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.. Surveillance video sheds light on 'cartel . She was taken unconscious to a hospital. Only about 1,600 of the 5,000 athletes expected -- half the total that was anticpated before the U.S.-led boycott of the Games because of the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan -- have moved into the Olympic Village. "Formally Elena is not an Olympic Champion. First Name Elena #5. Elena Mukhina Is A Member Of . It didnt seem like Mukhina was very cooperative with the film crew which is why they went with such unusual pans, cuts, and pivots. After the injury, the Soviet Gymnastics Federation remained secretive about the events surrounding Mukhinas injury. Mukhina achieved breakout success at the 1977 European Championships. 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. I thought you would like it given your interests in WAG history. 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. Work, work, work. The extreme political dynamics of the era that Mukhinas athletic career were defined by, and her rapidly rising up the ranks so fast, that it should have been impossible. Perhaps this is fate. At age 15, American. Stick-thin, Mukhina was initially viewed as being behind her contemporaries at her new CSKA training home. She had set numerous records, including getting the first perfect score in gymnastics Olympic history. A new version of the Korbut loop named after Soviet four-time Olympic gold medalist Olga Korbut was devised for Mukhina to perform. Sign Up. This year marks the 15th anniversary since Mukhinas death on December 22, 2006. Naci con talento. 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. 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. Mukhina took an interest in figure skating and gymnastics at a very early age. 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. But for both of their sakes, it would have been better if they never met at all. Director of the Soviet womens gymnastics, Larisa Latynina, was blamed for the embarrassing defeat. Comaneci herself would tip Mukhina for Olympic glory. Life isn't always butterflies and rainbows, so, its time to explore the dark side of things. 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. Elena Mukhina had been an orphan since she was six years old. Mikhail Klimenkos treatment of Mukhina was atrocious, and there is so much to say on that topic that it deserves its own separate article. . The TsITO doctors X-rayed her leg and realized that the fracture had not healed properly. Mukhina took up gymnastics late, at age 9, but won the Soviet junior championship within six years. The moment she fell to the floor, Mukhina described her first thought as, "Thank God, I won't be going to the Olympics.". He never reconciled with Mukhina and his death from cancer came on November 14, 2007 his 65th birthday. Mukhina would always remember him with fondness, and together she rose to become Moscow champion. 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. It was the worst possible combination, a gymnast willing to tolerate anything her coach threw at her, and a coach willing to push a gymnast as far as he could. It is written as in her native Russian language. Elena Mukhina. 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. 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. Who is India's National Security Advisor and why did Putin decide to meet him one on one? 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. 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. It had to be rectified, and Mukhina emerged as one of the answers. Jun 7, 2020 - A catastrophic injury cost Mukhina the use of her limbs. 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. In the documentary, "Triumph of the Spirit . Miles, 23, recognized that look because she had felt it, too . Elena Mukhina-41977 1978 1979 UPUP 42 talking about this. But Morgan hit back, tweeting: "Athletesare now deemed more courageous, inspiring & heroic if they lose or quit then if they win or tough it out, which is ridiculous. This is probably the LONGEST video I will ever make. I almost screamed with joy, she said. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 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. All while she is chided for her constant crying throughout the footage. That realization precipitated a meeting on December 28, 1974, with the man who would alter the course of Mukhinas life thereafter: Mikhail Klimenko. 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. Of what happens when you push someone to compete through 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. In 2021, she was posthumously inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. We are only left to assume that there were controversial exchanges that never made it into the published version. Mukhina was training at the Minski Palace of Sport when the injury occurred, her coach was not present. These gymnasts were identified at a young age not just for their athletic attributes, but their mental attributes as well. Mukhina also pioneered new elements on the bars and in her floor routines. Pinterest. Before their partnership, both had witnessed unsuccessful careers, but found instant success as soon as they joined forces. What a f moron. 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. 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. Comaneci would help the Romanians to team gold at the World Championships, despite her own struggles with blood poisoning resulting from a cut. Less than a month before the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, Mukhina under-rotated the Thomas salto and landed on her chin. Elena Mukhina dead at 46 The 1978 World Champion died Dec. 22nd. After her world title success, Mukhina would say: I cried on the pedestal in France not out of joy, but because I understood: no one would let me go.. It even provides a foreshadowing moment (1:28) where the possibility of Mukhina seriously hurting herself is openly discussed. She took home the gold, beating Olympic Champions Nadia Comaneci, and top-ranked Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim. 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. (LogOut/ Id estimate that most gymnasts would have needed about 5-8 years to go from where Mukhina was in 1974 to her emergence as a possible contender for the 1976 Soviet Olympic team. Every single factor dictated that a gymnast needed time to rise that fast. Elena Mukhina recibi en la Orden Olmpica de Plata en 1981, un ao despus de su lesin. Later that year the Soviet Union awarded her the Order of the Badge of Honor in response to her injury. 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 real world doesnt think like that.. Back in 1975, she had suffered a spinal injury which required hospital treatment and rest. Your email address will not be published. The Afghan athletes here talked to Western reporters, but sidestepped all political questions. However, unlike the popular narrative - Strug performed that vault under pressure from her coach, injuring her ankle further. When doctors removed her cast against her wishes and had her try walking on the leg, she said that she knew she was walking \"crookedly\" and that something was not right. When she was five years old both her parents passed away and she would end up being raised by her grandmother, Anna Ivanovna. 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. Elena Mukhina died of apparent complications from quadriplegia on December 22, 2006 (2006-12-22) (aged 46). 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. Cest un vritable travail de mmoire. These events overshadow what were two other hallmarks of Mukhina's career. As Mukhina would later recall, her hand shot up without hesitation. Mukhina died in 2006, at the age of46, from complications of quadriplegia. 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. After her injury, Mukhina was grateful to her former teammates who kept in touch with her, especially Yelena Davydova, whom she called A real friend. 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 . By her own admission, Mukhina called herself a coward and was determined to break that label. Elena Mukhinas floor routine tumbling passes were considered revolutionary at the time because they included the never-before-seen combination salto (the Muchina). In a 2004 interview, Larisa Latynina claimed that Mukhinas coach, Mikhail Klimenko, was affected by her injury. But it is later revealed that crying helps her train and is described as being as procedural as chalking up. Post continues below. Action Images, Mukhina had emerged as a world-beating force but faced increasing pressure. It is the type of foreshadowing moment that feels more appropriate for a fictional story. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. But my coach once told me, 'Until you break, no one will let you go.'". 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. Im sure you all have seen the gymnast suffer broken ankles, leg, and such live on television or in past footage. In the lead-up to the Olympics, Elena had broken her leg but despite this, her coach insisted that she continue . Otherwise, you can go crazy. These tactics not only existed during the Cold War, but took on new importance in the aftermath of the Cold War when it became less socially acceptable to resort to physical abuse as a way to motivate a gymnast. 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. 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. Beijing calls US worlds primary nuclear threat, Top US prosecutor makes surprise Ukraine visit. 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. 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! (LogOut/ In many ways, the tragedy foreshadowed the sadness which would pursue Mukhina for the rest of her days. Up until 1975, Mukhina was an unremarkable gymnast, and Soviet coaches largely ignored her. Gradually, though, Klimenko would become convinced that this was a gem who could be polished gently or otherwise into a champion. 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. RIA Novosti, Mukhina's condition deteriorated and she struggled even to sit upright.