She was orphaned at the age of 5 and was raised by her grandmother - Anna Ivanovna. Her childhood was not a happy one. Already fixated with gymnastics when other girls were keen on figure skating, Mukhina would encounter the hand of fate when coach Atonina Olezhko visited her school and posed the question to the class: who among them would be keen on training? 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. I began to feel these connections. The Afghan athletes here talked to Western reporters, but sidestepped all political questions. I realized that the commandments do not think badly, do not act badly, do not envy are not just words. Once again against Mukhinas wishes, the doctors removed her cast prematurely. or. Klimenko may have been one of the most extreme examples of a Soviet coach utilizing psychology, but he was far from the only one. Mukhina took a keen interest in children and young gymnasts both before and after her injury. 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 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. Both Mukhina and Klimenko used the term psychological when they were interviewed in news articles. ", Asked her hobbies at a press conference, Mukhina said, "I read books . Elena Mukhina Popularity . Mukhina, a 20-year-old Soviet gymnast, was encouraged to train on a broken leg in the lead up to the 1980 Olympics. However, unlike the popular narrative - Strug performed that vault under pressure from her coach, injuring her ankle further. Mukhina took an interest in gymnastics and figure skating at an early age. But it is later revealed that crying helps her train and is described as being as procedural as chalking up. 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 coaching relationship between Mukhina and Klimenko was marked by a power imbalance. "She is too sensitive. One further detail that is critical to understanding the Mukhina-Klimenko coaching relationship is that they had risen up the Soviet ranks together. You took care of yourself. Elena Mukhina - Bio, Personal Life, Family & Cause Of Death - CelebsAges As usual, Im not saying karma but. It was enough to declare Mikhail Klimenko a coach with repeat success and from that point forward, he could never be dismissed as an untalented coach who had simply gotten lucky with Mukhina. 01:46 Now playing - Source: WFSB 'Give me a break': Ex-CIA official on US response to Chinese balloon . I think I mentioned before that I wanted to be a gymnast growing up but didnt have the discipline because you know when youre ten years old your priority is having fun and pretty much nothing else. Jun 7, 2020 - A catastrophic injury cost Mukhina the use of her limbs. 30th July 2021. in. But that wasnt enough for her coach and in 1979, he wanted her to become of the few female gymnasts doing an element taken from mens gymnastics, the Thomas salto. 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. Post continues below. Orphaned at the age of five and brought up by her grandmother, Mukhina joined a sports club and took up gymnastics. Once again the Soviets were lambasting Mukhina by putting the burden back on her. Shortly After Her Paralysis Elena Mukhina Wrote a Letter She took home the gold, beating Olympic Champions Nadia Comaneci, and top-ranked Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim. One incident was the Romanian domination of the Soviet gymnastics machine at the 1976 Olympics. Autonomous Nonprofit Organization TV-Novosti, 20052023. . Her career was on the rise and she . 4 Elena Mukhina, Uneven Bars . The 10 Most Satisfying Performances in Gymnastics . Gemini Gymnast #5. Korbut flip - Wikipedia Aged 18, Mukhina was imperious as she won gold in the all-around, team and floor events, as well as picking up silver medals in the uneven bars and balance beam. By her own admission, Mukhina called herself a coward and was determined to break that label. The cast was removed from her leg even though Mukhina had concerns that she was not yet ready to resume training. Mukhina took up gymnastics late, at age 9, but won the Soviet junior championship within six years. 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. After her accident, Mukhina became a recluse and rarely discussed it publicly. The duo fit each other like a hand entering a glove and had success that would have been impossible under any other circumstance. 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. 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. He died at the age of 46. But Shaposhnikova, Davydova, Nellie Kim, and Filatova are all members of the Hall of Fame. Why?, "Even though athletes get to travel and see so much, they are terribly deprived spiritually. Klimenko had delivered a broken gymnast to the Soviet team, and it was he who deserves the blame for breaking her. Juegos Olmpicos: la gimnasta rusa qued paraltica haciendo el salto It is the type of foreshadowing moment that feels more appropriate for a fictional story. She was instantly rendered a quadriplegic.\r\rElena Mukhina died of apparent complications from quadriplegia on December 22, 2006 Post continues below. It was, however, from these inauspicious beginnings that a prodigious talent was born. 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. Mostepanovas Romanian rival Ecaterina Szabo had a similar story. 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. After the incident, Mukhina told Ogoniok about how fans wrote to her asking when she would compete again. 