Video of the documentary "More Than a Game", 1991, shows - Facebook Elena Mukhina - Popular Bio 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. 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. Her childhood was not a happy one. 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. Elena Mukhina. In an article forDaily Mail, he urged Biles to "get back out there Simone, and dont get sucked into all the weak woke failure-loving Twitter nonsense youre too great a champion to be labelled a quitter.". Todava no entiendo por que no han hecho una pelcula de esta extraordinaria atleta. Beating Nadia is a central part to Mukhinas storyline and the events that lead to her tragic demise. Ekaterina Gordeeva was born on 28 May 1971 and she is currently 51 years old. https://www.youtube.com/c/RAEscape/videos, Your email address will not be published. Director of the Soviet womens gymnastics, Larisa Latynina, was blamed for the embarrassing defeat. The move shocked the world. We often dont consider that a gymnast can suffer paralysis if they land on their neck, head, or back funny. 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. A . That realization precipitated a meeting on December 28, 1974, with the man who would alter the course of Mukhinas life thereafter: Mikhail Klimenko. Soviet gymnastic Nellie Kin was her main rival and would later receive a perfect ten, on the vault. Klimenko's hopes, bound up in the stifling demands of the Soviet sports system, would continue to bear down on her slender shoulders. 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. She was quickly recognized as an athlete to watch for at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow. Elena Mukhina - Interesting stories about famous people, biographies Log In. He never reconciled with Mukhina and his death from cancer came on November 14, 2007 his 65th birthday. Jun 7, 2020 - A catastrophic injury cost Mukhina the use of her limbs. People named Elena Mukhina. 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 should be questioned how much Klimenko was being motived by his own personal goal of overcoming career failure. Chinese peace plan: Can Beijing find a way to end the Russia-Ukraine conflict, despite open hostility from the US and NATO. Yelena Mukhina Interview - oocities.org 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. Watch. As usual, Im not saying karma but. Watch: Susie O'Neill on her 'failure' at the Sydney Olympics. Miles, 23, recognized that look because she had felt it, too . 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. First Name Elena #5. La trgica historia de la gimnasta que venci a Comaneci. These tactics have an even deeper meaning when two critical details are understood about the gymnast and coach who are engaging in conversation. Former gymnasts left paralyzed on Biles decision, twisties experience I realized that the commandments do not think badly, do not act badly, do not envy are not just words. In many ways, the tragedy foreshadowed the sadness which would pursue Mukhina for the rest of her days. I hope you enjoy my page! Simone Biles, Kerri Strug, and 'the Twisties' - Truth or Fiction? Elena Mukhina: You Are In Gymnastics (1978) Share Watch on The documentary features a "pep talk" between Mukhina and her coach Mikhail Klimenko. So, for an athlete to know when something is increasing that risk, is significant. On July 3, 1980, Mukhina was practicing the part of her routine containing the Thomas salto. 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. Likewise, there was desperation from Klimenko to get Mukhina back on her feet and into training to ensure she made the team. Biles would pull out under the glare of the spotlight; Mukhina ultimately paid the price for not being able to do the same. Required fields are marked *. Elena Mukhina-__bilibili 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. 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. 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. The clips can be found in the above YouTube video. 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. Simone Biles Stepping Away from the Olympics Is Exactly What - Shape 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. But again and again it came to the hall. The move was named after US mens star Kurt Thomas and involved a 1.5 backflip-1.5 twist combination before a roll-out. He returned immediately when informed of the accident. 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. Old School. The tragic tale of Soviet gymnastics star Elena Mukhina She returned to train for the Olympics while starting a strenuous workout program at CSKA Moscow to lose the weight she had put on while being laid up from surgery. 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. Your email address will not be published. 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. As a rising star, everyone had their eyes on her for the coming Olympic games, something Mukhina said pressured her into pushing through her injury. And they dont take offense at fate.". Elena Mukhina - Interesting stories about famous people, biographies "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. Elena Mukhina injury Video - Elena Mukhina Thomas Salto Accident Mukhina took a keen interest in children and young gymnasts both before and after her injury. It would ultimately result in her premature death at the age of 46. The tweet sparked an insane backlash, with people slamming Morgan for his comments. - Wikipedia On their own, neither seemed capable of accomplishing the goals they so desperately wanted to achieve. Mukhina took an interest in figure skating and gymnastics at a very early age. Finally, word got out that she had fallen horribly during a floor exercise. One further detail that is critical to understanding the Mukhina-Klimenko coaching relationship is that they had risen up the Soviet ranks together. It didnt help that a tense political rival existed between Romania and the USSR. She took home bronze for the floor exercise, and silver as part of the team all-around. The Elena Mukhina Tapes - An Old School Gymnastics Blog The rushed recovery from that injury, combined with pressure to master a dangerous and difficult tumbling . After her accident, Mukhina became a recluse and rarely discussed it publicly. There was little doubt that the Soviet Olympic womens gymnastics team would get the gold medal in the team competition, as it had in previous Olympics. She also expressed a . All of that rested on the performance of a single individual, Elena Mukhina. On Twitter, Morgan further trashed the mental health reasoning behind her departure. At the time she had just celebrated her 20th birthday. Mukhina defined that classic proverb because she was just that good. 