1992 Olympic Champion, Tatiana Gutsu, is a Ukrainian gymnast (from the city of Odessa) who competed for both the USSR and Ukraine during her senior competitive career from 1990 to 1992.
She was the first in a new generation of gymnasts who brought an ultra high level of difficulty to their work; in fact some of Gutsu's innovations have yet to be repeated, in particular the split leg double layout tumble on floor which remains exclusively hers. Vault was her least spectacular apparatus, but on bars, beam and floor, Gutsu led the field with fast, powerful and original work. She flew recklessly through her bars routine, showed not an ounce of fear in a non stop beam routine. Her 1991 floor work, full of intricate choreography and ultra powerful tumbling, was under-rated and is largely, and rather unfairly, overlooked in the history books of the sport. She was the epitome of the Soviet ground-breaking gymnast, performing single skills of very great difficulty, integrated into impressively choreographed routines (on bars, beam and floor) that exploited her personal style to the optimum aesthetic effect. In Gutsu's case this amounted to an astonishing mixture of athleticism, dare and tempo, the like of which you would be unlikely to find in even the best circus. The double layout dismount off bars, the full in back out dismount off beam (connected to two flips) are still rare in the sport more than twenty years after her most famous win.
Like her nearest gymnastics relative Olga Korbut, who also made her name at an Olympics with ground-breaking, fearless, ahead-of-her-time acrobatics, she had the unusual facility to make the difficult look ridiculously simple. Her double tuck somersault was a flight of great beauty. Thinking back to the floor routine I saw her compete at the 1990 European Cup, I don't think I have ever seen anyone complete the skill so easily.
Gutsu had a natural lightness and charm, but wasn't the most expressive gymnast ever. I would have loved to see her continue her career beyond 1992 and compete as a mature 17 or 18 year old. But whatever happened, happened, and Gutsu retired from the sport, moving to America where she now works as a coach.
Whenever Gutsu's name is mentioned, gainsayers quote the 1992 Olympics and her replacement of Roza Galiyeva in the all around competition, as if she somehow didn't have the right to be there. For those not old enough to remember, Gutsu fell off beam in qualifying, leaving her team-mate Galiyeva slightly ahead of her in the all around competition. Gutsu sobbed, as she was effectively out of the competition she had trained for, for most of her lifetime. Head coach Alexander Alexandrov then acted, controversially replacing Galiyeva with Gutsu. Galiyeva, heartbroken, complained to the press of the injustice of it all, and young Tatiana, who was only 15, gave half of her prize money to her disappointed rival.
But of course that fall did not define Gutsu as a gymnast. The USSR Champion simply HAD to compete in the all around of the Olympics; she had earned the right by two years of competition-winning, breath taking performances and a lifetime of dedication to her sport. The eventually languid Galiyeva, still very much a youngster in 1992, could not have competed on the same level at that time. Gutsu deserved her place in the final. It wasn't really even a controversial decision; which team would not field its best player in the most important single competition of the last four years?
From the first time that Tatiana's name appeared on a competition roster, to the last, she was rarely out of the medals, a winner through and through. Enjoy these short interviews with Tatiana as she explains some details of her life as a Champion.
With thanks to Nico, who posted the links on Facebook first!
Part 1
Part 2
She was the first in a new generation of gymnasts who brought an ultra high level of difficulty to their work; in fact some of Gutsu's innovations have yet to be repeated, in particular the split leg double layout tumble on floor which remains exclusively hers. Vault was her least spectacular apparatus, but on bars, beam and floor, Gutsu led the field with fast, powerful and original work. She flew recklessly through her bars routine, showed not an ounce of fear in a non stop beam routine. Her 1991 floor work, full of intricate choreography and ultra powerful tumbling, was under-rated and is largely, and rather unfairly, overlooked in the history books of the sport. She was the epitome of the Soviet ground-breaking gymnast, performing single skills of very great difficulty, integrated into impressively choreographed routines (on bars, beam and floor) that exploited her personal style to the optimum aesthetic effect. In Gutsu's case this amounted to an astonishing mixture of athleticism, dare and tempo, the like of which you would be unlikely to find in even the best circus. The double layout dismount off bars, the full in back out dismount off beam (connected to two flips) are still rare in the sport more than twenty years after her most famous win.
Like her nearest gymnastics relative Olga Korbut, who also made her name at an Olympics with ground-breaking, fearless, ahead-of-her-time acrobatics, she had the unusual facility to make the difficult look ridiculously simple. Her double tuck somersault was a flight of great beauty. Thinking back to the floor routine I saw her compete at the 1990 European Cup, I don't think I have ever seen anyone complete the skill so easily.
Gutsu had a natural lightness and charm, but wasn't the most expressive gymnast ever. I would have loved to see her continue her career beyond 1992 and compete as a mature 17 or 18 year old. But whatever happened, happened, and Gutsu retired from the sport, moving to America where she now works as a coach.
Whenever Gutsu's name is mentioned, gainsayers quote the 1992 Olympics and her replacement of Roza Galiyeva in the all around competition, as if she somehow didn't have the right to be there. For those not old enough to remember, Gutsu fell off beam in qualifying, leaving her team-mate Galiyeva slightly ahead of her in the all around competition. Gutsu sobbed, as she was effectively out of the competition she had trained for, for most of her lifetime. Head coach Alexander Alexandrov then acted, controversially replacing Galiyeva with Gutsu. Galiyeva, heartbroken, complained to the press of the injustice of it all, and young Tatiana, who was only 15, gave half of her prize money to her disappointed rival.
But of course that fall did not define Gutsu as a gymnast. The USSR Champion simply HAD to compete in the all around of the Olympics; she had earned the right by two years of competition-winning, breath taking performances and a lifetime of dedication to her sport. The eventually languid Galiyeva, still very much a youngster in 1992, could not have competed on the same level at that time. Gutsu deserved her place in the final. It wasn't really even a controversial decision; which team would not field its best player in the most important single competition of the last four years?
From the first time that Tatiana's name appeared on a competition roster, to the last, she was rarely out of the medals, a winner through and through. Enjoy these short interviews with Tatiana as she explains some details of her life as a Champion.
With thanks to Nico, who posted the links on Facebook first!
Part 1
Part 2