MrMartinportnoy's channel

@akimbohr Gymnastics history is full of mysteries... the same happened to Aleftina Priakhina, European runner-up in '87, that year she was the alternate at Worlds, and then disappeared. Or Gurova, touted as the next Shushunova. Zabrodina and Ivanova, both Jr European Champions ('84 and '88), neve...

Do you think they were laughing at her? I've always interpreted that noise as gasps of surprise (pretty much my reaction at the time when I watched it live - unbelievable)

Beautiful music

@eugvh18 Hi, could you tell me more about her post-olyimpic years, what happened to her? I've always been curious about this, after being so successful in '84 she disappeared, thanks

@barbie11ification Go back to youtube and type "the hours soundtrack dead things" :)

@bellahotbellydance If you read Mrs Dalloway you will understand a lot of elements in the film that otherwise would pass unnoticed, a lot of references and parallels, it's fascinating. The Hours (the novel) I read, I found it very disappointing, the film is ten thousands better

@ralucagymnast I always remember an interview where she talked about the '81 Worlds, that she believes she might have won, had she not gone on the first rotation (which favoured Bicherova). It would really have been her chance to shine and a great way to end her career, and I've never considered ...

@Katelinanator Her mother died in a fire, she was raised by her grandma, who looked atfer her even after her accident. There were stories that she received a lot of benefits by the communist government, when they were actually living in a one-room flat. Fucking cruel with her, if you'll excuse my...

@ralucagymnast I also love the part to Dr Zhivago music, the epitome of Soviet artistry, I also agree that her story is one of the greatest tragedies in gymnastics history....

@tedsler Unfortunately she had been too inconsistent well before the Olympics, probably since mid-87, while Shevchenko had just won the European Cup, but there you have her... 23 years later we're still talking about Oksana. Where's Shevchenko...?

@YUG1971 Around the turn of the century, Olga Mostepanova reported in an interview, quite simply, that the Soviet coaches felt Elena and Oksana had better chances at the AA title, there was a long talk among gymnasts and coaches and the decision was made... I think the fact that both girls tied f...

@metsdudenj I always thought it was the other way round, rather than "watering down" the piked full-in for a triple full-punch front, I think she upgraded her difficulty there. Actually, she did a triple twist-punch front in '87, and in '88 (USA vs. USSR Invitational) a triple twist punch front 1...

@picaridin1 Yes! In an interview she said she felt like an elephant on the beam at these Worlds...

@claricegreco Yes, in compulsories. And the routine here doesn't look at all like the original one, just the mount and the dismount....

@ImmortalSynn I think Bogi was the last Soviet Great. It's interesting how she capitalised on her artistry rather on difficulty, pre-1992, and when she came back in '96 she was dismounting bars with a double layout, like she did the reverse way from many gymnasts who have super difficulty as pixi...

Excelente película de Maria Luisa Bemberg. Una pena...

@metsdudenj After I posted the comment I remembered an interview to Baitova in IG magazine, where she said she had forgotten the beginning of the routine! That she was "whispering in panic to her teammates to remind her". I always thought the 9.70 accounted for that mistake, like she went blank a...

I'm from Argentina, I'm really sorry about Barney, my Setter is 11 now, I don't think you could find a more loving, friendly breed than this one, red Setters are adorable

@TuesdayPillow She holds the rare achievement of winning 2 World Cups...

@tigerfish03 The film starts with Nadia playing at kindergarten and then Bela enters the classroom and gives out applications for children to join the school. Then the movie shows the "entrance exam" to the school. Then I think there's a dialogue between Nadia's parents where her father shows con...

@elismaster Montenegro was brilliant, either her or Blanchett should have won

Hi Heather, the book is OK, I liked the movie much more. In the book Cee Cee gets a phone call from Bertie (Hillary in the movie) telling her to go to California. Cee Cee is rehearsing for a TV shows and runs out of it, and during the car drive remembers their friendship. Bertie dies of cancer, a...

I wonder how the Soviet system could freak you out not to react in this situation... The bars could have fallen on her head

@suggandstudd Have you read the novel? It's worse, Hillary (Bertie in the novel) dies of cancer. You'd also be surprised how different the story is from the film version

@beautifulsarah100 Yes, she whacked her foot in the AA of the 87 Worlds, landing a Deltchev, but I don't think it was an ongoing problem (she had hit it perfectly in optionals and then again in EF).

This routine would have been competitive ten years later...

@lambodriver96 My irish setter is called Astro too! Incredible coincidence... he's 11 now, but his heart is like a puppy's of six months, I don't think you could find a more loving dog...

@alienapatricia Marianne has been dumped by her fiance Willoughby, and she's staying with some friends whose house overlooks Willoughby's. She goes there to see it.

Who is the Soviet blonde clapping at the end supposed to be...? Shaposhnikova? Or maybe Nelli Kim...?

@gymnasticsloverxoxo That's what I miss the most about the Soviet era, that unmatched choreography: Tourischeva, Illienko, Mostepanova, Omelianchik, even Shushunova, more the tumbler, looked beautiful in Seoul...

Red setters are adorable, mine is 11 years old but his heart is that of a 6-month puppy

@ferency98 Oksana sat down her first vault in the AA (you can watch it somewhere here), I assume the coaches felt it was risky to send her to finals, plus her advantage over Baitova in preliminaries was very little (Oksana: 9.9 / 9.95; Baitova: 9.95 / 9.875 = 0.25 pts)

Thakns for posting this!! Oksana is my all.time favourite. I was surprised by the little bit where she performs on the bars with a green leotard, I'd never seen her do a Tkatchev!