Thats just how long it takes for returning Olympic gymnasts. Together, they accomplished more than they could ever dream and reached levels they once considered to be impossible. Would Elena Mukhina Have Made the Olympic Team if Not For Her 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 ! 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. Elena Mukhinas floor routine tumbling passes were considered revolutionary at the time because they included the never-before-seen combination salto (the Muchina). Usually when a gymnastics documentary is being selectively edited to present a more favorable narrative, the controversial moments are excluded entirely. Some of those wishing to remember Mukhina will pay homage this week at her resting place on the 15th anniversary of her passing. 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. . Less than a month before the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, Mukhina under-rotated the Thomas salto and landed on her chin. Elena Mukhina - Interesting stories about famous people, biographies Miguel Saiz Garcia. and her World Championship performance is captured in the ABC Sports video Gymnastics' Greatest Stars. She later reappeared on the sideline to support her fellow teammates, but not to compete. As usual, Im not saying karma but. Mukhina spent 18 months to go from having never done high level routines to being capable of holding her own against your average Olympian. First Name Elena #5. 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. 701 viewsOct 27, 2020 On July 3, 1980, Mukhina was practicing the part of her routine containing the Thomas salto. After her accident, Mukhina became a recluse and rarely discussed it publicly. A memorial service was held in her honor five days later, and she was buried at the Troekourov Cemetery on the southwestern outskirts of Moscow. The world-beating Soviet gymnast whose triumph turned to tragedy 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. Born In 1960. Elena Mukhina injury Video - Elena Mukhina Thomas Salto Accident - Wikipedia 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. Biles had walked into Tokyo being called the greatest gymnast of all time, carrying the hopes and dreams of her country on her back. Elena Mukhina-41977 1978 1979 UPUP Elena Mukhina. In between the 1977 European Championships and the 1978 World Championships, the Soviets released a documentary by the name of You Are in Gymnastics. College gymnast dies after sustaining injury. Mostepanovas Romanian rival Ecaterina Szabo had a similar story. TM. Video: El ejercicio que quiso imitar Elena Mukhina y la dej tetrapljica 0 seconds of 12 secondsVolume 0% 00:25 00:12 ltimos Videos 13/09/2020 12:05 Clarn.com Deportes Actualizado al. Yelena Mukhina (1960-2006) - Find a Grave Memorial They took an X-ray, and it turned out that the bones had separated. YouTube / Match TV / KinoProduct. 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. Listen: One of the most famous athletes in the world has made headlines everywhere, after pulling out of the womens team gymnastics final in Tokyo. Psychology has positive values when deployed on children, especially in the realm of education. RIA Novosti, Mukhina was happy among teammates when not carrying out her demanding training regime. Today. She recalled later in an interview with the Russian magazine Ogoniok, "They removed the cast and I was walking crookedly. Reinforcing the idea on Mukhina that she is a burden to him. 42 talking about this. The exchange is roughly 3.5 minutes in length and is broken up into four clips throughout the half hour documentary. In a sport where reputation, experience, and youth were three critical assets, Mukhina was beating gymnasts who were younger than her, had twice as much experience including being veteran Olympians, and were once well known child prodigies. 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. After an unsuccessful fatal injury, the gymnast was forever confined to bed. Back in 1975, she had suffered a spinal injury which required hospital treatment and rest. She was permanently paralyzed and died in 2006, at the age of 46, from. Yelena Mukhina Interview - oocities.org Mukhinas first serious steps were taken under the tutelage of Alexander Eglit. These tactics have an even deeper meaning when two critical details are understood about the gymnast and coach who are engaging in conversation. Elena Mukhina Olympic Champion by Alberto Capra | Goodreads What followed was months, turned years, of cover-ups. Mukhina was laid to rest in a Moscow cemetery. Elena Mukhina (Gymnast) - Overview, Biography - Celeb Networth Post 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. Mukhinas apotheosis arrived in 1978 with a breathtaking performance at the World Championships in Strasbourg, France. Her career was on the rise and she . After voicing her concern that she would break her neck attempting the move, the coach dismissed her. 