At the end of the day, thats exactly what can happen and in 1980 unfortunately, it did. One example comes at 1:40 where there is a cut between the comment made by Klimenko and Mukhinas response. If there're ANY problems whichever content make sure to message me and I'll be sure to check it out and take it down if that is what the owner desires. On July 3, 1980, two weeks before the Moscow Olympics, Elena Mukhina was practicing the pass containing the Thomas salto when she under-rotated, and crash-landed on her chin, snapping her spine and leaving her quadriplegic. They suggested this was something that Biles should have done for her team - pushed through the pain. Nevertheless, Kilmenko had desperately wanted Mukhina to make the Olympic team roster so he could become the Olympic champions trainer. Soon after Mukhinas paralytic injury, Kilmenko emigrated to Italy, where he lived with his children until he died from cancer on November 14, 2007. So, for an athlete to know when something is increasing that risk, is significant. I didn't want to use a stupid song in the background, it HAD to be meaningful. She took home the gold, beating Olympic Champions Nadia Comaneci, and top-ranked Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim. Nothing exists except work and pressure, which constantly increase, and sometimes it seems thatthat's it, you haven't got any more strength. I hope you enjoy my page! But rather, it is about celebrating Elena Mukhina. Every single factor dictated that a gymnast needed time to rise that fast. It didnt seem like Mukhina was very cooperative with the film crew which is why they went with such unusual pans, cuts, and pivots. Life isn't always butterflies and rainbows, so, its time to explore the dark side of things. The success of Nadia shellshocked the Soviet Union and orders came down from the top to find a gymnast who could break Nadias stranglehold on the sport. Yelena Mukhina died last year at 46. As recently as the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Mukhinas was a name which appearedas Americas Simone Biles battled her own mental and physical demons. Mukhina is confined to a wheelchair that she knows she may never be without. Elena Mukhina recibi en la Orden Olmpica de Plata en 1981, un ao despus de su lesin. Take our survey for a chance to win a $100 voucher. As Mukhina would later recall, her hand shot up without hesitation. Some reports said doctors feared she was paralyzed, while others said she has use of her arms and legs and is able to speak. A new version of the Korbut loop named after Soviet four-time Olympic gold medalist Olga Korbut was devised for Mukhina to perform. Both Mukhina and Klimenko used the term psychological when they were interviewed in news articles. RIA Novosti, EU must shift to wartime economy industry commissioner, Biden praises Scholz for diversifying away from Russian energy, EU offers Russian banks alternatives to SWIFT media. The wonderful athlete, who pushed Nadia and popularized full-in on Floor and double back off beam, was paralysed in a training disaster before the 1980 Olympics. What a f moron. As for the gold medal? Her injury was a featured topic in an A&E documentary More Than a Game; and her World Championship performance is captured in the ABC Sports video Gymnastic's Greatest Stars. And I realized that, compared to the ability to think, the inability to move is such nonsense. She dies decades later at 45. Gymnastics Angel. The Soviet Union saw Mukhina's injury as creating a poor image of the Soviet program, reflecting just how little consideration they gave to the wellbeing of their athletes. The Soviets weren't only denying that Mukhina had suffered a catastrophic injury, but were downplaying it to such an extent they were heavily implying it wasn't even bad enough to qualify as a career ending injury. College gymnast dies after sustaining injury. One further detail that is critical to understanding the Mukhina-Klimenko coaching relationship is that they had risen up the Soviet ranks together. "I felt like an animal being whipped along an endless corridor. Mukhina wasnt being coerced into solving a difficult math problem on the chalk board, but to keep working past her physical limits as she was encouraged to perform increasingly more dangerous acrobatic stunts. Internacional. Yelena Mukhina Interview Ogonyok magazine Conducted by Oksana Polonskaya Translated by Beth Squires Behind me is an enormous gym bathed in white light, as in an operating room. 1988. You will see YouTube gymnasts such as Whitney Bjerken, and other