Yelena Mukhina (U.S.S.R.) - Class of 2021 - International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. She hails from Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union, and her zodiac sign is Gemini. The rushed recovery from that injury, combined with pressure to master a dangerous and difficult tumbling . It didnt help that the next Olympics were slated to be held in Moscow and the Soviets did not want to see Nadia trounce the Soviet team at their Olympics. In the quiet corner of a Moscow cemetery, a black slab of marble stands surrounded by the December snow. It most likely was an attempt to hide/minimize Mukhinas negative demeanor. Elena Vyacheslavovna Mukhina was a Soviet gymnast who won the all-around title at the 1978 World Championships in Strasbourg, France. But it also made their relationships mutually self-destructive. Elena Mukhina - Interesting stories about famous people, biographies One of the most talented athletes,which was brought up by the school of artistic gymnastics of the Soviet Union, was Mukhina Elena. "Physically, I feel good, I'm in shape," she told the US Today Show. The move shocked the world. These are real clips of a real person who in the end, really did get hurt, and the damage couldnt be undone. The Soviet Union awarded her the Order of Lenin in response to her injury, and the IOC President awarded her the Silver Medal of the Olympic Order in 1983. She was taken unconscious to a hospital. I began to feel these connections. Now I finally have! The four words engraved just to the right of the image are stark: Great gymnast, world champion. At 1:13 Klimenko talks about how being a gymnastics coach is hard work. Elena Mukhina injury Video - Elena Mukhina Thomas Salto Accident 6 ratings3 reviews. According to the reports Mukhina was practicing the difficult maneuvers in disregard of orders from her coach and virtual foster father, Victor Klimenko, who had left Minsk for Moscow. 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. It would ultimately be Mukhinas downfall. If there're ANY problems whichever content make sure to message me and I'll be sure to check it out and take it down if that is what the owner desires. Now she will watch the games from her hospital bed, her future uncertain but her gymnastics career surely ended. In an article forDaily Mail, he urged Biles to "get back out there Simone, and dont get sucked into all the weak woke failure-loving Twitter nonsense youre too great a champion to be labelled a quitter.". She also expressed a . What a f moron. The clips can be found in the above YouTube video. NTV, Nadia Comaneci was queen at the 1976 Olympics. Nevertheless, Kilmenko had desperately wanted Mukhina to make the Olympic team roster so he could become the Olympic champions trainer. Soon after Mukhinas paralytic injury, Kilmenko emigrated to Italy, where he lived with his children until he died from cancer on November 14, 2007. Back in 1975, she had suffered a spinal injury which required hospital treatment and rest. He returned immediately when informed of the accident. Hers was a life blessed with triumph but befallen by tragedy; a cautionary tale of a career cut brutally short by a life-changing injury. Simone Biles, Kerri Strug, and 'the Twisties' - Truth or Fiction? Besides the previously mentioned obstacles such as conditioning and learning new skills, gymnastics is a reputation based sport, first you work for your name and then your name works for you.. But my coach once told me, 'Until you break, no one will let you go.'". Comaneci famously earned the first-ever perfect 10 score for her performance on the uneven bars. Eglit, however, gradually came to understand that the gaunt-looking child in his charge possessed a talent which warranted more professional attention. Elena Mukhina - Aftermath - LiquiSearch She earned the money being a professional Gymnast. By the time of the 1976 Olympics in Montreal, she was already making a name for herself but was not yet consistent enough to earn a place among the Soviet ranks. YouTube / Match TV / KinoProduct. "Emotionally, that kind of varies on the time and moment. Group #2: Elena Mukhina, Elena Naimushina, and Svetlana Agapova. It would ultimately result in her premature death at the age of 46. Elena Mkhina ha muerto | Gimnastas.net Strug never competed again. Added to this perfect storm of pressure was the complex element Klimenko had placed in her floor routine: the Thomas salto. Mukhina also pioneered new elements on the bars and in her floor routines. Sputnik, Mukhina was paralyzed by the accident. Ella debe estar en el saln de la fama "This page is a tribute to the Wonderful Russian gymnast Yelena Mukhina (1960-2006), who was one of the greatest. First Name Elena. 