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. NTV, Nadia Comaneci was queen at the 1976 Olympics. Klimenko was trying to establish himself as one of their equals and I cite that as a factor as to why he pushed Mukhina beyond the limits. The rushed recovery from that injury, combined with pressure to master a dangerous and difficult tumbling . 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 was, however, from these inauspicious beginnings that a prodigious talent was born. 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. These events overshadow what were two other hallmarks of Mukhina's career. It was perfected by American gymnast Kurt Thomas, hence the name the Thomas salto. All rights reserved. The four words engraved just to the right of the image are stark: Great gymnast, world champion. If not in time for 1980, then certainly those who were on a track for 1984. He died at the age of 46. 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. Cest un vritable travail de mmoire. 30th July 2021. in. ", Asked her hobbies at a press conference, Mukhina said, "I read books . Mukhina spoke up and tried to convince her coach of how dangerous the element was. Elena Mukhina. 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. Chinese peace plan: Can Beijing find a way to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, despite open hostility from the US and NATO. 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. For Mukhina, just making it to the elite level was a staggering athletic accomplishment in itself. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Most Popular #24272. Information began to emerge slowly. 701 viewsOct 27, 2020 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. The day Mukhina was injured, Soviet national team coaches working with her had violated half a dozen safety guidelines. Elena Mukhina recibi en la Orden Olmpica de Plata en 1981, un ao despus de su lesin. It was all laid out for public viewing 40 years prior. She was also inducted into the CSKA Hall of Fame. The unlikely gymnast and the unlikely coach is an important component to Mukhinas story because the combination of an unconventional gymnast joining forces with an unconventional coach was a key reason for their shared success. Rivals in the arena, Comaneci and Mukhina were united in the debilitating pressures they had faced to reach the top. At 2:38 she appears to be especially distressed. A memorial service was held in her honor on December 27 . Worst of all, it showed their institution was flawed. So why did Simone Biles quit? The TsITO doctors X-rayed her leg and realized that the fracture had not healed properly. She was orphaned at the age of 5 and was raised by her grandmother - Anna Ivanovna. The moment she fell to the floor, Mukhina described her first thought as, "Thank God, I won't be going to the Olympics.". "She is too sensitive. Estimated Net Worth in 2020. Usually when a gymnastics documentary is being selectively edited to present a more favorable narrative, the controversial moments are excluded entirely. When she did speak, she was often philosophical about her fate. Elena Mukhina. Because of the devastating injury, Elena Mukhina could not be added to the 1980 Soviet Union Olympic team roster. In 1982, Juan Samaranch, president of the IOC, awarded her the Silver Medal of Olympic Order. What the media had envisioned was a clone of Nadia Comaneci, a hypothetical gymnast who would be 14 years old in 1980, but was only 10 years old in 1976. Comaneci famously earned the first-ever perfect 10 score for her performance on the uneven bars. But we also see the type of response that exists in a culture where athletes dont feel comfortable speaking what is on their mind. Adding to the perplexing chain of events making Mukhina was the most unlikely gymnast to have ever achieved breakout success. ROTTERDAM, Netherlands (AP) _ Dmitri Bilozerchev and Elena Mukhina both suffered disasterous falls after becoming world gymnastics champions. Strug never competed again. 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. Keep supporting great journalism by turning off your ad blocker. (LogOut/ 5 19761976 . By Laura Perrins. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Such a. She won gold medals for the individual all-around, the balance beam, and uneven bars. The story of Elena Mukhina, the gymnast who became a quadriplegic at age 20, pushed to the limit to beat Nadia Comaneci 7/28/2021, 11:02:10 AM The Soviet was destined to regain the throne of that sport for her country, but a few weeks before the 1980 Moscow Olympics she suffered a terrible fall. Mukhina was born in Moscow on June 1, 1960. 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. The Romanian endured her own brutal training routine, and later revealed she had even attempted suicide prior to the 1978 World Championships. RIP AshleyakaFlipper 3.98K subscribers 114K views 11 years ago Montage of Elena Mukhina. 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. Mukhina took an interest in figure skating and gymnastics at a very early age. What a f moron. 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. She was quickly recognized as an athlete to watch for at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. 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). "This page is a tribute to the Wonderful Russian gymnast Yelena Mukhina (1960-2006), who was one of the greatest. 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. Klimenko knew to do this because his educational background was in psychology. "We dont need people like you making snide comments like this and adding to the stigma. But my coach once told me, 'Until you break, no one will let you go.'". Miles, 23, recognized that look because she had felt it, too . The win effectively made her the top ranked gymnast of the world. 