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. Afghan officials would not confirm reports that seven wrestlers had defected last week to Pakistan rather than come to Moscow. Sorry for rambling, next video should be happier!! She was 20 years old. To see this all laid out and directly explained to Mukhina in a recorded conversation is a very significant piece footage to have. 1 week ago My coach came the next day and said that I wasn't conscientious and that I could train in a cast.". She matched that achievement at the European Championships in Copenhagen, where she also added a silver medal in the floor exercise. Comaneci famously earned the first-ever perfect 10 score for her performance on the uneven bars. These gymnasts were identified at a young age not just for their athletic attributes, but their mental attributes as well. At the age of five years Elena lost both of her parents. It would take two separate incidents to bring her to the forefront of the Soviet team. Her coach rushed her recovery from an injury and pressured her to perform a dangerous move (the Thomas salto), which caused her to break her neck, leaving her a lifelong quadriplegic. Stick-thin, Mukhina was initially viewed as being behind her contemporaries at her new CSKA training home. The move was named after US mens star Kurt Thomas and involved a 1.5 backflip-1.5 twist combination before a roll-out. One of Europes top right-wing extremists: Who is the neo-Nazi behind this weeks Ukrainian attack in Russias Bryansk Region? Her career came to an end when two weeks before the 1980 Olympics were to start, Mukhina broke her neck in a training accident that left her paralyzed from the neck down. 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 . NTV, Nadia Comaneci was queen at the 1976 Olympics. Group #2: Elena Mukhina, Elena Naimushina, and Svetlana Agapova. It didnt help that a tense political rival existed between Romania and the USSR. Mukhina Badly Hurt In Gym Fall - The Washington Post Mukhina was training at the Minski Palace of Sport when the injury occurred, her coach was not present. But again and again it came to the hall. Klimenko's hopes, bound up in the stifling demands of the Soviet sports system, would continue to bear down on her slender shoulders. [] Rivals in the arena, Comaneci and Mukhina were united in the debilitating pressures they had faced to reach the top. Elena Mukhina, The Tagic Gymnast Who Could Not Say 'No' - EVOKE Her injury was a featured topic in the 1991 A&E do*entary More Than a Game; and her World Championship performance is captured in the ABC Sports video Gymnastics' Greatest Stars. Youre part of the problem," one person wrote. The camera constantly makes cuts and pans, often under questionable circumstances. Every single factor dictated that a gymnast needed time to rise that fast. It remains one of the greatest individual showings gymnastics have ever seen. Biles would pull out under the glare of the spotlight; Mukhina ultimately paid the price for not being able to do the same. Mukhina died in 2006, at the age of46, from complications of quadriplegia. or. Mukhina spoke up and tried to convince her coach of how dangerous the element was. Simone Biles, Kerri Strug, and 'the Twisties' - Truth or Fiction? Bna. 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. Just a month prior to the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, 20-year-old Elena Mukhina under-rotated the Thomas salto, landing on her chin. In 1979, Mukhina claimed the uneven bars gold medal at the Soviet championships. Whether lingering guilt and depression were contributing factors to his death is an answer we will never know. Required fields are marked *. She had set numerous records, including getting the first perfect score in gymnastics Olympic history. Just look at the cautionary tale of Soviet gymnast Elena Mukhina, . For Mukhina, a disturbing pattern had already emerged of an athlete being forced to push through injury in a clamor to the pinnacle of her sport. Shortly After Her Paralysis Elena Mukhina Wrote a Letter Elena Mukhina died of apparent complications from quadriplegia on December 22, 2006 (2006-12-22) (aged 46). She is too sensitive a girl to be a great athlete. She also expressed a . Log In. A . What a f moron. But none of this is a work of fiction. and her World Championship performance is captured in the ABC Sports video Gymnastic's Greatest Stars . Action Images, Mukhina had emerged as a world-beating force but faced increasing pressure. Soviet Gymnast Elena Mukhina Broke Her Neck and Was Paralyzed While 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. The clips can be found in the above YouTube video. She tied for the gold medal in the floor exercises and won silver in the balance beam and uneven bars. 