Gymnast Latynina Larisa Semenovna: biography, achievements and interesting facts

The heroine of this article is one of the most interesting careers among athletes of the twentieth century. She was able to win at one time 18 Olympic awards, among which were gold (9), silver (5) and bronze (4). No one in this vast world has such a collection. If you add medals to the list from the championships of the Soviet Union, Europe and the world, the list becomes even more impressive. So, get acquainted: Latynina Larisa Semenovna - the most titled athlete of our planet.

Only forward and only in sports!

Sports gymnastics should say a word of sincere gratitude for the fact that the great Larissa Latynina did not follow the path of the ballerina, because in her hometown - in Kherson - she had long and diligently attended classes in a choreographic circle. Unfortunately, all this did not last long: the circle stopped its work, and the ballet school, where a talented girl dreamed of studying, did not exist in this city.

Latynina Larisa Semenovna had wonderful vocal data. But the first gymnastics coach prevented her from becoming a singer. He asked the head of the choir and asked the girl to say that she does not have any data. So it happened that a wise fate made a great gift to the world sport.

Childhood

Latynina Larisa Semenovna, biography Which represents an amazing mixture of perseverance, work, victories and hours of training, was born on December 27, 1934. She had to grow in the post-war years in Kherson. Without Dad. Then she was Larissa Dirii.

From an early age the girl was engaged in a choreographic circle. But with gymnastics, she linked her life only in the fifth grade. In the year of her sixteenth birthday, Larissa becomes a first-class player and, as one of the members of the Ukrainian school team, travels to Kazan for the all-Union championship. But there it fails.

This knocks the girl out of the rut. But concurrent with Latynina's confusion, Larisa Semenovna starts to train twice a day. In the fall, they begin to work with the coach on the program for the masters. Such hard work does not go unnoticed. Latynina in her city becomes the first master of sports. She takes the fourth place for participating in the adult championship of the republic (the city of Kharkiv). But the girl resolutely refuses to move anywhere.

Institute and sport

It is 1954. Biography Latinina Larisa, whose victories for many decades will remain in the annals of the history of Soviet sport, painted with new paint: she graduated from school with a gold medal and became a student of the Kiev Polytechnic Institute.

One day she had to take the chemistry a little later than her fellow students. The teacher, who took the exam, asked about the reason for this situation. Larissa replied that it was because of her trip to France to perform at a gymnastic tournament. The old woman was indignant with righteous anger, having read her with words that in that institute it is necessary to study diligently round the clock, and not to be wound on foreign countries.

The following year Latynina Larisa Semenovna, biography Which sometimes seems like a fairy tale, and sometimes - the road of a surprisingly talented woman, has already crossed the threshold of the Kiev infizkult.

And here you are, Rome!

June 1955. Larissa (then still Dirius) is riding as one of the representatives of the Soviet national team for the thirteenth world championship in Rome. The struggle was very difficult and unpredictable, because many participants showed excellent results. But the Soviet team all stood it and won. Latynina did not manage to smoothly pass all necessary sports equipment. In all-round events she had to stay far behind the top three prize-winners.

Loved free ...

But here the free exercises changed the whole picture of what is happening. Later, speaking of her performance, it was noted that the spectators seen by the gymnast were seen rather seldom. All this was the amazing acrobatic work of the girl, in which the skills of the ballet school and the subtle musical flair were intertwined. A bouquet of these ingredients provided a magical harmony in a fairly complex exercise. Specialists unanimously asserted that Latynina demonstrated mastery of the international class. So the girl for the first time in her life became the world champion.

Waiting for the spark of God

Mishakov became the coach of Latynina in the Ukrainian capital, Kiev. At each training session, he taught his charges to think, think, and try to solve all the problems that somehow or other arose. Yes, he could admit and accept the improvisation of gymnasts, but only in very small quantities and within tight boundaries. He always believed that it would be right to learn and repeat all the given material, and then really wait for God's spark and invent something himself. Mishakov very seldom and reservedly praised his charges. He could look at them for a long time, squint, but he rarely smiled.

It is difficult not only to win, but also to stay in place

In the spring of 1956 Latynina Larissa, whose sports biography is permeated with references to loud victories, wins in three major athletes at the large international competitions in Kiev: Muratova, Shamrai and Manina. Far behind, she leaves Keleti and Bosakova. In this struggle, Latynina was able to win on three rounds and in all-around. But the coach was still not satisfied with her result, because he really wanted Larissa to overtake Eva Bosakov in free exercises.

Everything was decided on the third day of December 1956. Then there were competitions in gymnastics in the famous Melbourne. Of the entire team of the Soviet Union on the 54th left three girls: Latynina, Muratova and Manin.

At a certain stage the national team of the Soviet Union goes to the prize-winning first place and wins more points, which was a significant help in the sport in the sport. In the all-around the first place was occupied by athlete Elena Leushtyanu, the second - Sonya Muratova, and the third - Larisa Latynina. In total, the thousandth shares of such an important score for each of them shared the contenders for victory.

Excitement and mantra

Latynina recalled that she was not worried at all that day. All thanks to the wise Mishakov. The coach explained to her that for her to be in third place is an excellent opportunity to prove herself as a strong athlete. But it's important to stay on this place. And instead of worrying, Larissa thought about how she should do it right.

In the pages of her literary work entitled "Balance" the gymnast described her condition in those days, hours and minutes. As a spell she repeated to herself the words about doing everything as she had already done. Then they explained to her that the girl had a high enough automaticity of skill. But at the time of the jump, she did not remember anything, except for landing in the jump. Much later, Larissa learned that on that day her assessment was the highest.