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. Soviet gymnast Elena Mukhina was a rising star who was tipped for glory at the 1980 Olympic Games but pushed to extremes and facing mounting pressure, the 20-year-old suffered a life-altering fall. Daniel Hale blows the whistle on the US drone wars, Is Julianna Penas destruction of Amanda Nunes really the biggest upset in MMA history? 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. They were being pressured to make sure the Moscow Olympics featured the strongest lineup of Soviet gymnasts to ever be assembled. When life becomes victim to gangsters, murder, myths, legends, and more. When autocomplete results are available use up and down arrows to review and enter to select. How Elena Mukhina's Thomas salto resembles Simone Biles - HITC Nothing exists except work and pressure, which constantly increase, and sometimes it seems thatthat's it, you haven't got any more strength. By her own admission, Mukhina called herself a coward and was determined to break that label. Soon after Mukhina's paralytic injury, Klimenko emigrated to Italy, where he lived with his children until his death from cancer on November 14, 2007, his 65th birthday. Everyone is looking at the platform, where a little girl with tousled bangs is soaring through the air. Montage of Elena Mukhina. Her response was, its not my fault that Nadia Comaneci was born in Romania. The other was when Elena Mukhina transitioned to working with Soviet mens coach Mike Kilmekno, who helped turn her into a show-stopping gymnast. Tatyana Biryulina, 24, a Tashkent student who had not expected to qualify for the Soviet team, set a world record in the javelin in the final trials at Podoysk, about 50 miles from Moscow. What a joke, he wrote. Later that year while training for the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Elena Mukhina suffered a broken leg, which meant she had to miss the World Championships in Fort Worth, Texas, a competition in which the Soviet team had its first defeat at the hands of their archrivals from Romania. https://www.youtube.com/c/RAEscape/videos, Your email address will not be published. The similarities end there for the two athletes from the Soviet Union. Internacional. Sending love to you @Simone_Biles -Team UNITED States of America . RIA Novosti, Mukhina was happy among teammates when not carrying out her demanding training regime. With the Moscow Olympics fast approaching in 1980, the Soviet team was still formidable but success on home soil was non-negotiable. Mukhina took a keen interest in children and young gymnasts both before and after her injury. He never reconciled with Mukhina and his death from cancer came on November 14, 2007 his 65th birthday. Crucially, Mukhina possessed a remarkable persistence and a talent for carrying out Klimenkos instructions to the letter. Even though Mukhina herself would later state her injury was not the byproduct of a lone individual, but the flawed Soviet system as a whole. This channel does not nor ever will make money off of any content. Log In. It is such a sad story so not recommended for the weak of hearts. Her coach rushed her recovery from an injury and pressured her to perform a dangerous move (the Thomas salto), which caused her to break her neck, leaving her a lifelong quadriplegic. You Are in Gymnastics is an example of how these coaching behaviors were widely celebrated and actively promoted within the Soviet gymnastics program. She likes music, poetry and to sit and think. Aug 4, 2021 - A catastrophic injury cost Mukhina the use of her limbs. Despite purported advice from Klimenko that she should only perform it into the foam pit, she was training on the platform. Alberto Capra. She later reappeared on the sideline to support her fellow teammates, but not to compete. These tactics have an even deeper meaning when two critical details are understood about the gymnast and coach who are engaging in conversation. She was also inducted into the CSKA Hall of Fame. . She was interested in psychology and philosophy, and graduated from the Moscow Institute of Physical Education. Now his WAG coaching career was experiencing a rut as Mukhina entered a decline in 1979. In the documentary, "Triumph of the Spirit . So, they decided to focus on a strategy to help suppress the fallout, one that would help them find a way toseparate themselves from the blame of Mukhina's crippling injuries. Elena Mukhina -1977 Paris Grand Prix Floor She died at 46 in 2006 en.wikipedia.org 33K 1.3K 1.3K comments For all we know the Mukhinas response to a different comment could have been used instead. Back in 1975, she had suffered a spinal injury which required hospital treatment and rest. If not in time for 1980, then certainly those who were on a track for 1984. Fever. We love, we remember. MS ALL DE SUS LMITES porque eso fue lo que Klimenco con Mukhina. 