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. The coaching relationship between Mukhina and Klimenko was marked by a power imbalance. One of the common themes in Soviet sports media is coaches frequently boasted about their ability to invoke psychology as a training tool. Poignant footage from the documentary Unfree fall shows an all-together lighter, more playful Mukhina when she was removed from the gaze of her master. Watch: Susie O'Neill on her 'failure' at the Sydney Olympics. On their own, neither seemed capable of accomplishing the goals they so desperately wanted to achieve. Are mental health issues now the go-to excuse for any poor performance in elite sport? I wanted to point out these censorship possibilities so viewers know which part of the footage they should trust, and which parts should be questioned. The slightest lapse - whether it be physical or mental - can be life changing, sometimes even fatal. Im sure you all have seen the gymnast suffer broken ankles, leg, and such live on television or in past footage. She said she begged them not to remove her cast and discharge her because she knew she was not healed yet. Korbut flip - Wikipedia Moscow remained quiet today, devoid of the festive atmosphere that usually envelops the host city a week before the Olympics. In 1976 Nadia Comaneci dominated the Olympics when she was only 14 years old. Despite purported advice from Klimenko that she should only perform it into the foam pit, she was training on the platform. This article isnt an attempt at rehabilitating Mikhail Klimenko or trying to paint him in a more sympathetic light. 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! The injury would eventually lead to her premature death at the age of 46. The real world doesnt think like that.. 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. The Biggest Tragedy in Gymnastics History (Story of Elena Mukhina) Best Gymnastics 32.4K subscribers Subscribe 17K 1.6M views 2 years ago Leave a LIKE if you enjoyed the Story of "Elena. Added to this perfect storm of pressure was the complex element Klimenko had placed in her floor routine: the Thomas salto. 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. Because that will tear you apart.. After the incident, Mukhina told Ogoniok about how fans wrote to her asking when she would compete again. Elena Mukhina - Interesting stories about famous people, biographies She was going to say yes to anything and wasnt willing to question the limits. At 2:11 Klimenko outright dares Mukhina to leave him and train without a coach. Her battle was now an entirely different one: to find some quality of life to accompany her immobility. Worst of all, it showed their institution was flawed. I do not believe it was a coincidence that this story ended in tragedy, but the tragic ending was a direct byproduct of the unconventional backgrounds Mikhail Klimenko and Elena Mukhina shared. Mikhail Klimenko deserves significant blame for Mukhinas injury, but there is one particular detail that is frequently overlooked. Beating Nadia is a central part to Mukhinas storyline and the events that lead to her tragic demise. 30th July 2021. in. I was on the operating table right after lunch. (Whitney Bjerken Edits)https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5nX9OPpfQhT0TdF7nCkq6gOn this channel I will be showcasing some of the best gymnastics, edits and gymnast compilations! 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. Elena Mukhina. Elena Mukhina - Trivia, Family, Bio | Famous Birthdays 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. At 2:28 the camera pans away from Mukhina and towards the wall. 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. Eglit, however, gradually came to understand that the gaunt-looking child in his charge possessed a talent which warranted more professional attention. Entertainment. 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. He never reconciled with Mukhina and his death from cancer came on November 14, 2007 his 65th birthday. Cest un vritable travail de mmoire. 5.5M views 5 years ago This is probably the LONGEST video I will ever make. We offer you the possibility to receive RT's news highlights every Monday, Wednesday and Friday by email. After the incident, Mukhina told Ogoniok about how fans wrote to her asking when she would compete again. "I was stupid. As for the gold medal? For Mikhail Klimenko, Mukhina was too important to his career for her to fail. Soviet gymnastic Nellie Kin was her main rival and would later receive a perfect ten, on the vault. The four words engraved just to the right of the image are stark: Great gymnast, world champion. In the context of larger geopolitical events, Soviet leadership wanted results and were willing to push the limits. But my coach once told me, 'Until you break, no one will let you go.'". Instead a different gymnast is shown practicing on beam while Mukhina and Klimenko become narrations. Back in 1975, she had suffered a spinal injury which required hospital treatment and rest. 