The Olympics reminds us of past athletes who may shed light on the pressure to compete in sports. In the 70’s we remember a rising star who is no longer with us. Gymnast Elena Mukhina was the Soviet Union’s most promising gymnast especially when she won the all-around title at the 1978 World Championships in Strasbourg, France. She was known for an extremely difficult tumbling move called the Thomas salto (named after American gymnast Kurt Thomas). The difficult tumbling move has since been banned from the floor exercise from the Code of Points in gymnastics.
While training for the 1979 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Elena broke her leg. Elena has said that the doctors and coaches tried to get her back to training too soon after she broke her leg. The Soviets wanted to win the 1980 Summer Olympics and Elena was their star. She begged them not to remove her cast and discharge her. Her leg was not properly healed and Elena knew she was not walking correctly. An X-ray revealed that the fracture had not healed properly. She was rushed into surgery. Again, the cast was removed prematurely.
Elena was lured into a strenuous workout involving weight loss due to her hospital stay. Elena warned her coaches that she was suffering from exhaustion and weakness in her leg. Yet she was the main attraction and they wanted her to perform the Thomas salto tumbling move in her floor routine. Her main coach, Mikhail Klimenko disregarded her concerns.
On July 3, 1980, two weeks before the Moscow Olympics, Elena was practicing the Thomas salto tumbling move when she under-rotated and crash-landed on her chin, snapping her spine and leaving her quadriplegic. Elena Mukhina died on December 22, 2006 at the age of 46 from complications of quadriplegia. In the documentary, “Triumph of the Spirit,” Elena talked about her gymnastics training while she was immobile in her bed. She said, “It was like a nightmare of slavery. There is more freedom now.” She talked about how her voice didn’t matter and no one would listen to her when she was tired or unable to perform in her practice sessions.
Elena said, “My injury could have been expected. It was inevitable. I had said more than once that I would break my neck. I had hurt myself badly several times. We’ve always placed a high value on risk. A human life is worth little in comparison to the prestige of the nation. We’ve been taught to believe this since childhood.”
R.I.P Elena Mukhina
June 1, 1960 – December 22, 2006
Gymnastics is a very dangerous sport. The women are pushed so hard still today. Melanie Coleman, a gymnast at Southern Connecticut State died during practice in 2019. A young woman with her whole life ahead of her. RIP Melanie
I can’t imaging that kind of torture.
As I watch the Olympics and especially what has been happening with Simone Biles, I am reminded by why it is important to let these athletes rest and share with others what they are feeling. We are far too hard on people who work breathlessly every year to compete on our behalf.
Agreed. It’s so sad 🙁
Very sad.