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. He sensed that his legacy as a trainer was bound up in Mukhina's fate. I thought after my last very long article and all the information in it that I gave you guys to digest I would post something shorter this time. Can you let (these thoughts) happen? With under a year left until the 1980 Summer Olympics, the pressure mounted on the Soviet team coaches and doctors to get the previous all-around champion back on her feet. 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. Where I disagree with Soviet officials is their claim that it was all Klimenkos fault. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Ekaterina Gordeeva - Updated Feb 2023 - Biography Mask Elena Vyacheslavovna Mukhina was a Soviet gymnast who won the all-around title at the 1978 World Championships in Strasbourg, France. . It remains one of the greatest individual showings gymnastics have ever seen. Even though she won the all-around and floor exercises in 1978, with her daring bar routine, a revolutionary balance beam dismount, and a floor routine with a signature move, Mukhina was pressured by Kilmenko and other high-ranking Soviet coaches to add the mens element to her floor exercises. Her stupid coach should have listened to her. Gymnastics prodigy who tragically broke her neck while practicing a dangerous move, just two weeks before the Olympics, and shortly after her 20th birthday. Mukhina was keen on keeping up with world events, including in gymnastics, also learning to use her hands again to write. 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. What a joke, he wrote. "She is too sensitive. At 3:00 Mukhina and Klimenko have a conversation regarding personal goals. She tied for the gold medal in the floor exercises and won silver in the balance beam and uneven bars. In 1976 Nadia Comaneci dominated the Olympics when she was only 14 years old. Mukhina was rushed into surgery that afternoon, but the damage had already been done to her reputation. What followed was months, turned years, of cover-ups. She took home the gold, beating Olympic Champions Nadia Comaneci, and top-ranked Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim. Elena Mukhina dead at 46 The 1978 World Champion died Dec. 22nd. Elena Mukhina: The Thomas Salto Tragedy The Dark Side Of Life The Small Sports Blog. Alberto Capra. The slightest lapse - whether it be physical or mental - can be life changing, sometimes even fatal. Mukhina was injured on July 3rd, it would take nearly a week for news of the accident to spread to the Western press. 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! 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. 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. Miguel Saiz Garcia. Of what happens when you push someone to compete through injury. Now her coach is gone too. Elena MUKHINA | Researcher | PhD in Energy | Skolkovo Institute of Eleven years ago, former gymnastics star Elena Mukhina, whose life and sports career were ruined by a tragic training accident, passed away in Moscow at the age of 46. With the Olympics just weeks away, the Soviet team were in Minsk, putting in intense training. The following year Mukhina achieved the trademark win of her career by winning the All-Around title at the 1978 World Championships. It was Comaneci who took the all-around title as part of three golds. I like Ernest Hemingway most of all. The camera constantly makes cuts and pans, often under questionable circumstances. One example comes at 1:40 where there is a cut between the comment made by Klimenko and Mukhinas response. Elena Vyacheslavovna Mukhina was born on June 1, 1960, in Moscow, Russia. At the end of the day, thats exactly what can happen and in 1980 unfortunately, it did. 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. Klimenko had so much success invoking psychological tactics with Mukhina because Mukhina herself bought into this mindset. The fact is that gymnastics is an extremely dangerous sport, and one that involves a great risk of injury - even when a gymnast is in peak health. Before their partnership, both had witnessed unsuccessful careers, but found instant success as soon as they joined forces. 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. While it does feel as if there were misrepresentations being made, many of these exchanges do seem mostly genuine. One of Europes top right-wing extremists: Who is the neo-Nazi behind this weeks Ukrainian attack in Russias Bryansk Region? Mukhina also pioneered new elements on the bars and in her floor routines. Elena Mukhina recibi en la Orden Olmpica de Plata en 1981, un ao despus de su lesin. RIP Women's Gymnastics Good People Amazing People Female Gymnast Picture Video ELENA MUKHINA 1978 WORLD'S ALL-AROUND-ALL 4 ROUTINES! 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. We love, we remember. Some of those wishing to remember Mukhina will pay homage this week at her resting place on the 15th anniversary of her passing. 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. Your email address will not be published. Mukhina took up gymnastics late, at age 9, but won the Soviet junior championship within six years. It was perfected by American gymnast Kurt Thomas, hence the name the Thomas salto. 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. For Mukhina, just making it to the elite level was a staggering athletic accomplishment in itself. Under different circumstances the Soviets might have been less likely to give such guarantees to as many as five gymnasts. Elena Mukhina (Gymnast) - Overview, Biography - Celeb Networth Post 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. In 1983, Bilozerchev became the . Once again the Soviets were lambasting Mukhina by putting the burden back on her. After Her Injury a Soviet Coverup Hurt Elena Mukhina Even More 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. Lastly, Mikhail Klimenko pivoted to WAG only after his coaching career in MAG had failed to materialize. And it's tragic. Sign Up. 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. The very same Soviet officials who blamed Mikhail Klimenko for his horrible treatment of Elena Mukhina as being a factor which lead to her injury, were the same Soviet officials who knew about his behavior for years prior. I realized that I needed to radically change my attitude to life, Mukhina said. Now she will watch the games from her hospital bed, her future uncertain but her gymnastics career surely ended. 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. Adding to the perplexing chain of events making Mukhina was the most unlikely gymnast to have ever achieved breakout success. 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. Gymnastics Angel. 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. Mukhina took a keen interest in children and young gymnasts both before and after her injury. 1988. 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. I began to feel these connections. She does not get enough credit for how rapid and unexpected her rise was.