5.5M views 5 years ago This is probably the LONGEST video I will ever make. 42 talking about this. The mantra appeared clear: injury was weakness or unwillingness, Mukhina had to break through the pain to achieve greatness. The move was named after US mens star Kurt Thomas and involved a 1.5 backflip-1.5 twist combination before a roll-out. You Are in Gymnastics is an example of how these coaching behaviors were widely celebrated and actively promoted within the Soviet gymnastics program. Gymnasts. College gymnast dies after sustaining injury. These are real clips of a real person who in the end, really did get hurt, and the damage couldnt be undone. Soviet team coach Yuri Titov deflected questions about whether or not Mukhina would be trying for a comeback in the 1984 Summer Olympics, even blaming her injury on attempting a skill that she was not able to do but thought she needed to make the team. Otherwise, you can go crazy. Among the negativity, Strug tweeted a message of support for Biles' decision - her own story proving just how important it was for Biles to step back. It is such a sad story so not recommended for the weak of hearts. Every single factor dictated that a gymnast needed time to rise that fast. and her World Championship performance is captured in the ABC Sports video Gymnastics' Greatest Stars. 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 her neck in a training accident and is hospitalized in Minsk following surgery, Soviet officials reported today. It was Comaneci who took the all-around title as part of three golds. Gymnastics. And I realized that, compared to the ability to think, the inability to move is such nonsense. Remember, you don't have to agree with my opinions but I am still free to express them. Mikhail Klimenkos treatment of Mukhina was atrocious, and there is so much to say on that topic that it deserves its own separate article. Leave a LIKE if you enjoyed the Story of \"Elena Mukhina\" \u0026 SUBSCRIBE for more gymnastics videos! Who is India's National Security Advisor and why did Putin decide to meet him one on one? People named Elena Mukhina. She likes music, poetry and to sit and think. Elena Vyacheslavovna Mukhina was born on June 1, 1960, in Moscow, Russian SFSR (now Moscow, Russia). When Olympians take a year off, they typically resume high level training with two years to spare until the next Olympics because thats how long it takes to relearn their old skills, perfect Olympic-level routines, condition their body, and acquire muscle memory. 261 viewsNov 13, 2020. Pinterest. Where I disagree with Soviet officials is their claim that it was all Klimenkos fault. Stick-thin, Mukhina was initially viewed as being behind her contemporaries at her new CSKA training home. A delegation of boxers and wrestlers from Afghanistan moved into the village Saturday. She is from Russia. Coming to the Olympics and being head star isn't an easy feat, so we're just trying to take it one day at a time and we'll see.". Elena Mukhina died on December 22, 2006 at the age of 46 from complications of quadriplegia. She hails from Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, and her zodiac sign is Gemini. 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. Mukhina took a keen interest in children and young gymnasts both before and after her injury. 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. When life becomes victim to gangsters, murder, myths, legends, and more. 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. For those who dont know who Elena Mukhina is, she is the most heartbreaking story to have come out of the Soviet gymnastics program. At the time, Soviet officials were being pressured to build a team which was superior to that of the Romanians. But rather, it is about celebrating Elena Mukhina. By the time of the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, she was already making a name for herself but was not yet consistent enough to earn a place among the Soviet ranks. Elena Mukhina Is A Member Of . One example comes at 1:40 where there is a cut between the comment made by Klimenko and Mukhinas response. Just a month prior to the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, 20-year-old Elena Mukhina under-rotated the Thomas salto, landing on her chin. Biryulina became the first woman to throw the javelin more than 70 meters. At 2:28 the camera pans away from Mukhina and towards the wall. Can you let (these thoughts) happen? 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! What a f moron. According to Wikipedia, Forbes, IMDb & Various Online resources, famous Gymnast Elena Mukhina's net worth is $1-5 Million before She died. 0 views, 55 likes, 11 loves, 12 comments, 120 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Elena Vyacheslavovna Mukhina - 1960-2006: Video of the documentary "More Than a Game", 1991, shows that the testimony. Most notably Aleftina Pryakhina who won two medals at the 1987 European Championships, exactly ten years after Mukhina achieved breakout success at this very same competition in 1977. 