famous gymnasts such as Simone Biles, Katelyn Ohashi, Gabby Douglas, Nastia Liukin, Shawn Johnson and many more! (LogOut/ After her injury, Mukhina was grateful to her former teammates who kept in touch with her, especially Yelena Davydova, whom she called A real friend. Mukhina was reported to have fallen on first on bars (July 9th), then on the beam, (July 14th) and it wasn't until July 16th that the AP correctly reported she had been injured on floor. It even provides a foreshadowing moment (1:28) where the possibility of Mukhina seriously hurting herself is openly discussed. I thought you would like it given your interests in WAG history. The first group had all been formally named to the Olympic team. Despite purported advice from Klimenko that she should only perform it into the foam pit, she was training on the platform. Can you let (these thoughts) happen? Group #2: Elena Mukhina, Elena Naimushina, and Svetlana Agapova. The Unlikely Gymnast and the Unlikely Coach (Part II), The Unlikely Gymnast and the Unlikely Coach (Part I), USAG Is Only Pretending to Follow Child Protection Recommendations (Literally). Her career was on the rise and she . Ella debe estar en el saln de la fama Mukhina was training at the Minski Palace of Sport when the injury occurred, her coach was not present. On their own, neither seemed capable of accomplishing the goals they so desperately wanted to achieve. Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. It was the worst possible combination, a gymnast willing to tolerate anything her coach threw at her, and a coach willing to push a gymnast as far as he could. RT / Liam Tyler, Mukhina threw herself into gymnastics. But again and again it came to the hall. They were being pressured to make sure the Moscow Olympics featured the strongest lineup of Soviet gymnasts to ever be assembled. Her career was on the rise, and she was widely touted as the next great gymnastics star until 1979, when she broke a leg and missed several competitions. But it also made their relationships mutually self-destructive. The exchange is roughly 3.5 minutes in length and is broken up into four clips throughout the half hour documentary. The Soviets and other communist nations were very public with these tactics, which validated there usage elsewhere. Under different circumstances the Soviets might have been less likely to give such guarantees to as many as five gymnasts. They ended up getting more than they bargained for, and the price for that was paid by Elena Mukhina. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. The Soviet Union downplayed the severity of Mukhina's injury, withheld information as to how she obtained her injuries and even went as far as to discredit her for inflicting the injury on herself. She won three gold medals and two silver medals at the 1978 World . 01:46 Now playing - Source: WFSB 'Give me a break': Ex-CIA official on US response to Chinese balloon . When an athletic scout visited her school, she volunteered to try out for the gymnastics team. 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. I know many won't watch it mainly due to the length of it, but I HAD to just explain basically everything because the. Not Klimenko or especially the national team coach at that time, Shaniyazov. Mukhina defined that classic proverb because she was just that good. The other was twice her age who had professional training that could be used as a tool for manipulation. !Check out my other channel! At the 1978 Worlds in Strasbourg, she won the all-around gold medal, beating out Olympic champions Nadia Comaneci and Nellie Kim, and earning a total of 5 medals, including 3 gold in the Team, All-Around, and Floor Exercise. Later, she joined CSKA Moscow (Central Red Army) sports club. In the end, after a long search, I returned to my initial options and narrowed the choices down to \" g, g \u0026 \" being the two being the main songs I'd choose from while the other two due to soothing melody in the cover versions of other languages. It should be questioned how much Klimenko was being motived by his own personal goal of overcoming career failure. According to the reports Mukhina was practicing the difficult maneuvers in disregard of orders from her coach and virtual foster father, Victor Klimenko, who had left Minsk for Moscow. Most Popular #24272. Her childhood was not a happy one. Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below. At the time she had just celebrated her 20th birthday. 