1988 Olympic all around champion Elena Shushunova and silver medallist Daniela Silivas on the podium in Seoul
In truth it was the last big showdown of women's Olympic artistic gymnastics. For those of us watching at home in London on our TV screens, in the wee small hours (2 or 3 am by memory) of Friday September 23rd, a gymnastics drama unfurled. The main actors in the play - talented Romanian, Daniela Silivas, and her fierce Soviet rival, Elena Shushunova. Bit parts were played by the defending World Champion, Aurelia Dobre, only recently recovered from a serious knee injury, and the up and coming Godess of gymnastics, Svetlana Boguinskaia.
At the Rotterdam World Championships barely a year before, all four gymnasts had seen an overturning of gymnastics' status quo as the deep and exciting Romanian team defeated the expected champions, the Soviet Union. Despite Romania's dominance there, Silivas had been wounded as she fell short of gold in the all around, defeated by her younger compatriot, Dobre, and the defending World Champion, Shushunova. Shushunova and the Soviet team were humiliated to take home only a silver in the team and a silver in the all around; Shushunova's golds on vault and floor were mere consolation prizes. Boguinskaia was the only other Soviet woman to take a medal there, a bronze on beam. A lot of hurt feelings oozed from the world's top gymnasts as they travelled home from Rotterdam. Seoul would not be a grudge match, but it certainly was an opportunity for Silivas and Shushunova to re-assert their sporting worth.
Mental warfare? An iconic image from the Seoul Olympic Games - Shushunova, left, meditates in preparation for her final piece. Silivas, directly next to her, has finished her competition and relaxes.
Unsurprisingly, Shushunova, facially at least, looked exhausted in the all around competition that followed rapidly on the heels of the team final. Two days of draining competition - compulsories, then optionals - had already taken their toll. There had been medal ceremonies and media appearances. In those days, consistency over all parts of the competition mattered. Scores from the team competition were averaged out and carried forward to the all around final, and to the event finals. At the beginning of the all around, Shushunova had a minuscule lead of .005 over Silivas, little enough of a cushion when a fall could mean a deduction of .5. Shushunova had been faultless in the team competition, but Silivas had suffered a low landing on her first tumble - a double double - on optional floor. Despite the narrow margin, this early mistake really counted, but Shushunova would still need to compete without error if she was to win the gold.
The competition between these two gymnasts is often depicted as one of grace (Silivas) versus power (Shushunova), but this is an oversimplification. Silivas certainly had the more accessible style of artistry, an easy smile that drew the audience to her. In comparison, Shushunova looked severe, until she let loose with that smile of victory that spread all over her face. Silivas had a lovely airy, gravity-defying feel to all her gymnastics, while Shushunova's acrobatics were mighty explosions that rocketed sky-high. Both gymnasts were equal when it came to line, grace and choreography. Shushunova found her artistry in expressive dance on the floor, innovative technique on all four apparatus, and virtuoso performances of ultra difficult acrobatics. (She had skills named after her in the Code of Points on every piece of apparatus.). Silivas' artistry came from a softness in her line, a spontaneity and speed in her movement, and crowd appealing gimmicks on the floor.
In the end, in Seoul, the medal was determined by a mere whisper of a difference - .025 - in Shushunova's favour. The tiny difference was down to human error. Shushunova seemed almost super human at these Games, barely giving the judges a breath at deductions, most notably in a hop on her landing off uneven bars, and the tiniest whim of a wobble in beam. Silivas, meantime, gave away that floor flub in team optionals as well as two beam teeters. It really was as close as that. For many who never saw the competition in its entirety, the final vault was the deciding moment. It was indeed a thrilling end to three days of competition, but in reality, as it turned out, Silivas had lost it on the floor on the first day. Silivas did have a better day in event finals, winning 3 out of 4 golds, but a major world all around gold proved to be forever out of her reach.
The selection of the USSR team in Seoul wasn't without controversy as Shushunova's co-World Champion from 1985, Oksana Omelianchik, was demoted to travelling reserve. This will forever be a point of contention for all those who considered Omelianchik to merit selection on the basis of her past victories and the unique quality of her gymnastics. Let Oksana have the final word on this classic competition. 'In Seoul, Elena could do everything', she said in an interview after the Games. You can hear her at the very end of Shushunova's all around competition - those cries of joy at the stuck landing came from Omelianchik.
Results of the 1988 Olympic Games WAG competition
BBC Barry Davies' reflections on Shushunova versus Silivas
Silivas floor, team optionals
Shushunova floor, team optionals
Silivas beam, AA
Shushunova beam AA
Women's AA final