When all participants of these competitions finished their jumps, it became clear that Latynina won the gold award.

It was there, in Melbourne, the last time there was a contest of medals for the exercises in parallel with the battle for getting the title of the absolute champion. Latynina Larisa Semenovna has not yet felt her first triumph. It was time for free exercise. She and Agnesh Keleti had the greatest and absolutely equal sums of points. To her victory, Latynina was at first happy, not fully aware of it. And then she took it as a personal achievement and an advantage in using a unique style.

Necessary nine points

After the break, she surprisingly easily and freely acted on the uneven bars, eventually obtaining the highest for all past days in Melbourne, an assessment of women - 9.6 points. In total, she gave Larissa a silver award after Agnesh Keleti. And in the afternoon the girls exchanged places: Keleti finished her speech, and Larisa continued such important for her persecution. True, she realized it only when it was time to speak with the last projectile. To become the absolute champion of the Olympic Games, Latynina would have been only nine points (two other participants from the Soviet team a little more - 9.5 and 9.8). Therefore, this was the easiest task for her.

Unforgettable ninety seconds

It was at that moment, when it was necessary to keep the balance on the balance beam, calmness left from Latynina. She suddenly felt like a robot with mechanical movements. But in a moment everything was fine. The movements gained the same lightness, but she was still thinking about how to hold onto this log. It seemed to her that it lasted all day, not just ninety seconds. But what she experienced in these fifteen minutes, Latynina has not forgotten and still.

She had not yet recovered herself from the program, and teammates were already hurrying to congratulate her on the victory.

The fact that Latynina - gymnast with a very high level of skill, showed the first European championship, where the strongest athletes arrived. With the execution of the first exercise, Larisa Semenovna became the leader, achieving a serious victory in individual exercises and all-around.

One medal for two

December 1957 year. Larissa loses the championship of the Secular Union to another gymnast - Muratova. But already in the next, 1958, she easily performs at the world championship, being already pregnant. The audience remembered this performance for a long time. Larisa Semyonovna Latynina, Honored Master of Sports, won the all-around championship and won the rightfully her gold medal on the uneven bars and in the base jump. Daughter Tatiana was born on time and quite a healthy girl. After many years, she, already an adult, showed my mother a medal in 1958, smiling with a smile that they had won together.

After the birth of her daughter, it seemed to many around her that all the victories of Latynina were already over. Leaders began to propose another gymnast - Astakhov. But it was not there. Latynina Larisa Semyonovna could not just surrender. Her house was always full of friends, who often recalled that day of unconditional victory. She did not forget how to compete after the daughter's appearance. Remembering Rome six years ago, Latynina could not afford to lose.

These one and a half minutes of beautiful music and smooth movements, perhaps very little, to make the audience to be impressed. But put together, they can make you feel a lot. After all, everything depends only on the athlete, who should not think about how to perform everything technically, but about what he wants to tell with his every movement and turning his head. Latynina started and finished the exercise in one breath. For the first time in her life, she listened with such impatience to the noise of applause and expected judges' assessments. But even before the ratings were announced - 9.9, she knew that she had won.

In Tokyo, Larisa Semenovna for the last time became captain of the Soviet national team in gymnastics, which was the winner of the Olympics. But for several years the athlete stayed in the team, remaining on the sidelines of the newcomers, teaching girls to win.

Latynina Larisa Semenovna, whose personal life was interested in fans of her talent in the Soviet times, for ten years was the senior coach of the women's national team of the Soviet Union. It was under her keen leadership that this team won Olympic gold in 1968, 1972 and 1976. For five years she was a member of the Organizing Committee "Olympiad-80", and then supervised the development of gymnastics in the Sports Committee of Moscow.

Life after sport

At his dacha, which is located in Semenovskoye, over the Lopasnya River, Latynina has a farm. She has pigs, sheep, rabbits. She always loved pets, but life developed in such a way that it was impossible to get a fluffy pet. Now, being retired, she enjoys the opportunity given.

The sportswoman was very fond of housekeeping, but while in her youth there were trips, trainings, performances, she did not have much time to do this. And today, with great pleasure, despite her venerable age (she was 81 years old recently), she is fulfilling her purely female duties. And she feels absolutely happy Latynina Larisa Semyonovna. The husbands of this wonderful woman have always spoken of her only kind words. She broke up with her first husband - Ivan Latynin, whose name she still wears. And with her third spouse (she never talks about the second one) - Yuri Feldman, with whom he now spends most of his time (he is one of the leaders of the capital JSC Dynamo, and in the past - a master of sports in the races on the track), they met in 1985, when they were at the Voronovo recreation center outside Moscow.

In her life, in which there were many bright stripes, and not very, with one serious loss Larissa Latynina collided: the son Andrei was killed. This is her tremendous pain. Its a great misfortune. Therefore, despite the fact that many years have passed, she does not raise this issue, especially with journalists.

Yes, part of the heart has ceased to live, because to her child she experienced a huge maternal love Latynina Larisa Semenovna. The son died, but the daughter Tatyana remained. She did not become a gymnast like Mom. The girl graduated from the school with the ensemble Igor Moiseyev, with the famous "Birch" traveled the whole world. When the ensemble was on tour in Venezuela, she met her future spouse - Rostislav Ordovsky-Tanaevsky Blanco, a businessman (he opened a network of restaurants Rostiks). Now they have two wonderful children: Constantine and Vadim. The famous grandmother is happy to help her daughter - he cooks, irones, cleans. And it is not a burden to her, because she does all this for her beloved family.