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. She was relegated to alternate status on the strong Soviet team for the Olympics, but still hoped to regain her place on the team and captivate the home fans. The epitome of daring, strength and . In a post-finals press conference alongside her teammates, she said: "Whenever you get in a high-stress situation, you kind of freak out. We know that gymnasts can suffer injuries if they take a fall during a routine or land funny during a flip. Somewhat darkly, Mukhinas first thoughts as she lay stricken on the ground were said to be relief that she would finally be given some respite. For a series of clips that featured so much eeriness in regards to the rhetoric and the words being spoken, so is the cinematography. Mukhina Badly Hurt In Gym Fall Washington Post, I have always wanted to take my favorite subjects; true crime, sports, and anything macabre and take time to write about them. Klimenko may have been one of the most extreme examples of a Soviet coach utilizing psychology, but he was far from the only one. The weight was becoming intolerable, all the while Mukhina missing out on the carefree life of a regular teenage girl. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. Some of those wishing to remember Mukhina will pay homage this week at her resting place on the 15th anniversary of her passing. . The other was twice her age who had professional training that could be used as a tool for manipulation. You took care of yourself. 3.50. Yelena Davydova - Wikipedia Elena Mukhina. Less than a month before the 1980 Olympics in Moscow, Mukhina was asked by a coach of the national team to do the Thomas Salto - a move that is so dangerous it is now banned. Not Klimenko or especially the national team coach at that time, Shaniyazov. In 2021, she was posthumously inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. Pinterest. RIA Novosti, Mukhina's condition deteriorated and she struggled even to sit upright. "She is too sensitive. Elena Mukhina - Wikiwand Mukhina spent 18 months to go from having never done high level routines to being capable of holding her own against your average Olympian. I think back to that snowy day in late December of 1974 where a coach and a gymnast crossed paths for the first time. Stick-thin, Mukhina was initially viewed as being behind her contemporaries at her new CSKA training home. She tied for the gold medal in the floor exercises and won silver in the balance beam and uneven bars. Created by a writer as part of plot-building device to foreshadow the climatic twist to the story where the popular protagonist meets his or her doom. Klimenko knew to do this because his educational background was in psychology. Yelena Mukhina died last year at 46. The wonderful athlete, who pushed Nadia and popularized full-in on Floor and double back off beam, was paralysed in a training disaster before the 1980 Olympics. She was raised by her grandmother, Anna Ivanovna. In an interview with Ogonyok magazine, Mukhina blamed the doctors at TsITO (Central Institute of Traumatology and Orthopedics) who were serving the National Team for attempting to rush her back into training too soon, saying she begged them not to remove her cast and discharge her because \"they're dragging me from home to workouts\" and she knew she was not yet healed. No era una gimnasta brillante hasta . Mukhina performed the move, falling on her chin and crushing her cervical vertebrae. The TsITO doctors X-rayed her leg and realized that the fracture had not healed properly. She stunned the crowd at the 1978 World Championships in Strasbourg, France when she gave one of the most amazing all-around performances in history. YouTube, Mukhina regularly battled with injuries. Elena Mukhina - Interesting stories about famous people, biographies Elena Mukhina's Net Worth: $1-5 Million. The initial response from Soviet sports officials was of hushed secrecy surrounding Mukhinas health, but it soon became evident she would never walk again, let alone grace gymnastics competition. All rights reserved. The day Mukhina was injured, Soviet national team coaches working with her had violated half a dozen safety guidelines. I realized that the commandments do not think badly, do not act badly, do not envy are not just words. TM. Her stupid coach should have listened to her. What a f moron. That was the story of Elena Mukhina a star that had just begun to rise before her Olympic career was tragically cut short. She took home the gold, beating Olympic Champions Nadia Comaneci, and