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. It is written as in her native Russian language. Im sure you all have seen the gymnast suffer broken ankles, leg, and such live on television or in past footage. Before their partnership, both had witnessed unsuccessful careers, but found instant success as soon as they joined forces. Tatyana Biryulina, 24, a Tashkent student who had not expected to qualify for the Soviet team, set a world record in the javelin in the final trials at Podoysk, about 50 miles from Moscow. I understood that sooner or later this would really happen. What they will find at her grave is that image of a girl looking out intently yet elegantly, set amid a darker backdrop. Unlike the fluke accident suffered by Drew Donnellan, the paralysis of Mukhina was the subject of much conjecture. Mukhina went as far as to say she felt sorry for Klimenko and classified him as a victim of the system.. Id estimate that most gymnasts would have needed about 5-8 years to go from where Mukhina was in 1974 to her emergence as a possible contender for the 1976 Soviet Olympic team. Under the ever-demanding eye of Klimenko, Mukhina became all-round silver medalist at the Soviet championships in 1977, the same year she won three titles at the European championships in Prague along with one silver and one bronze, as well two World Cup titles. Mukhina was laid to rest in a Moscow cemetery. Dos semanas antes de los Olmpicos en Rusia qued tetrapljica . Up until 1975, Mukhina flew under the radar and Soviet coaches largely ignored her and her abilities. Mikhail Klimenkos treatment of Mukhina was atrocious, and there is so much to say on that topic that it deserves its own separate article. It occurred alongside contemporary examples such Olga Mostepanova, the top Soviet gymnast of 1984 who first competed against Olympians, in a British competition that was being broadcasted on television when she was only ten years old. Thousands of people are in the stands. Thats just how long it takes for returning Olympic gymnasts. First, she was discovered by an athletic scout in her school, and then she later joined the CSKA Moscow . Mukhina died in 2006, at the age of46, from complications of quadriplegia. There are other tough moments in the footage. Your email address will not be published. Jun 7, 2020 - A catastrophic injury cost Mukhina the use of her limbs. 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. Worst of all, it showed their institution was flawed. But the more time passed, the more Klimenkos career seemed to regress, at least in international competition. Mukhina was permanently paralyzed, and died at only 46: Claims made in the post were reflected in a GymWikia entry about Mukhina's life, career, and death, indicating she died in 2006 of "apparent complications from quadriplegia." Elena Mukhina and Nelli Kim win the gold medal In The Strasbourg World Championship. You Are in Gymnastics is an example of how these coaching behaviors were widely celebrated and actively promoted within the Soviet gymnastics program. Mukhina took up gymnastics late, at age 9, but won the Soviet junior championship within six years. She is too sensitive a girl to be a great athlete. The Moscow Games have not even begun, but this must be one of their saddest stories. The four words engraved just to the right of the image are stark: Great gymnast, world champion. It was almost exclusive to male gymnastics and required perfect execution to avoid being cripplingly dangerous. With the Moscow Olympics fast approaching in 1980, the Soviet team was still formidable but success on home soil was non-negotiable. You can find it on BFI player if you are interested. Mukhina was rushed into surgery that afternoon, but the damage had already been done to her reputation. Bna. The Thomas salto is now banned for both men and women. It would ultimately be Mukhinas downfall. It most likely was an attempt to hide/minimize Mukhinas negative demeanor. It remained an allowed skill for men until 2013. Information began to emerge slowly. At the age of five years Elena lost both of her parents. Mukhinas usage of the term has as much to do with this mindset coming naturally to her as it does with Klimenko instilling that mindset on her. All while she is chided for her constant crying throughout the footage. Just as gymnastics was becoming more demanding following the graceful elements of the likes of the legendary Larisa Latynina and Ludmilla Tourischeva, Klimenko saw the chance to bring in more powerful and increasingly complex elements from mens gymnastics and impose them on his new protegee. They were selected for high-level sports because