Question for the gymternet: Is there actually an interview or article about Omelianchik’s falsified passport? Or is this gymternet lore that has now become “fact”?

1990: An Interview Zinaida Voronina - "A Withered Flower Comes Back to Life in Spring"  Once lost to alcoholism and obscurity, Olympic champion Zinaida Voronina rebuilds her life as a factory worker, confronting shame and isolation with quiet dignity. www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/11/1990...

In this 1988 portrait, Polina Astakhova—“the Russian birch”—reflects on what remains after medals fade: the quiet strength to lose with dignity, to teach with warmth, and to keep beauty alive in gymnastics. ➡️ www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/11/1988...

1987: A Personal Essay by Viktor Klimenko - “The Fate of the Korchagins”

www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/10/1987... Did you know that Viktor Klimenko was the head of Soviet *rhythmic* gymnastics for a bit?

When the FIG tried to move the 1974 World Championships because Bulgaria would not issue visas to South Africans, the Germans defended the South Africans and, ultimately, lambasted the FIG for not following its rules. www.gymnastics-history.com/2024/01/1974...

1975: Wolfgang Thüne Defects from East Germany with the Help of Eberhard Gienger  www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/10/1975... It’s one of the wildest stories in men’s gymnastics history.

1987: An Interview with Elena Davydova – “I See the Gymnastics of the Future” If she had competed in NCAA, she would have been a Stanford gymnast. 🤓

Elvira Saadi is permanently banned from working with athletes in Canada. How was she described in the Soviet and Canadian press back in the day? 1987: An Interview with Saadi – “Without Them, the World Would Seem Dim to Me” www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/10/1987...

1987: A Personal Essay by Maria Filatova - "Children Need to Be Told Fairy Tales" www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/10/1987... What was it like living with her coach? Was she a little mischievous in the gym? How did she go from alternate to a member of the 1976 squad that won gold on her birthday?

1987: An Interview with Dmitry Bilozerchev - "I Will Compete!" www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/10/1987... This was his first major interview after his car accident that shattered his leg in more than 40 pieces.

1989: An Interview with Olga Mostepanova - "There’s Something Inimitable about Her" www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/10/1989... The official story at the time: In 1985, Mostepanova was pulled from the all-around final at worlds due to an injury. But is that what really happened?

1998: An Interview with Olga Mostepanova - "I Just Love Children" www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/10/1998... The interview in which she confessed that her passport had been falsified and her birthdate had been adjusted to allow her to compete at a younger age.

1989: An Interview with Lyubov Burda-Andrianova about Coaching in the U.S. www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/10/1989...

1987: A Personal Essay by Lyubov Burda-Andrianova - “I Look into the Eyes of My Girls” www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/10/1987... Why should you care? She’s a member of the WTC, and in 1987, she had some traditional views of what gymnastics should be.

1987: A Personal Essay by Mikhail Voronin - "The More I Have Understood" www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/10/1987... Nearly 20 years later, the 1968 all-around results still stung.

1987: An Interview with Natalia Kuchinskaya - "Gymnastics Is My Love" www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/09/1987... “In recent years, we have lost much of our artistry, we have gone down the path of technical complication, and as a result, we’ve become uninteresting to spectators.”

1987: An Interview with Larisa Petrik - "I Always Sought Inspiration" www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/09/1987... “Sooner or later, you have to part with sport, and then you have to start life from scratch. And how will you start it if all you know how to do is ‘whip out’ incredible saltos?”

1987: An Interview with Larisa Latynina - "Know How to Nurture Talent" www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/09/1987... “To leave gymnastics at 30–35 is very difficult psychologically. You grow attached to the sport with your soul; it hurts to part with it.”

1987: An Interview with Olga Korbut – “I Would Still Be Performing” www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/09/1987... The belief that artistry was dying in 1987. 😀 Declinist narratives are just part of our sport.

1980: What the Rest of the World Printed about Mukhina's Accident The official story didn’t come out until 15 months after the accident, and in the meantime, rumors flew. Did she die? Was she paralyzed? On what event did she hurt herself? 👉 www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/09/1980...

1980: What the Soviet Union Printed about Mukhina’s Accident The official story didn’t come out until 15 months after the accident. 👉 www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/09/1980...

1973: Latynina's Critique of Korbut and Praise of Tourischeva www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/09/1973...

Does anyone have access to the ‘Ogonyok’ (Ogonek) database at, say, their university library?

1952: The Women's Group Rhythmic Exercises at the Helsinki Olympics www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/09/1952... In conclusion, rhythmic gymnastics competitions have been controversial for decades. 😜

1952: The Women's Optionals at the Helsinki Olympics  www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/09/1952... The fear of losing artistry was already a thing in 1952.

1952: The Women's Compulsories at the Helsinki Olympics www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/08/1952...

1952: An Analysis of the MAG Judging in Helsinki – Gymnastics History www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/08/1952...

1952: The Men's Optionals Competition at the Olympics A lot of people argued that Chukarin shouldn’t be the 1952 vault champion. www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/08/1952...

1952: The Men's Compulsories Competition at the Olympics www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/07/1952...

In 1952, the Soviet Union made its long-anticipated debut at the Olympic Games, and elite competitive gymnastics would never be the same. But it wasn’t an easy decision. More here 👇 1951: The Soviet Union Joins the IOC www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/07/1951...

Can you take an empty run on vault? What constitutes an empty run? You have the 1952 Men’s Technical Committee meeting to thank for that. www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/05/1952...

1952: The Minutes from the Men’s Technical Committee Meeting www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/05/1952...

1952: The Swiss Olympic Trials for Gymnastics www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/05/1952...

In 1952, Japanese gymnasts returned to the Olympic Games after World War II. Here’s how the team qualified and prepared for Helsinki. www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/04/1952...

1952: Keleti and Sántha Win Hungary's Masters Championships www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/03/1952...

1952: Korondi Wins Hungary's Third Olympic Trial www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/03/1952...

Some of these Y scales aren’t very Y-y.

@pamchenkova.bsky.social - I asked around. 1993 Worlds may have been when Liukin did his high bar release. Kolyvanov’s skill is unclear. I’ll keep digging.

1952: Perfect 10s Abound during a Soviet Union vs. Hungary Dual Meet Fun little fact: Korbut’s uneven bar dismount was not new; it was a modern taken on an old dismount. You can see Gorokhovskaya doing her version here. www.gymnastics-history.com/2025/01/1952...

1951: Keleti Scores a Perfect 10 at the Masters Championships 👉 www.gymnastics-history.com/2024/12/1951...

1952: The Compulsory Routines for the Helsinki Olympics www.gymnastics-history.com/2024/12/1952...

A two-point deduction for falling off beam 😘

What did a perfect 10 look like in 1950? Here you go: www.gymnastics-history.com/2022/02/1950...

1952: The Rules for the Men’s Gymnastics Competition at the Helsinki Olympics

Friendly reminders for those writing obits about Béla: 1. He did not discover Nadia on a playground. In fact, he was not Nadia’s first gymnastics coach. Marcel Duncan was.

One of the first profiles of the Károlyis printed 👇

My very first post on this app is dedicated to one @spannytampson.bsky.social! Happy birthday, friend!