival that was opened to other nations as a dry run for the Olympics, Mukhina was the favorite, but finished 14th among her countrywomen and was criticized in the press for her "frivolous" approach to training. I know many won't watch it mainly due to the length of it, but I HAD to just explain basically everything because the. In a post-finals press conference alongside her teammates, she said: "Whenever you get in a high-stress situation, you kind of freak out. Elena Vyacheslavovna Mukhina was born on June 1, 1960, in Moscow, Russia. Elena Mukhina: The Thomas Salto Tragedy The Dark Side Of Life The Small Sports Blog. I wanted to point out these censorship possibilities so viewers know which part of the footage they should trust, and which parts should be questioned. Mukhinas reactions are not always being shown. She won three gold medals and two silver medals at the 1978 World . Created by a writer as part of plot-building device to foreshadow the climatic twist to the story where the popular protagonist meets his or her doom. YouTube, Mukhina regularly battled with injuries. This article reminded me a lot of the recent NY times piece by Maggie Astor on this topic, thanks for highlighting the importance of mental health to maintain safety in high level sport. Later that year while training for the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Elena Mukhina suffered a broken leg, which meant she had to miss the World Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, a competition in which the Soviet team had its first defeat at the hands of their archrivals from Romania. It remains one of the greatest individual showings gymnastics have ever seen. The people responsible for following those guidelines were the ones in the room at the time of the accident, not the coach 440 miles away. The clips can be found in the above YouTube video. Afghan officials would not confirm reports that seven wrestlers had defected last week to Pakistan rather than come to Moscow. Now I finally have! The tragedy of Mikhail Klimenko is that it was he who carried most of the blame. ", I blame Twitters virtue-signallers for fuelling this culture of celebrating weakness. Jun 7, 2020 - A catastrophic injury cost Mukhina the use of her limbs. The movement was later modified in the 1980s when it was performed towards the low bar; that is, the gymnast's flip takes place above the low bar. He never reconciled with Mukhina and his death from cancer came on November 14, 2007 his 65th birthday. Elena Mukhina. A delegation of boxers and wrestlers from Afghanistan moved into the village Saturday. Elena was a former Soviet gymnast who won the All-around title at the 1978 World Championships at Strasbourg, France and was a four times European champion 1977 (Prague) and 1979 (Copenhagen). Sign Up. So why did Simone Biles quit? As a result, abusive coaches pivoted even more towards mental/emotional abuse. You always learn how to be safe, but then you start thinking: Will you be able to prevent an accident if you do something badly? Old School. "She is too easily touched," a team coach said at the time. The Elena Mukhina tapes end with Mukhina being asked to react and her response is I dont know how to react. In this final exchange we see Mukhinas reserved/quiet nature. As the current star of the Soviet program at the time, Mukhina received top billing and a majority of the camera time. Just a month prior to the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, 20-year-old Elena Mukhina under-rotated the Thomas salto, landing on her chin. She remained with her grandmother in a Moscow apartment, reclusive and rarely giving interviews. It took near-perfect timing to avoid either under-rotation and landing on the chin or over-rotation and landing on the back of the head. She has been placed in a neck cast and will be immobilized for several weeks. For Mikhail Klimenko, Mukhina was too important to his career for her to fail. After analyzing all the information available, I believe Mukhina is completely correct to pin a majority of the blame on the Soviet WAG program as a whole. Watch: Susie O'Neill on her 'failure' at the Sydney Olympics. But I dont think we really take a moment to think about just how severe and life-altering the injuries can end up being. In the lead-up to the Olympics, Elena had broken her leg but despite this, her coach insisted that she continue . The move was named after US mens star Kurt Thomas and involved a 1.5 backflip-1.5 twist combination before a roll-out. - YouTube Strasbourg Gymnastics Champion History Fitness Historia Physical Exercise Work, work, work. In one of her few interviews about the tragedy, she criticized the Soviet gymnastics program for deceiving the public about the severity of her injury, and for the systems insatiable appetite for gold medals and championships. Otherwise, you can go crazy. Are mental health issues now the go-to excuse for any poor performance in elite sport? At the age of five years Elena lost both of her parents. 30th July 2021. in. Likewise, her full name is Ekaterina Alexandrovna Gordeeva. Mukhinas apotheosis arrived in 1978 with a breathtaking performance at the World Championships in Strasbourg, France. Life isn't always butterflies and rainbows, so, its time to explore the dark side of things. One example comes at 1:40 where there is a cut between the comment made by Klimenko and Mukhinas response. Somewhat darkly, Mukhinas first thoughts as she lay stricken on the ground were said to be relief that she would finally be given some respite. In a sport where reputation, experience, and youth were three critical assets, Mukhina was beating gymnasts who were younger than her, had twice as much experience including being veteran Olympians, and were once well known child prodigies. For the Soviet team, coached by former champion Latynina, Comaneci's dominance was a galling experience against a supposedly lesser sporting nation in the empires sphere of influence. This is another reoccurring theme throughout