Vlasta. October 19, 1966. We waited for them for almost two hours. We - that is, journalists, pioneers, workers of the Czech Television. In addition, they were also expected at Prague Castle by the head of state, the president of the republic, comrade Antonin Novotny, their comrades from Dortmund, i.e., the 'golden' team of gymnasts, and the 'golden' volleyball players. The plane landed after half past eleven. The all-around world champion Vera Caslavska just smiled at us and timidly asked: "Let me go. I have a sister here somewhere." And then she untangled herself from the tangle, greeted her sister and gave a grateful kiss to an older gentleman who was standing modestly nearby - her father. And she immediately wiped his face so that he didn't have any rouge on it. But it was more of a caress and a kind of apology: Don't be angry, father, I really can't do any more now. See you in the evening, you know?
Evening - it was Friday evening. On Sunday, television broadcast a discussion with Vera Caslavska. And on Monday, the all-around world champion traveled again, this time to Mexico. She would certainly find a few minutes with us, she would certainly find a few words for our readers. However, we respected the right to privacy of even such a famous person as Caslavska. And we asked for an interview with comrade [Alena] Tinterova, who was with Vera Caslavska in London and who was a judge in the optional vaulting at the World Championships in Dortmund.
Q: Comrade Tinterova, you have already participated in many international competitions in artistic gymnastics and you were also at the Olympic Games in Tokyo. Can you now compare Tokyo and Dortmund?
A: Since the Olympic Games, the level of the so-called middle teams has risen significantly. Our team, the USSR, the GDR, Japan, and Hungary are considered top teams. Until this year's championship, the 'middle' teams, such as France, the USA, Poland, and Yugoslavia, differed very sharply. Today, it's not such a big difference; these teams are very quickly catching up with the top five. And we must realize that even the top teams are not idle. The optional floor routines are getting closer and closer to the men's routines with their acrobatic elements, and at the same time they must not lose any of their precision or grace. For example, in her floor routine at the Tokyo Olympics, Vera Caslavska came for the first time with a somersault with a double twist. Today, three Soviet competitors, two other Czechoslovak gymnasts Bohunka Rimnacova and Marienka Krajcirova, and two Japanese women can do this somersault.
Q: Which elements were new at the World Championships?
A: It was undoubtedly Vera Caslavska's two double twists on the uneven bars, the gymnasts of the German Democratic Republic had an excellent and courageous vault - their Zuchold also won a silver medal in this discipline - and it was also a courageous and interesting set by the American Brause. There was a lot of noise around her - and I think rightly so.
Q: There has been a lot of talk about the fact that Vera Caslavska did not win championships titles on other apparatus, for example on the uneven bars. Can you tell us your opinion on that?
A: It is a completely unambiguous question for the judges. I do not want to talk about it too much; I think a lot of people have already commented on it. I would like to say just a few words about Vera Caslavska herself.
She is still a pioneer in artistic gymnastics. The elements that Kuchinskaya performed and that dazzled Dortmund are the elements of Vera Caslvaska, who brought them to artistic gymnastics two years ago. She always comes up with something new and will certainly bring completely new routines to the Olympic Games in Mexico. She has dynamism, something that, for example, Soviet competitors lack. Kuchinskaya dazzled with her youth, with her youthful temperament. However, we will see what she will do with it in the future.
Q: Comrade Tinterova, could you say a few more words about Vera Caslavska? What are her hobbies, what does she do in her free time?
A: I think she reads. That is, if she has any free time at all. However, I must admit that Verka rarely finds free time. She loves classical music. She always carries several records with her. And she is terribly sorry that she has no time left to learn foreign languages. She is studying distance learning at the Faculty of Physical Education at Charles University. Her dream was to study medicine, but she had to give that up for sports. And her sigh is usually a reproach why there are not 48 hours in a day.
Q: It was also said that the Soviet team is young and ours is older. Please, can you tell us the age of our competitors? Are we really facing a generational problem?
A: There is no reason to talk about that. Our team is, on the contrary, younger than the Soviet team. Our oldest competitor is Vera Caslavska, who is 24 years old. Then there is Kubickova with 21 years, Sedlackova is 20, Kostalova is 19, Rimnacova is 18, and Krajcirova is 17. In the Soviet team, the youngest is Kuchinskaya - 17 years old, then Kharlova is 18, Petrik and Druzhinina and 18 and 19 years old, and Astakhova and Latynina are over 30. Rimnacova was already in Tokyo two years ago. In the reserve, we also have eighteen-year-old Svetlikova, Hubena (16), Sklenickova (15), and the very promising fourteen-year-old Liskova.
Q: Could you tell us more about what the members of our winning team do outside of gymnastics?
A: Apart from Jana Kubickova, who is employed, everyone is studying. Apart from Vera Caslavska, Jindra Kostalova and Marienka Krajcirova are also studying at physical education facilities. Bohunka Rimnacova is studying engineering, and Sedlackova is finishing her SVVS while working. And since they train four to five hours a day, I don't think they have much free time left.
V. PETROVKA