No retreat, no surrender : Larissa Latynina

Nine time Olympic champion gymnast Larissa Latynina will be 80 years old on the 27th December.  A few days before her birthday, the legend of world sport answered some questions.

Kultura: Birthday, New Year's Eve - don't you get fed up of cooking?

Latynina: I love the holidays - it's a joy to communicate with loved ones. My priority is to see my daughter.

Kultura: Which New Year has been the most memorable?

Latynina: Probably 1957.  Returning from the Olympic Games in Melbourne.  I arrived into Vladivostock on New Year's Eve, then travelled by train to Moscow. Everywhere we went people were happy and congratulated us on our successful performance at the Olympics. They gave us gifts, and decorated Christmas trees.  Everyone was young, cheerful. With great pleasure I remember this trip.

Kultura: You graduated from high school in Kherson with a gold medal, then entered the Kiev Polytechnic Institute, but left to pursue sport. Was it hard to take such a decision?

Latynina: I was a good student. But in order to train I had to miss classes. After the second year I realized that I couldn't keep up.  I am by nature a maximalist, and I was depressed, because at camps and competitions I could not be among the leaders in performance. Eventually the conflict of interests became too great, and I ran to my coach in tears.

Kultura: What did he advise?

Latynina: Alexander Mishakov said: "If you want to be an engineer - stay at the Polytechnic. You can do gymnastics for your health, but if you expect to become an outstanding athlete, transfer to sports". So I did just that. 

Kultura: Your fighting spirit was formed in childhood?

Latynina: I often played with the boys. During football games, I hated to miss goals, and became very angry. In everything I wanted to be the best. I remember at the age of six, I decided to go for a sprint with two friends. We chalked the start and finish. During the race the boys began to overtake me, and then I fish dived forward, swept my hands on the pavement. My fingers were ripped to the bones. But I jumped up and shouted proudly: "My victory!" And at school I always had to be just the first one. I think that's why I managed to finish with a gold medal.

Kultura: Ballet could have replaced gymnastics in your life ...

Latynina: As a child, I often danced on the stage of the great hall, and the audience applauded. One day I saw an announcement about the opening of a choreographic studio. But it cost 50 rubles per month - almost half of my mother's salary, and there was no other money in the family, because dad was killed at Stalingrad. Nevertheless, mum did not hesitate to pay for tuition. I was happy when the famous ballerina Olga Lepeshinskaya came to Kherson. This was the first time I saw real art.

Kultura: The closure of the choreographic studio was a serious blow?

Latynina: DISASTER!  I calmed down when i incidentally saw that they were holding gymnastics classes in the local gym. Three months after the start of the course I won the competition in Kherson. Thus began my sports career.

Kultura: Rich victories, but also difficult moments. At the World Championships of 1958 you were in your fifth month of pregnancy ...

Latynina: Before the trip I found out from the doctor that I was expecting a child. I was in tears. Two months later, I had the World Championships. The doctor reassured me, and advised me to go to the tournament. The only condition was that no one should know about pregnancy, not even the coach. To keep this information secret was difficult, but I had to keep my lips sealed and work patiently. As a result, I became the all around champion, and on December 17, 1958 had my first born daughter, Tanya.

Kultura: At age 32, you were appointed senior coach of the USSR. Was this burden of responsibility forced onto you?

Latynina: I am naturally very feisty.  I live by the principle: No Retreat, No Surrender. The first camp under my leadership of the team was held in Tsakhkadzor. Every day my regular task was to listen to individual plans, adjust them according to what had to be done. If you saw that a gymnast had problems paying attention to her personal coach, you had to support him and try to see that he did not lose credibility in the eyes of the student. Work must be based on mutual respect. A lot of great athletes passed through my hands.  They won ten gold medals. One can say that Larissa Latynina won 19 medals of the highest order for her country.

Kultura: Some pupils brought a lot of problems. For example, Olga Korbut, a difficult character.

Latynina: Reynald Knysh - Olga's coach - had to spend a lot of energy getting through to her. But when Korbut appeared on stage, she performed amazingly. Olga needed a special approach.  If the coach raises his voice or uses force, he is showing his own powerlessness. I always conduct joint interviews with athletes and their mentors. 

When I look at what is happening in the national team, my soul hurts. Senior coach Andrei Rodionenko complains of poor strength in depth, nods to the demographic crisis of the 90s, says that "girls are in puberty." Haven't there always been the same problems?! Today, at "Round Lake" there are the ideal conditions for training. Few places have something like that. It is necessary to work properly, and victory will come.