top-ranked Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim. Tragic Elena and the truth about Communism Because that will tear you apart.. In 1983, Bilozerchev became the . . Her disappointing performances continued after the Spartakiad, and her attempts to live up to the promise of 1978 were hampered by a series of injuries last year that had demoralized her. The Olympics were barely over before the media had already started to wonder if Nadia would be usurped in 1980 in the same way Korbut had been usurped in 1976. She is too sensitive a girl to be a great athlete. Klimenko's hopes, bound up in the stifling demands of the Soviet sports system, would continue to bear down on her slender shoulders. There are other tough moments in the footage. One was a 17 year old with limited life experience. In between the 1977 European Championships and the 1978 World Championships, the Soviets released a documentary by the name of You Are in Gymnastics. In the lead-up to the Olympics, Elena had broken her leg but despite this, her coach insisted that she continue . . By Laura Perrins. I understood that sooner or later this would really happen. After her accident, Mukhina became a recluse and rarely discussed it publicly. However, until now, it has almost been unheard of for any high-level gymnast to withdraw from competition for health reasons. I realized that I needed to radically change my attitude to life, Mukhina said. Thats just how long it takes for returning Olympic gymnasts. Her career came to an end when two weeks before the 1980 Olympics were to start, Mukhina broke her neck in a training accident that left her paralyzed from the neck down. I thought after my last very long article and all the information in it that I gave you guys to digest I would post something shorter this time. Your email address will not be published. What they will find at her grave is that image of a girl looking out intently yet elegantly, set amid a darker backdrop. Elena Vyacheslavovna Mukhina ( first name sometimes rendered "Yelena", last name sometimes rendered "Muchina"; June 1, 1960December 22, 2006), born in Moscow, Russian SFSR, was a former Soviet gymnast who won the All-Around title at the 1978 World Championships at Strasbourg, France. Elena Mukhina - Popular Bio Mukhina was permanently paralyzed, and died at only 46: Claims made in the post were reflected in a GymWikia entry about Mukhina's life, career, and death, indicating she died in 2006 of "apparent complications from quadriplegia." After the incident, Mukhina told Ogoniok about how fans wrote to her asking when she would compete again. 0 views, 55 likes, 11 loves, 12 comments, 120 shares, Facebook Watch Videos from Elena Vyacheslavovna Mukhina - 1960-2006: Video of the documentary "More Than a Game", 1991, shows that the testimony. But the nightmare and the pain wasn't over. One example comes at 1:40 where there is a cut between the comment made by Klimenko and Mukhinas response. But that didn't stop her from handwriting a letter 18 months later. Rivals in the arena, Comaneci and Mukhina were united in the debilitating pressures they had faced to reach the top. Hace apenas unos das, el 22 de diciembre, falleci Yelena Mjina (tambin transcrito como Elena Mukhina), campeona del mundo en 1978. One further detail that is critical to understanding the Mukhina-Klimenko coaching relationship is that they had risen up the Soviet ranks together. ", I blame Twitters virtue-signallers for fuelling this culture of celebrating weakness. When she did speak, she was often philosophical about her fate. Ekaterina Gordeeva - Updated Feb 2023 - Biography Mask I hope everyone had a great holiday and New Years. 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. The tapes provide one of the most harrowing examples of foreshadowing in a a real-world scenario and the capturing of the Soviet program telling its gymnasts to catch Nadia. USA Gymnastics released a statement confirming she had withdrawn with a "medical issue". You always learn how to be safe, but then you start thinking: Will you be able to prevent an accident if you do something badly? The Biggest Tragedy in Gymnastics History (Story of Elena Mukhina) Best Gymnastics 32.4K subscribers Subscribe 17K 1.6M views 2 years ago Leave a LIKE if you enjoyed the Story of "Elena. Mikhail Klimenko was in a different city when Elena Mukhina was injured. Main:Elena Mukhina | Gymnastics Wiki | Fandom Youre part of the problem," one person wrote. - YouTube Strasbourg Gymnastics Champion History Fitness Historia Physical Exercise Up until 1975, Mukhina flew under the radar and Soviet coaches largely ignored her and her abilities. Gymnastics. She dies decades later at 45. 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.