YouTube / Match TV / KinoProduct. For Biles, her refusal to be another number could very well be the most important move of her life. In a 2004 interview, Larisa Latynina claimed that Mukhinas coach, Mikhail Klimenko, was affected by her injury. 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. The following quote comes directly from Elena Mukhina: Im not condemning anyone or blaming anyone for what happened to me. The Elena Mukhina tapes are only 3.5 minutes in length, and in that short time we get a wide range of historic symbolism. Adding to the perplexing chain of events making Mukhina was the most unlikely gymnast to have ever achieved breakout success. 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. (VIDEO), Khabib says Hasbulla can become billionaire. Elena Mukhina is largely remembered for two things. Worst of all, it showed their institution was flawed. This article isnt an attempt at rehabilitating Mikhail Klimenko or trying to paint him in a more sympathetic light. Yelena Mukhina died last year at 46. Despite beating Mukhina to gold on the beam, Comaneci settled for a solitary title and two silvers at the event. But it is later revealed that crying helps her train and is described as being as procedural as chalking up. She died at 46 in 2006 en.wikipedia.org 33K 1.3K 1.3K comments 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. Soviet gymnast Elena Mukhina was a rising star who was tipped for glory at the 1980 Olympic Games but pushed to extremes and facing mounting pressure, the 20-year-old suffered a life-altering fall. After the injury, the Soviet Gymnastics Federation remained secretive about the events surrounding Mukhinas injury. Mukhina was rushed into surgery again. 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. When life becomes victim to gangsters, murder, myths, legends, and more. On July 3, 1980, two weeks before the Moscow Olympics, Elena was practicing the Thomas salto tumbling move when she under-rotated and crash-landed on her chin, snapping her spine and leaving her quadriplegic. Logr en tampoco tiempo lo que otras lo hicieron en ms aos. Gradually, though, Klimenko would become convinced that this was a gem who could be polished gently or otherwise into a champion. The TsITO doctors X-rayed her leg and realized that the fracture had not healed properly. During an interview with Ogonyok magazine, Mukhina blamed the doctors at TsITO (Central Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics), who were tending to the Soviet Nation Team for attempting to push her back into training too soon. Gymnast #43. The exchange is roughly 3.5 minutes in length and is broken up into four clips throughout the half hour documentary. Elena Mukhina passed away in 2006, 11 months later Mikhail Klimenko passed away at the age of 65. Mukhina died in 2006, at the age of46, from complications of quadriplegia. . What they will find at her grave is that image of a girl looking out intently yet elegantly, set amid a darker backdrop. Would Elena Mukhina Have Made the Olympic Team if Not For Her Paralyzing Injury. Klimenko was deeply affected by the events and emigrated to Italy with his family, continuing his work as a gymnastics trainer. ", I blame Twitters virtue-signallers for fuelling this culture of celebrating weakness. A . "ELENA MUKHINA OLYMPIC CHAMPION" is the story of Elena Mukhina, Soviet gymnast, World Champion 1978, who had an injury just few days before the 1980 Moscow Olympics. Mikhail Klimenko maintained a viable coaching career in the aftermath of Mukhinas injury. The duo fit each other like a hand entering a glove and had success that would have been impossible under any other circumstance. They suggested this was something that Biles should have done for her team - pushed through the pain. On their own, neither seemed capable of accomplishing the goals they so desperately wanted to achieve. Estimated Net Worth in 2020. She was instantly rendered a quadriplegic. Gemini Gymnast #5. The fans had been trained to believe in athletes heroism athletes with fractures return to the soccer field and those with concussions return to the ice rink, she said. 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. The real world doesnt think like that.. Mukhina was rushed into surgery that afternoon, but the damage had already been done to her reputation; one of the National Team coaches, she said in the Ogonyok interview, showed up at her bed the day after surgery and outright stated that she \"wasn't conscientious\" and that she could still \"train in a cast.\" Once more against her wishes, the doctors removed her cast prematurely, and Mukhina returned to training for the Olympics while beginning a strenuous workout program at CSKA Moscow to lose the weight she had gained while laid up from surgery.\r\rWith lingering weakness in her leg and mounting exhaustion from the grueling weight loss workouts, Mukhina had great difficulty coming back up to speed on what was to be the new end element of one of her floor exercise tumbling passes, the Thomas salto, Despite Mukhina's warnings that the element was constantly causing minor injuries and was dangerous enough to potentially cause major injuries, she was pushed to keep the element in her floor routine, and she continued to practice it even knowing it was a dangerous element. Autonomous Nonprofit Organization TV-Novosti, 20052023. Usually when a gymnastics documentary is being selectively edited to present a more favorable narrative, the controversial moments are excluded entirely. Elena Mukhina died on December 22, 2006 at the age of 46 from complications of quadriplegia. Action Images, Mukhina had emerged as a world-beating force but faced increasing pressure. Elena Vyacheslavovna Mukhina (Russian: ; name sometimes rendered "Yelena Muchina"; June 1, 1960 - December 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. . Mukhina took up gymnastics late, at age 9, but won the Soviet junior championship within six years. Likewise, her full name is Ekaterina Alexandrovna Gordeeva. His younger brother, Viktor, had won Olympic gold in Munich in 1972, but Mukhina was to be the first female gymnast he would endeavor to forge into a world-beater. These gymnasts were identified at a young age not just for their athletic attributes, but their mental attributes as well. 