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. As the top Soviet gymnast following the 1976 Olympics, this burden weighed the heavier on Mukhina than any other gymnast. Elena Mukhina - Wikipedia Strug never competed again. Aug 4, 2021 - A catastrophic injury cost Mukhina the use of her limbs. 5 19761976 . Post continues below. Elena Mukhina - Aftermath - LiquiSearch Elena Vyacheslavovna Mukhina was born on June 1, 1960, in Moscow, Russian SFSR (now Moscow, Russia). 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. And they dont take offense at fate.". The clips can be found in the above YouTube video. On Twitter, Morgan further trashed the mental health reasoning behind her departure. Take our survey for a chance to win a $100 voucher. By her own admission, Mukhina called herself a coward and was determined to break that label. When she did speak, she was often philosophical about her fate. The celebrity coaches Mikhail Klimenko was competing against often had dozens of young, aspiring gymnasts. Gymnastics. Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below. Going through her routines in the gym, she was forced into an even greater workload to cut the excess weight she had gained during her incapacitation. Despite Mukhinas never-ending warnings that the element was causing minor injuries and was dangerous enough to cause a major injury, she was pushed to keep it in her routine and continued to practice it, even knowing about the risks. Elena Mukhina Profiles | Facebook Ex-Stratfor Chief George Friedman: Neither Russia nor Ukraine can win, war can only end via negotiation! The win effectively made her the top ranked gymnast of the world. Klimenko knew to do this because his educational background was in psychology. But the nightmare and the pain wasn't over. But rather, it is about celebrating Elena Mukhina. Flanked by two small pots of flowers, its gleaming face bears the image of girl, a perfect picture of poise and concentration. He died at the age of 46. Mukhina was injured on July 3rd, it would take nearly a week for news of the accident to spread to the Western press. It even provides a foreshadowing moment (1:28) where the possibility of Mukhina seriously hurting herself is openly discussed. https://www.youtube.com/c/RAEscape/videos, Your email address will not be published. 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 may have been one of the most extreme examples of a Soviet coach utilizing psychology, but he was far from the only one. 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. "She is too easily touched," a team coach said at the time. Explore. Surveillance video sheds light on 'cartel . For those who dont know who Elena Mukhina is, she is the most heartbreaking story to have come out of the Soviet gymnastics program. Can you let (these thoughts) happen? Mukhina was born in Moscow on June 1, 1960. 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? The TsITO doctors X-rayed the leg and discovered that the fracture had not healed properly and would not be able to sustain the pounding of gymnastics in its present condition. 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. But for both of their sakes, it would have been better if they never met at all. Up until 1975, Mukhina was an unremarkable gymnast, and Soviet coaches largely ignored her. Everyone is looking at the platform, where a little girl with tousled bangs is soaring through the air. The people responsible for following those guidelines were the ones in the room at the time of the accident, not the coach 440 miles away. We love, we remember. Main:Elena Mukhina | Gymnastics Wiki | Fandom One example comes at 1:40 where there is a cut between the comment made by Klimenko and Mukhinas response. Mukhinas breakout success while being older than most of her competitors is one of WAGs greatest anomalies. JUSTICIA!!! He sensed that his legacy as a trainer was bound up in Mukhina's fate. College gymnast Melanie Coleman dies after a fall on the uneven bars - CNN Note: It is for the reader to decide whether Klimenkos conduct in the Mukhina tapes constitutes emotional/mental abuse, it is not my intention to imply that it is. 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. Elena Mukhina dead at 46 The 1978 World Champion died Dec. 22nd. 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. What makes these clips so powerful is that they were an actual prelude and a real-life example of a foreshadowing omen. The Old Man and the Sea.". I hope you enjoy my page! Mukhina was rushed into surgery again. Elena Mukhina dead at 46 - Gymnastics Coaching.com Or purchase a subscription for unlimited access to real news you can count on. Elena Mukhina died on December 22, 2006 at the age of 46 from complications of quadriplegia. The Afghan athletes here talked to Western reporters, but sidestepped all political questions. 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. RIA Novosti, Elena Mukhina pictured in 1977. Mukhina's 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.