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. This article isnt an attempt at rehabilitating Mikhail Klimenko or trying to paint him in a more sympathetic light. The celebrity coaches Mikhail Klimenko was competing against often had dozens of young, aspiring gymnasts. But again and again it came to the hall. But my coach once told me, 'Until you break, no one will let you go.'". All of that rested on the performance of a single individual, Elena Mukhina. She said she begged them not to remove her cast and discharge her because she knew she was not healed yet. 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. After her accident, Mukhina became a recluse and rarely discussed it publicly. Mukhina was keen on keeping up with world events, including in gymnastics, also learning to use her hands again to write. Created by a writer as part of plot-building device to foreshadow the climatic twist to the story where the popular protagonist meets his or her doom. For a series of clips that featured so much eeriness in regards to the rhetoric and the words being spoken, so is the cinematography. She took home bronze for the floor exercise, and silver as part of the team all-around. Mukhinas first serious steps were taken under the tutelage of Alexander Eglit. Two years ago, at 17, she captured the world spotlight by defeating Romanian Nadia Comaneci, the heroine of the 1976 Olympics, for the world title in Strasburg. For Mukhina, just making it to the elite level was a staggering athletic accomplishment in itself. It was Comaneci who took the all-around title as part of three golds. 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. Director of the Soviet womens gymnastics, Larisa Latynina, was blamed for the embarrassing defeat. Log in or sign up for Facebook to connect with friends, family and people you know. Beating Nadia is a central part to Mukhinas storyline and the events that lead to her tragic demise. Flanked by two small pots of flowers, its gleaming face bears the image of girl, a perfect picture of poise and concentration. Some of those wishing to remember Mukhina will pay homage this week at her resting place on the 15th anniversary of her passing. Just look at the cautionary tale of Soviet gymnast Elena Mukhina, . She hails from Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, and her zodiac sign is Gemini. Of what happens when you push someone to compete through injury. It even provides a foreshadowing moment (1:28) where the possibility of Mukhina seriously hurting herself is openly discussed. It would ultimately result in her premature death at the age of 46. "She is too sensitive. In between the 1977 European Championships and the 1978 World Championships, the Soviets released a documentary by the name of You Are in Gymnastics. The sad reality is that Mukhina's fate isn't unlike many others - women's gymnastics is scattered with strikingly similar stories. In 1983, Bilozerchev became the . 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. 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. I almost screamed with joy, she said. "Formally Elena is not an Olympic Champion. Your email address will not be published. I like Ernest Hemingway most of all. Find your friends on Facebook. 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. It was, however, from these inauspicious beginnings that a prodigious talent was born. Mukhinas reactions are not always being shown. These are real clips of a real person who in the end, really did get hurt, and the damage couldnt be undone. RT / Liam Tyler, Mukhina threw herself into gymnastics. Klimenko was deeply affected by the events and emigrated to Italy with his family, continuing his work as a gymnastics trainer. 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. She earned the money being a professional Gymnast. The injury would eventually lead to her premature death at the age of 46. 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. 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 clips themselves are harrowing as they show a mostly downtrodden Mukhina and provide insights about the coaching environment she was subjected to. After an unsuccessful fatal injury, the gymnast was forever confined to bed. "Several times I saw my fall in a dream, Mukhina would later say. Her stupid coach should have listened to her. https://www.youtube.com/c/RAEscape/videos, Your email address will not be published. I realized that I needed to radically change my attitude to life, Mukhina said. Likewise, her full name is Ekaterina Alexandrovna Gordeeva. The tweet sparked an insane backlash, with people slamming Morgan for his comments. "I felt like an animal being whipped along an endless corridor. It would ultimately result in her premature death at the age of 46. ", I blame Twitters virtue-signallers for fuelling this culture of celebrating weakness. 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. Elena Vyacheslavovna Mukhina was born on June 1, 1960, in Moscow, Russia. Action Images, Mukhina had emerged as a world-beating force but faced increasing pressure. Im sure you all have seen the gymnast suffer broken ankles, leg, and such live on television or in past footage. 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. She also took some of the responsibility for not being more forceful about not wanting to perform the move and shared that her first thought when she was laying on the floor with a broken neck was, Thank God, I wont be going to the Olympics.. Comaneci herself would tip Mukhina for Olympic glory. Now I finally have! 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. Mukhina crash-landed, snapping her spine. 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. Mukhina took a keen interest in children and young gymnasts both before and after her injury. Which memorial do you think is a duplicate of Yelena Mukhina (17161471)? It must be remembered that this documentary was being filmed in 1978 when the Soviet Union had extreme censorship standards in place. Despite purported advice from Klimenko that she should only perform it into the foam pit, she was training on the platform. Before their partnership, both had witnessed unsuccessful careers, but found instant success as soon as they joined forces. After Mukhinas paralysis and other close calls with Olympic-eligible female gymnasts, the Thomas salto was removed from the Code of Points as an allowed skill for women. She had set numerous records, including getting the first perfect score in gymnastics Olympic history. 