The Lost Generation of the Olympics: Gymnastics and the Holy Grail

Once upon a time, there were six little girls ...

The little girls became gymnasts, and the gymnasts became Champions - but never Olympic Champions.

Politics got in the way. 'Their' Olympics, the 1984 Los Angeles Games, disappeared as their country boycotted the Games for political reasons. History vanished. They became a lost Olympic generation.

Irina Baraksanova



Tatiana Frolova



Natalia Ilienko



Olga Mostepanova



Natalia Yurchenko



There was one exception. Elena Shushunova went on to compete at a second Olympics, becoming All Around champion at the Seoul Games in 1988



The 'little gymnasts' (in fact they were extraordinary athletes) competed at the Oloumoc Friendship Games instead of the Olympics. At these Friendship Games, Olga Mostepanova became Champion in the AA, Floor, Vault and Beam, scoring an unequalled total of 40 in the All Around; a level of perfection never seen before or since. There is very little video of this competition available, and what does exist is very poor quality. This competition is known to gymnastics fans as the 'Holy Grail' of gymnastics.

Some video of the 1984 Friendship Games



The Russians are not threatening a boycott of the 2016 Olympic Games. Nevertheless, if their gymnasts missed the Games this year it would be for political reasons outside of the gymnasts' control. Clean athletes would be suffering because of political games, history would once again disappear. In gymnastics, few, if any, of the athletes - particularly the women - ever get a chance to compete at a second Games. And history is irreparably damaged as Olympic potential vanishes into thin air.

Irina Baraksanova, born 4 July 1969, Tashkent. Soviet national team 1983-86 0 Olympics
Tatiana Frolova, born 26 April 1967, Bryansk. Soviet national team 1980-85 0 Olympics
Natalia Ilienko, born 26 March 1967, Alma-Ata. Soviet national team 1980-84 0 Olympics
Olga Mostepanova, born 3 January 1969, Moscow. Soviet national team 1984-87 0 Olympics
Natalia Yurchenko, born 26 January 1965, Norilsk. Soviet national team 1980-85 0 Olympics
Elena Shushunova, born 23 April 1969, St Petersburg. Soviet national team 1984-88 1 Olympics