the Mukhina tapes. Elena Mukhina is a great gymnast, world champion. Elena Mukhina -1977 Paris Grand Prix Floor Flanked by two small pots of flowers, its gleaming face bears the image of girl, a perfect picture of poise and concentration. RIP AshleyakaFlipper 3.98K subscribers 114K views 11 years ago Montage of Elena Mukhina. The tiny, 20-year-old gymnast, whose erratic performances were blamed by coaches on her poetic and romantic nature, reportedly landed on her neck while practicing difficult acrobatic routines by herself. Mukhina spoke up and tried to convince her coach of how dangerous the element was. If not in time for 1980, then certainly those who were on a track for 1984. was also an option at one point, but I finally decided on the song you hear in the video, and I'd say the lyrics and tune do the justice. It would ultimately result in her premature death at the age of 46. It should be questioned how much Klimenko was being motived by his own personal goal of overcoming career failure. But do not break down and go on living in spite of everything, understanding all her tragedy . I do not believe it was a coincidence that this story ended in tragedy, but the tragic ending was a direct byproduct of the unconventional backgrounds Mikhail Klimenko and Elena Mukhina shared. But the most eerie thing of all, is how many parallels this footage has to problems that are currently at the forefront of gymnastics as the sport tries to change its culture. And it's tragic. JUSTICIA!!! She's the owner and head coach at Gemini Gymnastics, a gymnastics club in Oshawa, Ontario. And I realized that, compared to the ability to think, the inability to move is such nonsense. . Surveillance video sheds light on 'cartel . Gymnastics is a cruel sport at times albeit a gorgeous one that your whole heart will love.I will start off by saying that I didn't even know which song to use because there are hardly ANY that honor her. As a memorial to one of the greatest Soviet-era gymnasts ever, the biggest sports newspaper in Russia, Sovietskij SPORT, dedicated the cover of their Christmas 2006 issue to her. Gradually, though, Klimenko would become convinced that this was a gem who could be polished gently or otherwise into a champion. What followed was months, turned years, of cover-ups. A true champion! And they dont take offense at fate.". Gymnastics. Remember, you don't have to agree with my opinions but I am still free to express them. Elena Mukhina was born in Russia. The slightest lapse - whether it be physical or mental - can be life changing, sometimes even fatal. Touch device users, explore by touch or with swipe gestures. Further Reading:After Her Injury a Soviet Coverup Hurt Elena Mukhina Even MoreHow Fan Mail Bothered Elena MukhinaElena Mukhinas Trip to AmericaShortly After Her Paralysis Elena Mukhina Wrote a LetterWould Elena Mukhina Have Made the Olympic Team if Not For Her Paralyzing Injury? They took an X-ray, and it turned out that the bones had separated. The initial response from Soviet sports officials was of hushed secrecy surrounding Mukhinas health, but it soon became evident she would never walk again, let alone grace gymnastics competition. Moreover, her family lovingly calls her Katia. Usually when a gymnastics documentary is being selectively edited to present a more favorable narrative, the controversial moments are excluded entirely. Elena Mukhina, the sensitive Soviet gymnast who won the women's all-around world championship in 1978 and dreamed of regaining her lost form at the Moscow Olympics, crushed several vertebrae in. (Whitney Bjerken Edits)https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5nX9OPpfQhT0TdF7nCkq6gOn this channel I will be showcasing some of the best gymnastics, edits and gymnast compilations! Elena Mukhina passed away in 2006, 11 months later Mikhail Klimenko passed away at the age of 65. Can you let (these thoughts) happen? El ttulo que le pondra a esa pelicula sera: As a result, the gymnast broke her neck and, sadly, became. The day Mukhina was injured, Soviet national team coaches working with her had violated half a dozen safety guidelines. At the time Nadia Comaneci was Romanias top gymnast. The Thomas salto, the move that had proved so costly, would later be banned in womens and then mens gymnastics. All rights reserved. During her Ogonyok magazine interview, she said one of the National Team coaches showed up at her hospital room the day after her surgery and flat out told her that she wasnt conscientious, and that she could still train in a cast. Not to envy others, but to learn to enjoy what is available to me. Everyone is looking at the platform, where a little girl with tousled bangs is soaring through the air. NTV, Nadia Comaneci was queen at the 1976 Olympics. La trgica historia de la gimnasta que venci a Comaneci. At the time, Soviet officials were being pressured to build a team which was superior to that of the Romanians. "We have to protect our body and our mind It just sucks when you're fighting with your own head.". The balance of power appeared to be shifting. A memorial service was held in her honor on December 27th, and she was buried at the Trekourov Cemetery in Moscow, Russia. You can share this story on social media: Subscribe to RT newsletter to get news highlights of the day right in your mailbox, Elena Mukhina soared to incredible heights before her tragic accident. "We dont need people like you making snide comments like this and adding to the stigma. (LogOut/ As the top Soviet gymnast following the 1976 Olympics, this burden weighed the heavier on Mukhina than any other gymnast. Later, she joined CSKA Moscow (Central Red Army) sports club. The epitome of daring, strength and . This channel does not nor ever will make money off of any content. Kerri delivered a perfect vault pass on the second try despite the injury and helped the team score the all-around gold medal at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta.
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