1983 World Championships - WAG

It's worth watching these timeless videos.  Check out the routines of Alla Shishova, especially on beam.  She was ahead of her time.  Also observe the magnificent artistry of Olga Mostepanova and Natalia Yurchenko.  Neither gymnast had intricate choreography, but they were both captivating.  Their work conveyed emotional as well as technical impact.  Yurchenko moves slowly, floating through the air.  Who would think that such a light, slender gymnast as Mostepanova could find all that air time in her tumbles?  Technique, not muscle, gave these gymnasts their power.  Their artistry came from the consummate grasp of technique, something that cannot be expressed as execution or entertainment.  Ilienko, Bicherova, Frolova are other classical members of this team.  They will all be remembered for a very long time.

The Soviet team managed to fall off beam even in those days, but their superior difficulty and technique lifted them above the rest of the field.

The equipment was different in those days, most clearly the vault, bars and floor but the beam is softer now.  These gymnasts also had to prepare two different sets of routines, compulsory and optional.  The discipline of the compulsory programme, which evaluated artistry via a close focus on technique, shows in the optional routines.

You will also enjoy seeing the work of the Romanian and British teams.  Boryana Stoyanova of Bulgaria shines, as does Maxi Gnauck.

WAG team final



WAG AA final



WAG event finals