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| 1980 Olympic Champion Elena Davydova at a London display in 1978 |
This French TV transmission of the historic final at the Moscow Olympics is fascinating for the mix of fluff and routines it presents. Sadly, we see only two fragments of Nadia Comaneci's routines. I would be tempted to say that this was a Soviet feed edited for diplomatic purposes, but I remember the BBC live transmission as covering Comaneci in full.
I sat there, glued to my television set as the judges fought out the final rankings. With Soviet Elena Davydova standing in first place, 1976 champion, the legendary Comaneci, needed a 9.95 on beam to take the gold. Unfortunately, she took a rather hefty wobble half way through her routine, ending with a mark of 9.85 and the silver medal. This was an astounding result for a gymnast who had been to hell and back since her former glorious victories in Montreal, but that did not stop Romanian judge Maria Simionescu from fighting and debating the mark with rival Ellen Berger for a full ten minutes. I watched as the little flashing square in the corner of the TV screen indicated that the transmission was due to be cut, as Davydova and her friends covered their faces in anticipation, as an apparently lonely Comaneci strode the competition floor tensely, but the BBC stayed with gymnastics right until the end. Davydova was strewn in the air by her jubilant team mates and gold went to the Soviet Union, silver to an apparently defeated Comaneci. This video is somewhat foreshortened and captures only part of the action, but will remind us oldies of the excitement of that Olympics, and provide some points of reference for those who didn't catch the joy first time round.
The emotion and impact of Comaneci's mark of ten on bars - captured here as a fragmentary playback - is tangible even from a distance of more than thirty years. Comaneci, denied gold at the two previous World Championships, fought back after a disappointing start in the team competition - falling on bars - to be in contention for gold all around. The eventual winner, Davydova, has been recorded by history as a lucky first, but I do not think so. Her routines have a rare touch of lightness, that vault sparkles through the air, the floor routine perfectly exploits the newly introduced opportunities of orchestrated music. All four of her routines showed original elements, well performed with artistry. Comaneci gave the gold away with that tremble on the beam, but silver was a victory for her in any event.
We are reminded of the togetherness of this Soviet Olympic team - watch how Maria Filatova shakes her fists in support of Davydova's floor performance, how Elena Naimushina takes Davydova in a stranglehold, Stella Zakharova looking on with those coal-intense eyes. Blond, glamorous, national coach Polina Astakhova was in the mix there, moving Reuter boards and providing moral support. Svengali Vladislav Rotstorotski could only watch from the stands, banished there by his gymnast Natalia Shaposhnikova. If I were to draw a cartoon of Rotstorotski here he would somehow be veiled in an ever increasing, dark fug of depression. The innovative Shaposhnikova was expected to be the gold medal winner, but was missing something here, and seems rather alienated from the main action of the day. Interviewed after the competition, Rotstorotski expressed his regret at not overriding his gymnast's wishes and accompanying her to the floor. I wonder if it would have made any difference against the great performance quality of the rising star, Davydova.
Elsewhere, enjoy routines from across the competitive field. Nelli Kim struggles through with her coach Vadim Baidin, looking to be in pain after a fluffed floor routine, with the judges holding up the whole competition for a good five minutes while the rather obvious mark of 9.45 was agreed. Comaneci's team mate Emilia Eberle looks as skeletal and desolate as she did less than a year before in Forth Worth, but still managed a 9.95 on floor. We see Germany's Maxi Gnauck, Steffi Kraker and Katharina Rensch, Britain's Suzanne Dando and Susan Cheeseborough, Australia's Sulicich, Bulgaria's Galina Marinova. Don't forget that this was the Games that the Americans boycotted, four years before the Los Angeles Games that the Soviets boycotted. All was not well in world sport at the time. But the quality of the gymnastics in Moscow did not suffer.
Enjoy the video.