talent scouts noticed they reveled in pushing their body to the limits, strived for the highest goals imaginable, and wanted the thrill of performing the most dangerous acrobatic skills in the world. Despite beating Mukhina to gold on the beam, Comaneci settled for a solitary title and two silvers at the event. Her injury resulted in her becoming a quadriplegic, and the move that she had been injured attempting - the Thomas salto - was removed from the women's competition. "Before Elena Mukhina broke her neck doing the Thomas salto, a skill so dangerous it is now banned, she told her coach she was going to break her neck doing the Thomas salto. All at the 1976 Olympics, where she also scored the perfect ten. On my wanderings through YouTube one night I came across the story of Elena Mukhina (1960-2006), a gymnast unlucky enough to be born under the Soviet regime. Mostepanovas Romanian rival Ecaterina Szabo had a similar story. Mikhail Klimenko maintained a viable coaching career in the aftermath of Mukhinas injury. Old School. Ekaterina Gordeeva was born on 28 May 1971 and she is currently 51 years old. Mukhina did survive after surgery, and despite being wedded to a wheelchair, she is said to have found a new perspective in the wake of tragedy. Initial rumors were that she had fallen while making her approach to the vault, then Soviet newspaper reported she had fallen during a dismount from the balance beam and had a blackout, but got back up to finish her routine without knowing how badly she had been hurt. The Olympics were barely over before the media had already started to wonder if Nadia would be usurped in 1980 in the same way Korbut had been usurped in 1976. The expectation was huge. Mukhinas career ended in tragedy, an injury on the eve of the 1980 Olympics left her paralyzed from the neck down just one month after celebrating her 20th birthday. The tragedy of Mikhail Klimenko is that it was he who carried most of the blame. She was relegated to alternate status on the strong Soviet team for the Olympics, but still hoped to regain her place on the team and captivate the home fans. "We dont need people like you making snide comments like this and adding to the stigma. She has been placed in a neck cast and will be immobilized for several weeks. The tapes provide one of the most harrowing examples of foreshadowing in a a real-world scenario and the capturing of the Soviet program telling its gymnasts to catch Nadia. The tweet sparked an insane backlash, with people slamming Morgan for his comments. So, they decided to focus on a strategy to help suppress the fallout, one that would help them find a way toseparate themselves from the blame of Mukhina's crippling injuries. She was discovered by Bela Karolyi in 1973, was featured in an American television program in 1976, and had been sent to the Olympics as an observer in 1980, all before making her 1984 Olympic debut at the age of 16. This article isnt an attempt at rehabilitating Mikhail Klimenko or trying to paint him in a more sympathetic light. Bilozerchev is champion again, smelling the roses and dancing until dawn. I feel sorry for Klimenko hes a victim of the system, a member of the clan of grownups who are doing their job.. ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) _ Dmitri Bilozerchev and Elena Mukhina both suffered disasterous falls after becoming world gymnastics champions. Added to this perfect storm of pressure was the complex element Klimenko had placed in her floor routine: the Thomas salto. NTV, Nadia Comaneci was queen at the 1976 Olympics. Soon after Mukhina's paralytic injury, Klimenko emigrated to Italy, where he lived with his children until his death from cancer on November 14, 2007, his 65th birthday. Sorry, you got paralyzed but heres a shiny medal. Mukhinas first serious steps were taken under the tutelage of Alexander Eglit. Take another look at the video from the Amanar vault gone wrong.While flipping and spinning . Elena Mukhina Is A Member Of . Two years ago, at 17, she captured the world spotlight by defeating Romanian Nadia Comaneci, the heroine of the 1976 Olympics, for the world title in Strasburg. The following year Mukhina achieved the trademark win of her career by winning the All-Around title at the 1978 World Championships. A delegation of boxers and wrestlers from Afghanistan moved into the village Saturday. She was also inducted into the CSKA Hall of Fame. there is a wonderful new youtube site with many vids of mukhina i had not seen before including 1976 france https://youtu.be/D_zlw0AZsoc very young- looking