Famed Vladimir School of Gymnastics celebrated their 50th anniversary on October 12th. That the gym that produced Nikolai Andrianov, Yuri Korolev, Yuri Ryazanov and many others.
Rewriting Russian Gymnastics has a very interesting post on what’s happening at that gym:
… (coach) Yuri Korolev intends to leave Vladimir. He is convinced that Vladimir doesn’t need him.
– I was working with a gymnast – Yuri Barkalov, but he’s gone, – said Yuri Korolev. – Currently, I’m unemployed although I earn 20,000 roubles a month. I have prospects. I’ll have to leave my home town.
Yuri Korolev was very harsh on current gymnasts.
– They lack ideals. Now everything valuable is measured in money, and not with your country’s prestige, – he said. – By the way, the situation is natural, since we have a group of six rich athletes and the rest works as hard as them but earns much less. …
Vladimir School of Gymnastics 50 Years on … an allegory of Soviet and Russian gymnastics history?
I was there when Korolev won the 1985 World Championships in a stunner. He’s one tough competitor.
Click PLAY or watch a Korolev montage on YouTube.
Korolev is, quite arguably, the most decorated non-Olympian (male or female) gymnast of all time.
Gymnastics Coaching.com 