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. For a wide variety of reasons, he had become overly invested in a single gymnast. Sending love to you @Simone_Biles -Team UNITED States of America . One person who wasn't impressed by the headlines was controversial TV personality Piers Morgan, who called Biles' decision to withdraw a joke". Once again against Mukhinas wishes, the doctors removed her cast prematurely. Stella Zakharova compared him to infamous Chilean dictator Augusto Pinochet and called Klimenko a tyrant. Maria Filatova referred to Klimenko as a beast and when given the option to be coached by him said, I wouldnt go to Klimenko even at gunpoint. Both were members of the 1980 Soviet Olympic team and had trained alongside Mukhina. Just admit you did badly, made mistakes, and will strive to do better next time. Later that year the Soviet Union awarded her the Order of the Badge of Honor in response to her injury. The cast was removed from her leg even though Mukhina had concerns that she was not yet ready to resume training. Mukhina was a guest columnist for Moscow News in the late 1980s. Mukhina is confined to a wheelchair that she knows she may never be without. Comaneci herself would tip Mukhina for Olympic glory. En 1981, el Comit Olmpico Internacional le otorg la Orden Olmpica de Plata , la segunda mayor . Such a sad story :(\r\rIn 1979, while training for the 1979 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Mukhina suffered a broken leg, which kept her out of the World Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, a competition in which the Soviet team suffered its first defeat at the hands of their archrivals from Romania, with only Nellie Kim and Stella Zakharova able to medal in apparatus and All Around disciplines. She was popular for being a Gymnast. However, Mukhina had not fully healed from her leg injury while she worked on perfecting this stunt. As a person, he wasnt just trying to preserve his coaching career, but his social status in which his coaching career depended on. She matched that achievement at the European Championships in Copenhagen, where she also added a silver medal in the floor exercise. It didnt help that a tense political rival existed between Romania and the USSR. Elena Mukhina died of apparent complications from quadriplegia on December 22, 2006 (2006-12-22) (aged 46). One of Europes top right-wing extremists: Who is the neo-Nazi behind this weeks Ukrainian attack in Russias Bryansk Region? Psychology has positive values when deployed on children, especially in the realm of education. and her World Championship performance is captured in the ABC Sports video Gymnastic's Greatest Stars . The 1979 World Championships, to be held in Fort Worth, were looming but Mukhina broke her leg during an exhibition in England, ruling her out of the competition. It would ultimately result in her premature death at the age of 46. Ex-Stratfor Chief George Friedman: Neither Russia nor Ukraine can win, war can only end via negotiation! The slightest lapse - whether it be physical or mental - can be life changing, sometimes even fatal. Elena Mukhinas floor routine tumbling passes were considered revolutionary at the time because they included the never-before-seen combination salto (the Muchina). She had gone, but her legacy was far from forgotten. No you cant. She lost her mother at an early age, in a tragedy apparently caused when her alcoholic father set fire to their apartment. Her response was, its not my fault that Nadia Comaneci was born in Romania. The other was when Elena Mukhina transitioned to working with Soviet mens coach Mike Kilmekno, who helped turn her into a show-stopping gymnast. Aug 4, 2021 - A catastrophic injury cost Mukhina the use of her limbs. She later reappeared on the sideline to support her fellow teammates, but not to compete. Gemini Gymnast #5. In a 2004 interview, Larisa Latynina claimed that Mukhinas coach, Mikhail Klimenko, was affected by her injury. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. She won three gold medals and two silver medals at the 1978 World . Change). Nothing exists except work and pressure, which constantly increase, and sometimes it seems thatthat's it, you haven't got any more strength. Jun 7, 2020 - A catastrophic injury cost Mukhina the use of her limbs. Under Klimenko, Mukhinas injury history had been so atrocious that her paralysis was the inevitable result of what happens when a gymnast is taught over and over again that reckless behavior is the only way forward. Ella debe estar en el saln de la fama While Biles received widespread praise for admitting her mental health issues and opening up a conversation in a sport that is strewn with a history of life-altering or life-ending injuries, others were quick to dismiss Biles' explanation. 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. Elena Vyacheslavovna Mukhina ( Russian: ; first name sometimes rendered "Yelena", last name sometimes rendered "Muchina"; 1 June 1960 - 22 December 2006) was a Soviet gymnast who won the all-around title at the 1978 World Championships in Strasbourg, France. Yelena Mukhina (U.S.S.R.) - Class of 2021 - International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. Mukhina herself eventually succumbed to complications from her condition on December 22, 2006. Mukhinas apotheosis arrived in 1978 with a breathtaking performance at the World Championships in Strasbourg, France. You took care of yourself. Elena Mukhina: You Are In Gymnastics (1978) Share Watch on The documentary features a "pep talk" between Mukhina and her coach Mikhail Klimenko. I am frequently asked as to whether Klimenko is to blame for Mukhinas injury. She took home bronze for the floor exercise, and silver as part of the team all-around. It is the type of foreshadowing moment that feels more appropriate for a fictional story. Her throw of 70.08 meters eclipsed by 12 centimeters the world record set by East German Ruth Fuchs at Split, Ugoslavia, this spring. She took home the gold, beating Olympic Champions Nadia Comaneci, and top-ranked Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim. Mikhall KLIMENKO was once National juniors' champion of the USSR, but turned to the profession of coach quite early due to an injury and once took care of the gravely injured wheelchair-bound Elena Mukhina.The brother of the sixfold European Champion Victor Klimenko, who lives in Germany now, was known as one of the most .