mukhinaElena Mukhina Back in 1975, she had suffered a spinal injury which required hospital treatment and rest. I also hope 2022 is a lot better than the past two years have been. Autonomous Nonprofit Organization TV-Novosti, 20052023. Elena Mukhina died on December 22, 2006 at the age of 46 from complications of quadriplegia. The camera constantly makes cuts and pans, often under questionable circumstances. As usual, Im not saying karma but. It had to be rectified, and Mukhina emerged as one of the answers. It wasnt until Simone Biles that WAG had another gymnast who rapidly appeared from out of nowhere in the same fashion as Mukhina. It didnt make sense that Mukhina would be the one who would prevail, and it certainly didnt make sense that this is how it would be in 1977 and 1978. But that didn't stop her from handwriting a letter 18 months later. I think back to that snowy day in late December of 1974 where a coach and a gymnast crossed paths for the first time. We love, we remember. Other critics mocked Biles and compared her to Kerri Strug, who famously vaulted on an injured ankle for the United States at the 1996 Olympics, winning a gold medal. Mukhina was awarded the Soviet Union Order of the Badge of Honor in the aftermath of her injury, while International Olympic Committee president Juan Samaranch bestowed on her the Silver Medal of the Olympic Order. Mukhina was a guest columnist for Moscow News in the late 1980s. None of this is to say I completely absolve Klimenko of blame, as I do consider his coaching tactics to be a significant factor leading to Mukhinas paralysis and even agree with Soviet officials on that particular point. For Mikhail Klimenko, Mukhina was too important to his career for her to fail. Klimenko may have been one of the most extreme examples of a Soviet coach utilizing psychology, but he was far from the only one. What followed was months, turned years, of cover-ups. Mikhail Klimenko was a first-time WAG coach trying to prove himself in a Soviet WAG program that had been defined by celebrity-WAG coaches throughout the 1960s and 1970s. RIA Novosti, Mukhina's condition deteriorated and she struggled even to sit upright. The documentary features a pep talk between Mukhina and her coach Mikhail Klimenko. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. Elena Mukhina dead at 46 The 1978 World Champion died Dec. 22nd. . Elena Mukhina. At 1:13 Klimenko talks about how being a gymnastics coach is hard work. Biles had walked into Tokyo being called the greatest gymnast of all time, carrying the hopes and dreams of her country on her back. The move was named after US mens star Kurt Thomas and involved a 1.5 backflip-1.5 twist combination before a roll-out. . At 0:10 Mukhina is told she is not trying hard enough and her avoiding the difficult work is a constant theme throughout the Mukhina Tapes. To see this all laid out and directly explained to Mukhina in a recorded conversation is a very significant piece footage to have. She's the owner and head coach at Gemini Gymnastics, a gymnastics club in Oshawa, Ontario. I like Ernest Hemingway most of all. But Shaposhnikova, Davydova, Nellie Kim, and Filatova are all members of the Hall of Fame. First Name Elena. I dont exactly sympathize with Klimenko, but I do see him as a tragic villain. :D ..ProbablyCover done by Robbie: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbAQfmhT7LtjQ6janPaxvBgCredit: The information was taken from Wiki, multiple interviews/documentaries and a few sites.~~~FINALLY, AS USUAL ~~~ I do not own any of the audio or video nor do I claim to own it. Mikhail Klimenko was a relatively young coach who was trying to prove himself, and was far too willing to push the limits and win by any means necessary. At 3:00 Mukhina and Klimenko have a conversation regarding personal goals. Logr en tampoco tiempo lo que otras lo hicieron en ms aos. She does not get enough credit for how rapid and unexpected her rise was. After voicing her concern that she would break her neck attempting the move, the coach dismissed her. A . of her own health not just to avoid a blown hamstring or broken bone but to avoid a potentially life-threatening injury and haters have no ground to criticize her for that. Crucially, Mukhina possessed a remarkable persistence and a talent for carrying out Klimenkos instructions to the letter. or. She stunned the crowd at the 1978 World Championships in Strasbourg, France when she gave one of the most amazing all-around performances in history. Mukhina performed the move, falling on her chin and crushing her cervical