When a person knows how to control his body, it is considered mastery, and it’s very interesting to watch such a sight from the side. Since ancient times, oriental yogis have shown the highest art of owning their physical body. In the West, they began to imitate this, but, unfortunately, the spiritual meaning was lost. So, in the eighth century BC, the ancient Greeks appeared the word "gymnastics". But much earlier than this and still in China, gymnastic exercises are used for medicinal purposes. From the first Olympics of our time, this sport was immediately included in the program for men. Since 1928, women began to officially speak at the Olympic Games. In the 30s, the USSR began training its athletes in the international arena. Today we will tell about the history of one heroine of this not quite light sport.
Facts from the biography
Shushunova Elena Lvovna was born on April 23, 1969 in the USSR, in the city of Leningrad (today's name is St. Petersburg, Russia). The family lived simply, restrainedly and everything had to be achieved through hard work. Before, coaches went to schools and looked after children in sports sections that suited them according to external data. Or they watched their movements in physical education classes, looking out for young future champions. So Elena noticed in the first grade and invited her first gymnastics trainer, GI Rubtsova, to the sports school. Since flexibility and coordination of movements in children develop in the early years, athletes had to be looked for almost from the kindergarten, so as not to miss the moment of development, otherwise the verdict - in gymnastics you will not achieve anything.
First test
But hard non-child training at a young age gave the first breakdown. After some difficult years, the young Elena Shushunova did not want to train anymore due to the alleged lack of high results. But the conditions were really very harsh. Previously, there were no multi-layer safety mats, as now. Gymnasts trained simply on the carpet, which many now lie on the floor. Given that this is an incredibly traumatic sport, and even for girls, training was often unbearable. Therefore, many did not reach high sports results. This time, the mother of Elena Shushunova reassured her daughter, encouraging that not everything works out right away perfectly, the skill is polished for years of repetition, or even decades.
First victories
The path was continued under the guidance of coach Yatchenko T. N. Training hard with her mentor V. Govrichenkov, at the age of ten, Elena Shushunova fulfilled the standard of a master of sports. Three years later she won the 1982 Junior European Championship in floor exercises. Then victories in national championships of all kinds in gymnastics rained down. In 1983, she won the USSR Cup in the all-around, then confirming her superiority for more than one year from 1985 to 1988 (only in 1984 she was awarded a bronze medal). Then went victorious performances at the world championships.
Gold champion
The athlete had another attempt to end her sports career, but this time the coach already played a decisive mentoring role, and not in vain. In Montreal (Canada) in 1985, Elena Shushunova (gymnast with enormous endurance) won three gold medals. Although she was 17th after the free program. After the team championship, the athlete got into fifth position (but the first three were taken to the final of the competition). By some instinct, the coaches nevertheless put Elena on the team, and did not lose. She became a three-time world champion in the absolute championship, team and vault. In the same year, at the European Championships in Helsinki, Elena, Honored Master of Sports, won four gold medals (all-around, vault, floor exercises and parallel bars) plus one bronze medal on her most difficult beam exercise.
Joy and tears
1987 was a tearful year for Elena both from joy and from sadness. She became the owner of an absolute record at the World Universiade in Zagreb (Yugoslavia). Elena Shushunova took all 6 gold medals in gymnastics from her rivals. In Moscow at the European Championships, Elena won the vault and clung to third place on the podium in the all-around. But at the world championships of the same year in the Netherlands (the city of Rotterdam) there were bitter tears. Although, why grieve? Elena is an honored master of sports, won two golds (floor exercises and vault), three silver (exercises on a beam, all-around and team championship), a bronze medal for exercises on uneven bars. What was wrong at this championship? The entire women's team of the USSR sobbed, and all the girls who spoke then remembered this for the rest of their lives. They lost the world team championship, losing to the Romanian national team with only one hundredth point! It was really sad, Elena still recalls this.
The long-awaited Olympic year of 1988 for Elena Shushunova (Seoul, Korea) presented the coveted gold in the all-around and in the team championship. Elena also collected all kinds of medals at this Olympics - silver in performances on a log and bronze on bars. Here, finally, it was possible to relax a bit. But Elena was immediately placed as an assistant coach in the new team, where she was supposed to show the correctness of the exercises. This broke the gymnastic sporting spirit of victory. At this stage, Elena Shushunova decided to end her sports career.
Personal life
In 1991, the athlete graduated from the Lesgaft P.F. State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports in St. Petersburg. She got married, gave birth to a son. Finally, Elena Shushunova rested physically, but mentally she continues to work for the benefit of all. She is invited to host various championships in her favorite sport. Until 2014, Elena officially held an administrative post in her hometown as a member of the physical education and sports committee.
She was awarded the medal “For Labor Distinction” and the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. She still modestly continues to live in her hometown with her family and parents.