Ludmilla Tourischeva is one of the greatest gymnasts of all time, no question.
But what I really remember her for was her psychological toughness when the Bars collapsed behind her on dismount at the 1975 gymnastics World Championships.
What other gymnast in history would not have looked back?
Ludmila Tourischeva’s amazing Uneven Bars routine – Click here for this week’s top video clips
Recall that the Soviet system did not use sport psychologists. The imposing coach Vladislav Rastorotsky had trained her to be that mentally focused.
5 comments ↓
[...] This reminds me of the psychological toughness of another great World Champion, Ludmilla Tourischeva at 1975 Worlds. [...]
Maybe Bogunskaya in her hayday.
Definitely Bogi.
[...] Actually, my opinion of Rebecca went way, way up at this her first major international meet. That kid is tough. She handled catastrophic disaster perfectly. Impassive. … In fact she reminded me of the psychological toughness of Ludmilla Tourischeva. [...]
[...] That’s a single point of failure. If something goes wrong, the bars fall. As they did on Ludmilla Tourischeva in 1975. [...]
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