vertebrae. Mukhina also pioneered new elements on the bars and in her floor routines. There's a string of high-level gymnasts who have been met with disfiguring, life-altering or life-threatening injuries after being pressured to perform in an element when they knew the risk was too high. The Old Man and the Sea.". It didnt help that the next Olympics were slated to be held in Moscow and the Soviets did not want to see Nadia trounce the Soviet team at their Olympics. Mukhina was injured on July 3rd, it would take nearly a week for news of the accident to spread to the Western press. On July 3, 1980, two weeks before the Moscow Olympics, Mukhina was practicing the pass containing the Thomas salto when she under-rotated the salto, crash-landed on her chin, and her spine snapped. Only Nellie Kim and Stella Zakharova were able to medal. Why?, "Even though athletes get to travel and see so much, they are terribly deprived spiritually. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Mukhina spoke up and tried to convince her coach of how dangerous the element was. But inside the training hall of a high-level sport where elite-level athletes are children, it can become a weaponized tool. Elena Mukhina died of apparent complications from quadriplegia on December 22, 2006 (2006-12-22) (aged 46). These gymnasts were identified at a young age not just for their athletic attributes, but their mental attributes as well. 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. TM. "Formally Elena is not an Olympic Champion. Her stupid coach should have listened to her. And it's tragic. Elena Mukhina Gymnastics Championships Sad Stories Olympics Montage Tribute Ripped Gymnastics Angel. He never reconciled with Mukhina and his death from cancer came on November 14, 2007 his 65th birthday. The clips themselves are harrowing as they show a mostly downtrodden Mukhina and provide insights about the coaching environment she was subjected to. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. "Physically, I feel good, I'm in shape," she told the US Today Show. The sad reality is that Mukhina's fate isn't unlike many others - women's gymnastics is scattered with strikingly similar stories. Klimenko, however, had other ideas, reportedly removing her from hospital and directly back to training, taking off the orthopedic brace from around her neck. Surveillance video sheds light on 'cartel . The balance of power appeared to be shifting. https://www.youtube.com/c/RAEscape/videos, Your email address will not be published. She later reappeared on the sideline to support her fellow teammates, but not to compete. 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. She earned the money being a professional Gymnast. Moscow remained quiet today, devoid of the festive atmosphere that usually envelops the host city a week before the Olympics. Sputnik, Mukhina was paralyzed by the accident. In a post-finals press conference alongside her teammates, she said: "Whenever you get in a high-stress situation, you kind of freak out. In general it's just historical video of one of the greatest gymnasts to ever be born. In many ways, the tragedy foreshadowed the sadness which would pursue Mukhina for the rest of her days. One of the common themes in Soviet sports media is coaches frequently boasted about their ability to invoke psychology as a training tool. I have to focus on my mental health and not jeopardise my health and well-being," she said. Because of the devastating injury, Elena Mukhina could not be added to the 1980 Soviet Union Olympic team roster. View all posts by Nikki Young, Your email address will not be published. Unlike Simone Biles, Mukhina is the tragic example of what happens when you're not allowed to say no. Gymnast #43. There will also be men's gymnastics videos in which we will showcase floor exercise, pommel horse, still rings, vault, parallel bars, and high bar montages! Gymnasts With the Most 4th Place Finishes at the Olympics, Gymnasts With the Most 4th Place Finishes, After Her Injury a Soviet Coverup Hurt Elena Mukhina Even More, Shortly After Her Paralysis Elena Mukhina Wrote a Letter. Pinterest. A great history and analysis a tragic result with a winning at all costs attitude, only disaster results always look at the US program under Karolyi.. the success masked the tragic and sinful culture there will always be the next champion but certain things can never be erased.. and should not be forgotten ! However, unlike the popular narrative - Strug performed that vault under pressure from her coach, injuring her ankle further.