Her large tear sliding down her cheek at the moment of raising the flag of the USSR after the gold of the third Olympics in 1980 year — perhaps the main symbol of domestic sports victories of the XX century. Why did Irina Rodnina really cry — the material of Sport.
She was brought to the skating rink to recover from several pneumonias. It turned out that the neighbor in the communal apartment had an open form of tuberculosis. Any infection clung to little Ira, so the military father and active active mother tempered the daughter as best they could. In addition to skates, there were also skiing and regular physical activity in the form of exercises, jogging and playing in the yard. She liked all this very much, but her studies did not cause such enthusiasm. At the same time, the older sister was an excellent student and did not disappear from the school honors board — Ira was even a little jealous, wanting the same recognition.
It was figure skating, which is not at all like the conditions of the current champions. Artificial ice is a luxury, at first I had to train on open rinks in the midst of a typical Russian winter. Rodnina also went to the skating rink across Moscow by bus — from her native Taganka to Maryina Roscha. She was severely seasick, so she had to go out twice for the road.The area of ice was tiny by modern standards — that's why jumping exits were practiced by landing in a snowdrift. It is fantastic, of course, that this is how the generation of the strongest figure skaters grew up, who will subsequently take all the most prestigious medals.
As soon as Rodnina began to claim something serious, she faced negative manifestations of intense competition. Somehow, broken glass from a light bulb was poured into her shoes, and she miraculously discovered this before she managed to put her foot into the shoe with an effort and cut the heel into blood. Someone warmed up other people's skates on the battery, so that the opponent would then go out onto the ice and literally solder into it, not being able to take a single step. The threads at the zipper of the dress were cut with razors for the girls — outwardly everything looked the same as always, but the fabric began to diverge from the tension of the back. remembers a lot not only about such petty dirty tricks, but also about high-flying intrigues. Coaches and sports officials quarreled, using connections, influence and position — they tried to achieve the result they needed by any means.
A separate part of Rodnina's career is relationships with coaches and partners. In sports, this is almost always a drama — scandals, betrayals and betrayals. Everything seems sharp and mortally offensive, and most importantly, it can really be fatal for someone who is left alone. Because you can’t achieve anything in pair skating alone, even if you yourself are Rodnina. jpg» /In general, it is clear how painful the departure of her first partner Alexei Ulanov in 1972 was for Irina. Everything is won — Europe, the world and the Olympics. Ahead is a cloudless future, glory and honor. But Ulanov instead paired up with his beloved wife and part-time main rival of Rodnina/Ulanov — Lyudmila Smirnova. Olympic champion Rodnina watched the next USSR championship from the stands. And she could hardly imagine what a brilliant fate awaits her further. And how you will have to fight for it.Coach Stanislav Zhuk quickly picked up a new partner for her. The star (according to all the titles and the attitude of the public) had to “roll out” the first-class Alexander Zaitsev. But he quickly showed both technical training and a much more accommodating disposition than Ulanov. It was both difficult and easy for them and Rodnina.
It is difficult, because it was necessary to train hard and in a short time, forgetting about pain and injuries. Easy, because even the hardest work is in full swing when there is a common language and, most importantly, a common goal.
It was important for Irina to prove that she is the best in the world, and the former partner was irreparably mistaken. Alexander wanted to make sure that he was a valuable unit in his own pair, and to show the whole world that he was standing next to Rodnina for a reason.
The first pleasant revenge happened in less than a year of training at the European Championship . The newly-minted couple sensationally outperformed those same Smirnova/Ulanov, and hardly anyone believed in this success as much as Irina Rodnina herself.
On against the backdrop of how the relationship with Zaitsev was developing successfully (the couple got married, then they had a child), contact with the coach completely went wrong. Stanislav Zhuk was prone to dictatorship and dominance, and Rodnina did not tolerate such a style, especially when she matured.In 1974, Rodnina/Zaitsev passed to Tatyana Tarasova. She was then a young coach, so in the face of a couple of this level she received a big advance. And the work began to boil!
Tarasova, to her credit, did not do what is also called «leave on old luggage.» She worked with skaters on both technical excellence and a new image. The expressiveness of their skating progressed, new elements in the programs appeared with enviable constancy, like all new gold medals. And this is in the presence of injuries and despite the fact that in six years of work the whole season fell out due to the birth of the child of Irina and Alexander.
Before the 1980 Olympics, a campaign was launched in the press aimed at discrediting Rodnina and Zaitsev. American journalists accused them of using prohibited elements — in particular, the claims were for one support with a grip on the thigh. It got to the point that there were demands to arrange a press conference with repentance for the couple, but it didn’t come to the realization of this crazy idea. Despite everything, at the age of 30, Irina Rodnina, paired with Alexander Zaitsev, again had no equal at the Olympics. With this hard-won well-deserved gold, she set the bar for the best skaters for many decades. And she shed that famous tear on the pedestal.
In the book, which is even called «Tears of the Champion», Rodnina explained the emotions at that moment:
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“They still ask me: why did I feel so emotional then? Yes, of course, pride for the country. Of course, the strongest nervous discharge after a grueling struggle. But also a huge relief from the fact that everything is over, figure skating is over and I am finally free.”