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. Her disappointing performances continued after the Spartakiad, and her attempts to live up to the promise of 1978 were hampered by a series of injuries last year that had demoralized her. But I dont think we really take a moment to think about just how severe and life-altering the injuries can end up being. Back in 1975, she had suffered a spinal injury which required hospital treatment and rest. The first was beating Nadia Comaneci to win the 1978 All-Around title which marked her rise to the very top of the gymnastics world, but also her unfortunate demise. Her stupid coach should have listened to her. 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. I understood that sooner or later this would really happen. Life isn't always butterflies and rainbows, so, its time to explore the dark side of things. Mikhail Klimenkos treatment of Mukhina was atrocious, and there is so much to say on that topic that it deserves its own separate article. Now his WAG coaching career was experiencing a rut as Mukhina entered a decline in 1979. Instead a different gymnast is shown practicing on beam while Mukhina and Klimenko become narrations. Mikhail Klimenko deserves significant blame for Mukhinas injury, but there is one particular detail that is frequently overlooked. As the current star of the Soviet program at the time, Mukhina received top billing and a majority of the camera time. With less than a year until the 1980 Summer Olympics to be held in Moscow, the pressure was on the Soviet team coaches and doctors to get the previous All Around champion Mukhina back on her feet and ready for the games. The tragedy of Mikhail Klimenko is that it was he who carried most of the blame. First Name Elena. The Moscow Games have not even begun, but this must be one of their saddest stories. This website uses cookies. We are only left to assume that there were controversial exchanges that never made it into the published version. Up until 1975, Mukhina was an unremarkable gymnast, and Soviet coaches largely ignored her. Klimenko had so much success invoking psychological tactics with Mukhina because Mukhina herself bought into this mindset. Afghan officials would not confirm reports that seven wrestlers had defected last week to Pakistan rather than come to Moscow. One of the most talented athletes,which was brought up by the school of artistic gymnastics of the Soviet Union, was Mukhina Elena. And they dont take offense at fate.". Take another look at the video from the Amanar vault gone wrong.While flipping and spinning . Along with an outpouring of support for the 24-year-old's decision, there was one question on everyone's lips: While there was speculation as towhether Biles had obtained a physical injury, the athlete later shared that her decision was one that was based on mental health. She was 20 years old. Mukhina, a 20-year-old Soviet gymnast, was encouraged to train on a broken leg in the lead up to the 1980 Olympics. Gymnasts. Bna. In the documentary, "Triumph of the Spirit . Elena Mukhina. The Code of Points was later modified to ban standing on the high bar during routines. 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. At 3:00 Mukhina and Klimenko have a conversation regarding personal goals. 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. Montage of Elena Mukhina. The extreme political dynamics of the era that Mukhinas athletic career were defined by, and her rapidly rising up the ranks so fast, that it should have been impossible. Klimenko may have been one of the most extreme examples of a Soviet coach utilizing psychology, but he was far from the only one. And it certainly didnt help that before Nadia, the title for the most famous gymnast in the world was a Soviet athlete and they wanted that title back. Mukhinas apotheosis arrived in 1978 with a breathtaking performance at the World Championships in Strasbourg, France. The moment she fell to the floor, Mukhina described her first thought as, "Thank God, I won't be going to the Olympics.". Are mental health issues now the go-to excuse for any poor performance in elite sport? Mukhina performed the move, falling on her chin and crushing her cervical vertebrae. Ekaterina Gordeeva was born on 28 May 1971 and she is currently 51 years old. A memorial service was held in her honor on December 27th, and she was buried at the Trekourov Cemetery in Moscow, Russia. 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. It remained an allowed skill for men until 2013. I think back to that snowy day in late December of 1974 where a coach and a gymnast crossed paths for the first time. 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. https://www.youtube.com/c/RAEscape/videos, Your email address will not be published. View all posts by Nikki Young, Your email address will not be published. Klimenko's hopes, bound up in the stifling demands of the Soviet sports system, would continue to bear down on her slender shoulders. She was 46 years old. Her battle was now an entirely different one: to find some quality of life to accompany her immobility. 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. Besides the previously mentioned obstacles such as conditioning and learning new skills, gymnastics is a reputation based sport, first you work for your name and then your name works for you.. Before I go I want to leave you with some wise words from former Tampa Bay Buccaneers wide receiver, Antonio Brown;Every day is a half day if you just f****** leave.Happy 2022 everyone! Klimeko asked this knowing full well what Mukhinas answer would be, but he asked anyway to remind Mukhina that leaving him was an unrealistic option. 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.
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