November 29, 1983. Komsomolets (Armenia). Profile: Artur Akopyan. Merited Master of Sports (Yerevan). Born in 1961. Has been practicing artistic gymnastics for 15 years. Two-time world champion in the team competition. Bronze medalist in the all-around at the 1983 World Championships. World Champion in the vault. Coach: G. Vanetsyan.
"As it happened, I competed infrequently last year. Following the 1981 World Championships in Moscow - where the Soviet team decisively claimed the title - many members of the national squad set about revising their routines. There was no point in overhauling everything entirely; after all, our routines are designed with a multi-year cycle in mind. Nevertheless, certain aspects naturally required some 'polishing,' and new elements needed to be incorporated into our routines. In short, there was certainly no time to be bored."
"I believe I arrived at the national championship in September - in Chelyabinsk - in excellent form. Indeed, after just the compulsory program, I had already managed to pull away from my rivals. For my third rotation during the optional program, I was scheduled for the floor exercise. My routine was drawing to a close when I felt a sharp pain in my leg. I wanted to scream at the top of my lungs, but I barely managed to hold it back."
"While my teammates continued their battle for medals, the doctors were 'working their magic' on me. It turned out to be an ankle injury. Nothing serious, fortunately - though I would still need two or three months to recover. It was heartbreaking - absolutely devastating. I don't know how the Chelyabinsk tournament would have ended - perhaps I wouldn't have managed to hold onto the lead anyway. But, I repeat: I was more prepared than ever to face even the most intense of situations."
Genrikh Vanetsyan, Merited Coach of the USSR: Yes, Artur's routine has been enriched with new elements. To be specific: on the rings, this includes a cross-to-handstand transition followed by a lowering; on the high bar, a dismount sequence featuring two release moves; and so on. However, the mere demonstration of such ultra-difficult elements does not guarantee success. Above all, what is valued is the originality of the innovations and the beauty of their execution. In this regard, Akopyan has achieved a great deal, and it's truly a pity that an injury hindered him in Chelyabinsk.
"I've certainly had my share of injuries in the past, but none of them - absolutely none - could compare to this one. Two weeks in I came to a realization: an injury is, in a way, a test of your character. And I'm not just saying that for effect. I knew with absolute certainty: if I let myself slack off, I would never be able to make up for lost ground. So, without putting it off for a moment, I got straight back to training. You warm up - and there's pain; you work on a specific move - and there's pain; you even feel it while you're resting. But, I suppose, that is simply the lot of an athlete."
G. Vanetsyan: Over the course of my career as a coach, I have had the opportunity to see many children. Parents bring them to the club, and the desire to train is clearly legible in their eyes. Unfortunately, one cannot accept everyone. You take their physical capabilities into account and try to envision - to put it that way - the potential development of their physique. Then, the newcomers begin attending training sessions, which become progressively more demanding. The sense of self-affirmation - achieved through dizzying dismounts and complex combinations - will come later. By this stage, you can no longer imagine yourself outside the world of gymnastics. But in the beginning - there is only hard work. It is grueling, at times monotonous. You watch as a novice steals furtive glances at the clock, or his father asks you once or twice to let him leave early. Even then, you must not reproach yourself for having accepted the beginner into the program. You are a coach; your duty extends far beyond merely teaching technical elements. Yet, with time, comes the ability to discern - within these children - the presence of a strong will and a true fighting spirit. That is something far more valuable than mere 'lazy talent.'
Artur joined my group when he was in the second grade. I'll be frank: he didn't particularly stand out among his peers. Yet there was one telling detail: if this blue-eyed, remarkably calm youngster had an aching arm or leg, I would only find out after practice was over. And that, by no means, implied that he would miss the next session.
"The season opened for me with the Riga-83 international competition. It took place at the end of March. Among our guys, Anatoly Tkachev and Pavel Sut were there, and a rather strong contingent of Chinese and Japanese gymnasts had also gathered. I mentally prepared myself to deliver a consistent performance. In general, I usually try not to dwell on rankings or medals; doing so only creates more anxiety. The main thing is to navigate the entire 'course' smoothly - from the compulsory routines all the way through to the individual apparatus finals. Admittedly, in Riga, we actually started straight away with the optional routines. I managed to take first place and claim the grand prize - the 'Amber Horse.' Furthermore, I was able to secure victories in both the vault and the floor exercise.
"Four months later came the 8th Summer Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR. I had participated in a Spartakiad tournament prior to this; it was at the 1979 Spartakiad that I made my debut at the senior level. You may recall that, at the time, the leader of the Armenian national team was Edik Azaryan. Tall and elegant, he looked magnificent and tied for first place with Alexander Dityatin..."
"This time, stability did not prove to be my ally. After the compulsory exercises, I found myself in sixth place. A successful performance in the optional exercises allowed me to climb to third place. However, on the third day of competition - when the battle for the all-around title was being decided - I failed, as the saying goes, to 'rein in my horse' (scoring a mere 8.8 points) and also botched my floor routine (9.35). Consequently, I remained in third place overall. In the official national championships standings, my result was even worse - sixth place. It was only in the vault that I managed to yield to no one."
"How can I explain the failure? Apparently, it was due to fatigue. Playing catch-up on the second day of the competition wore me out. That means - all the more reason to prioritize consistency."
"And once again, a tournament. This time, it took place in September in Rostov, where the USSR Cup was being contested. Porogelov took first place, while I finished second. It was precisely here that the final roster was determined for our team, which went on to compete in the World Championship in Budapest."
G. Vanetsyan: National team coaches first took notice of Artur seven years ago, when he took first place at the All-Union Schoolchildren's Spartakiad in Lvov. Later, after distinguishing himself at the Youth Sports Games, he was inducted into the national youth squad. He made his debut with the senior national team at the World Championships in 1979. At the time, his performance was regarded as a success.
"Bogdan Makuts and I can already be considered veterans of the national team. The rest of the guys are younger than us. But their titles... Eighteen-year-old Yuri Korolev is the world all-around champion, and sixteen-year-old Dima Bilozerchev is the European all-around champion. He was also the winner in Budapest. I remember the first time I saw Dima perform on television; even then, it left a powerful impression on me. Bilozerchev makes mistakes extremely rarely. And what purity of execution he has achieved! In short - well done! His success at the championship is entirely well-deserved."
"In the team competition, we finished behind the gymnasts from the PRC. It was unfortunate that, during the compulsory program, we were in the first rotation and were unable to cope with our nerves. However, based solely on the results of the optional program, our team outperformed all our rivals. Incidentally, we also won more medals on individual apparatuses than any other team."
"My goal was to deliver a consistent performance in the all-around competition - if you'll pardon my frequent use of that word - and to secure medals on the high bar and in the vault. What can I say? Naturally, it's a pleasure to stand on the third step of the podium in the all-around championship (a spot I shared with the Chinese gymnast Lou Yun)."
"I didn't make the finals on the high bar, but in the vault I took the gold. As is well known, every gymnast performs two vaults. My signature vault is the Tsukahara with a 720-degree twist. I performed it in competition for the first time two years ago, though it took me a full five years to master it. I remember that day perfectly - the day my coach, Genrikh Vantesyan, began explaining the intricacies of this particular vault. It feels as though it happened only yesterday. Yes, those five years flew by quickly; yet, I believe that years tend to slip away unnoticed when you have a meaningful way to fill them - pursuing something wholeheartedly and out of deep conviction. I made my choice fifteen years ago."
M. ANDZHELYAN