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. Crucially, Mukhina possessed a remarkable persistence and a talent for carrying out Klimenkos instructions to the letter. In an interview with Ogonyok magazine, Mukhina blamed the doctors at TsITO (Central Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics) who were serving the National Team for attempting to rush her back into training too soon, saying she begged them not to remove her cast and discharge her because \"they're dragging me from home to workouts\" and she knew she was not yet healed. Later that year the Soviet Union awarded her the Order of the Badge of Honor in response to her injury. . Remember Kerri Strug? "This page is a tribute to the Wonderful Russian gymnast Yelena Mukhina (1960-2006), who was one of the greatest. I think back to that snowy day in late December of 1974 where a coach and a gymnast crossed paths for the first time. Lastly, Mikhail Klimenko pivoted to WAG only after his coaching career in MAG had failed to materialize. The exchange is roughly 3.5 minutes in length and is broken up into four clips throughout the half hour documentary. That was the story of Elena Mukhina a star that had just begun to rise before her Olympic career was tragically cut short. She took home bronze for the floor exercise, and silver as part of the team all-around. The exchange is roughly 3.5 minutes in length and is broken up into four clips throughout the half hour documentary. Take our survey for a chance to win a $100 voucher. Beating Nadia is a central part to Mukhinas storyline and the events that lead to her tragic demise. The weight was becoming intolerable, all the while Mukhina missing out on the carefree life of a regular teenage girl. On July 3, 1980, Elena attempted the salto just two weeks before the Olympics. 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 Mukhina - Wikipedia As recently as the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, Mukhinas was a name which appearedas Americas Simone Biles battled her own mental and physical demons. She lost her mother at an early age, in a tragedy apparently caused when her alcoholic father set fire to their apartment. 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. Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. Information began to emerge slowly. She had gone, but her legacy was far from forgotten. All rights reserved. Mukhina herself eventually succumbed to complications from her condition on December 22, 2006. Such a. A delegation of boxers and wrestlers from Afghanistan moved into the village Saturday. Kids need strong role models not this nonsense.. Elena Mukhina. 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. La trgica historia de la gimnasta que venci a Comaneci. She dies decades later at 45. Elena MUKHINA (*born: 1960, June 06 - +died: 2006, . But the nightmare and the pain wasn't over. Where I disagree with Soviet officials is their claim that it was all Klimenkos fault. She matched that achievement at the European Championships in Copenhagen, where she also added a silver medal in the floor exercise. TM. Elena Mukhina Olympic Champion by Alberto Capra | Goodreads Klimenko was deeply affected by the events and emigrated to Italy with his family, continuing his work as a gymnastics trainer. Mukhina was rushed into surgery that afternoon, but the damage had already been done to her reputation. Now she will watch the games from her hospital bed, her future uncertain but her gymnastics career surely ended. Elena Mukhina is a great gymnast, world champion. 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. The moment she fell to the floor, Mukhina described her first thought as, "Thank God, I won't be going to the Olympics.". "I saw how they carried me out of the hall. Yelena Mukhina (1960-2006) - Find a Grave Memorial 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. What followed was months, turned years, of cover-ups. He returned immediately when informed of the accident. Cest un vritable travail de mmoire. This article isnt an attempt at rehabilitating Mikhail Klimenko or trying to paint him in a more sympathetic light. TIL Soviet gymnast Elena Mukhina, widely touted as the next great gymnastics star until 1979. Elena Mukhina was born in Russia. "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. For a series of clips that featured so much eeriness in regards to the rhetoric and the words being spoken, so is the cinematography. Shortly After Her Paralysis Elena Mukhina Wrote a Letter 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. At the time Nadia Comaneci was Romanias top gymnast. One of the most talented athletes,which was brought up by the school of artistic gymnastics of the Soviet Union, was Mukhina Elena. The Soviets and other communist nations were very public with these tactics, which validated there usage elsewhere. She was taken unconscious to a hospital. However, until now, it has almost been unheard of for any high-level gymnast to withdraw from competition for health reasons. All of that rested on the performance of a single individual, Elena Mukhina. We are only left to assume that there were controversial exchanges that never made it into the published version. 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. Elena Vyacheslavovna Mukhina - 1960-2006 | Belem do Par PA - Facebook 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. This week, four-time Olympic champion and golden girl of Team USA Simone Biles pulled out of the 2021 Olympics. :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. Under different circumstances the Soviets might have been less likely to give such guarantees to as many as five gymnasts. 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. Elena Mukhina - Aftermath - LiquiSearch Tragic Elena and the truth about Communism YouTube / Match TV / KinoProduct. For Mikhail Klimenko, Mukhina was too important to his career for her to fail. Main:Elena Mukhina | Gymnastics Wiki | Fandom However, in Tuesday's Olympic women's gymnastics team final, thousands of people watched on as Biles lost her bearings in the middle of a vault, grimacing as she shakily landed on her feet. Gymnast #43. 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! Now his WAG coaching career was experiencing a rut as Mukhina entered a decline in 1979. I know many won't watch it mainly due to the length of it, but I HAD to just explain basically everything because the. For Mikhail Klimenko, Elena Mukhina was his best shot at becoming an Olympic coach and in 1979 there didnt appear to be anyone else with similar potential in his training group. First, she was discovered by an athletic scout in her school, and then she later joined the CSKA Moscow . My coach came the next day and said that I wasn't conscientious and that I could train in a cast.". 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.