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 refused to listen to her. 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. 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. This website uses cookies. Gymnastics. Nevertheless, Kilmenko had desperately wanted Mukhina to make the Olympic team roster so he could become the Olympic champions trainer. Soon after Mukhinas paralytic injury, Kilmenko emigrated to Italy, where he lived with his children until he died from cancer on November 14, 2007. 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. . Share your thoughts with us in the comment section below. Sputnik, Mukhina was paralyzed by the accident. Group #2: Elena Mukhina, Elena Naimushina, and Svetlana Agapova. Later, she joined CSKA Moscow (Central Red Army) sports club. Required fields are marked *. Hace apenas unos das, el 22 de diciembre, falleci Yelena Mjina (tambin transcrito como Elena Mukhina), campeona del mundo en 1978. You can find it on BFI player if you are interested. Now his WAG coaching career was experiencing a rut as Mukhina entered a decline in 1979. The following quote comes directly from Elena Mukhina: Im not condemning anyone or blaming anyone for what happened to me. The clips can be found in the above YouTube video. 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. Biryulina became the first woman to throw the javelin more than 70 meters. Mukhina took an interest in figure skating and gymnastics at a very early age. She took home the gold, beating Olympic Champions Nadia Comaneci, and top-ranked Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim. 701 viewsOct 27, 2020 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. This is another reoccurring theme throughout the Mukhina tapes. Elena Mukhina and Nelli Kim win the gold medal In The Strasbourg World Championship. Naci con talento. After the incident, Mukhina told Ogoniok about how fans wrote to her asking when she would compete again. Elena Mukhina : biography June 1, 1960 - December 22, 2006 With 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. Yelena Mukhina (U.S.S.R.) - Class of 2021 - International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. Not Klimenko or especially the national team coach at that time, Shaniyazov. Elena Mukhina recibi en la Orden Olmpica de Plata en 1981, un ao despus de su lesin. She was instantly rendered a quadriplegic. RIP AshleyakaFlipper 3.98K subscribers 114K views 11 years ago Montage of Elena Mukhina. But that didn't stop her from handwriting a letter 18 months later. Mukhina was permanently paralyzed, and died at only 46: Claims made in the post were reflected in a GymWikia entry about Mukhina's life, career, and death, indicating she died in 2006 of "apparent complications from quadriplegia." As a human being, he was trying to escape the shadow of his brother and establish a name of his own. "We have to protect our body and our mind It just sucks when you're fighting with your own head.". Likewise, there was desperation from Klimenko to get Mukhina back on her feet and into training to ensure she made the team. RIP - YouTube 0:00 / 2:37 Gymnastics Angel. Elena Mukhina Alexey Cheremisin The present study is devoted to the simulation of thermal enhanced oil recovery (EOR) method with a focus on the initial distribution of various organic matter (OM . One incident was the Romanian domination of the Soviet gymnastics machine at the 1976 Olympics. At 3:00 Mukhina and Klimenko have a conversation regarding personal goals. All rights reserved. The success of Nadia shellshocked the Soviet Union and orders came down from the top to find a gymnast who could break Nadias stranglehold on the sport. And they dont take offense at fate.". However, Mukhina had not fully healed from her leg injury while she worked on perfecting this stunt. Mukhina defined that classic proverb because she was just that good. The documentary features a pep talk between Mukhina and her coach Mikhail Klimenko. 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. Why?, "Even though athletes get to travel and see so much, they are terribly deprived spiritually. Her battle was now an entirely different one: to find some quality of life to accompany her immobility. Despite beating Mukhina to gold on the beam, Comaneci settled for a solitary title and two silvers at the event. Alberto Capra. 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! Elena Mukhina. At 1:13 Klimenko talks about how being a gymnastics coach is hard work. 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. They ended up getting more than they bargained for, and the price for that was paid by Elena Mukhina. But it was the coaches of the Soviet national team who had been the ones who ultimately destroyed Mukhina in a way in which she could never recover. Ella debe estar en el saln de la fama She was taken unconscious to a hospital. 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. For those who dont know who Elena Mukhina is, she is the most heartbreaking story to have come out of the Soviet gymnastics program. Klimenko was back in Moscow for a short trip, desperate to persuade sporting officials that his charge was fit enough to be included in the team, despite lingering doubts. 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 . But it is later revealed that crying helps her train and is described as being as procedural as chalking up. Bravo pour votre travail remarquable sur Elena Moukhina ! Elena MUKHINA (*born: 1960, June 06 - +died: 2006, . Because of the devastating injury, Elena Mukhina could not be added to the 1980 Soviet Union Olympic team roster. 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. Klimenko had so much success invoking psychological tactics with Mukhina because Mukhina herself bought into this mindset. Elena Mukhina Popularity . When she was five years old both her parents passed away and she would end up being raised by her grandmother, Anna Ivanovna. Mukhina took an interest in gymnastics and figure skating at an early age. What are your thoughts on Simone Biles withdrawing from the Olympics? (LogOut/ or. Elena Mukhina. Elena Mukhina. It had been a staple of Soviet womens gymnastics since the 1960s. 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. Less than a month before the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, Mukhina under-rotated the Thomas salto and landed on her chin.