WOGymnastikA: Interview With Olesya Dudnik of Soviet Union

[@oldjack-mi8gk]

Next to Elena Mukhina, my favorite gymnast. This is an excellent interview; a treasure to hear her speak. And quote worthy, especially her observation that gymnastics is an art that shouldn't be subjugated to a code of points. After the '89 USSR team I believe the quality of the sport began to decline to where it is today -- emphasis on tricks, hyperactive movements, and less artistry. Flow, grace, amplitude, beauty -- that's the heart of this sport.

[@pappysprite]

OMG, I absolutely love Dudnik and she still looks just as beautiful. I'm so sorry to hear about all the sorrow and tragedy she has experienced in her personal life. Hopefully, that is long past her and she is very happy and surrounded with love.

[@misina211]

I am shocked that she thinks she wasn't very good on beam! That was her best event in my opinion, and her 1989 routine was about 10 years ahead of the sport.

[@SatawatMedhanee]

misina211 I was thinking the same! Her beam was fantastic!

[@mmoran3]

10 years ahead? Shit that routine could still challenge today!! The thing that amazes me is that. Those old routines had the difficulty, however, lacked the simple requirments that of course would be met had they known back then so I always give the cr a 2.0 even when they didn't have it. Only cause it's not they couldn't perform it, it's just it wasn't required!!

[@nandacarpada]

I guess her '89 set meets all requirements of today's code… And she was amazing…

[@mmoran3]

That routine still has a 6.2 dv in the 2017/ 20 c.o.p.. Simone Biles has a 6.6... that's 4 tenths difference. She could have easily done a few different moves and matched Biles 6.6....Most amazing to me is, the routines are 30 years apart😲😲

[@ashleyjiang1333]

@@mmoran3 fast forward to 2024 and Olesya's routine could still count as one of the hardest at Paris Olympics!

[@vc23]

What a beautiful, humble lady. I can't imagine her pain of loosing her parents and her husband and still be able to smile. Some people go through so much tragedy in their lives and it's so unfair.

[@Asme1111-t8h]

It shocks me how Soviet gymnasts aren't national treasures after they retire. This woman is incredible.

[@LWC8]

She and Yang Bo left the deepest impression on me in my teenage years. When Olesya first burst onto the scene, I was like, "Who IS this girl?!?" Such grit, beauty and skill!

[@RalfMtr]

The best gymnast ever! She was much ahead of her time!... She was perfect and lovely indeed!

[@cherylzane7215]

Great interview, she is beautiful! And one of my favorite gymnasts.

[@gigifarid8942]

Thank you guys for your sweet comments

[@Татьяна-о8к7я]

Моя подружка детства ... жили в одной общаге на Краснозвездовской в Кировогрде

[@sakurasoh]

She is my favourite gymnast and I am so happy to see her doing well now.

[@thinkaboutitagain]

Well done. The beauty shines through.

[@patrick42423]

That was excellent. I thought we never would know anything about her anymore. Great work : )

[@lvega5606]

Wow. I don't believe it. Olyssea Dudnik. Honestly, often when I watch the vault event I think of her and how her vault scores would still be right up there with the best of them. And she was also such a lovely gymnast to watch.

[@juanantoniomoreno3409]

What a Great interview! Thaknk you!

[@MrMelodifestivalen]

Thank you for this. Such a wonderful interview! She had both the artistry and difficulty. Breathtaking gymnast and what a wonderful human being she turned out to be. Totally before her time but gymnastics is so much the better for her.

[@autoneto]

Gigi, this is wonderful. one of the greatest gymnasts ever close to you.

[@phelpspeixoto9428]

She was a way ahead of her time !!! amazing ! And its always great to know about former gymnasts.

[@sherajn]

You are doing an excellent job. Keep up the great work!!!!

[@simonealexander7313]

Thanks for this - really interesting interview.

[@beautitudes]

She should be in the hall of fame. Is she ?

[@kclive376]

she will always be my favorite gymnast. From the interview, I felt she was standing strong in times of trial. I wish everything best for her for the years to come.

[@SatawatMedhanee]

Thank you so much for the interview, Gigi. I was always thinking about her, her gymnastics and her life after retirement. Well, it wasn't like I expected it to be but she looks very well in this interview. Great job! 💚

[@thesovgc]

Gorgeous 💗. It is so tragic that both her parents passed (I'm assuming) fairly young 😢.

[@tlw1269]

I remember her 😊...her double-twisting Yurchenko, if I remember, was a first at Worlds in 1989.

[@christineharrelson4831]

A DTY was being performed for a few years by that point but hers was always so spot-on with the landing - great gymnast!

[@maniaweng]

Thanks for sharing the interview, I didn't know there was such an amazing BB worker exist - her route was way way ahead of her time.

[@CEKCooking]

Dudnik! You don't need any medal. You are without a doubt an Olympic gold medalist. We all know.

[@RalfMtr]

Thank you Gigi!

[@salpykuiper8797]

Love her! Wish she had had a longer career.

[@Thebraids]

Very good interview!

[@giuliopisani6522]

Oltre che bravissima ginnasta é anche una donna bellissima

[@mr.k8906]

Thanks. 고마워요

[@OmegaBahn]

Decades later she is still a sweetheart.

[@edwardoneil3962]

I'm speechless God bless you darling lolx 😀❤😀

[@gigifarid8942]

@laydapurple Thank you :)

[@syrilwayne]

I think the soviets spotted something on her that she herself wasn't aware of. That she was capable performing a very difficult and advance beam routine to shock the world. Knowing that her routines can still compete in today's COP, the soviets really are a scary bunch. Its ashame that they imposed it on her and sadly shortened her amazing career.

[@admetric]

I strongly doubt she would have made the Olympic team. The sport was changing so drastically at the time, and there's no way she could have kept up on floor. They would not have put her on the team just for beam. Her bars were also subpar and would not have helped her. I think she's a blip in the history, but it's very clear she was not going to survive the coming wave of tiny acrobats who could do everything possible just trying to flip scores to get tens. She was nowhere near their level.

[@wolfiesown]

I beg to differ. She was very young and her vault and beam were already way ahead of her time. Her bar routine already contained ridiculously difficult elements. I suspect that she still had a lot of growth in her. But nobody will ever know. The fact that many people keep looking at her bar and vault routines over and over again says a lot.

[@ashleyjiang1333]

Olesya had a higher diffuclty overall than all gymnasts at Barcelona Olympics, maybe apart from Tatiana Gutsu - but Gutsu performed a FTY on vault instead of DTY. Her bars weren't subpar with that arabian mount which is now an F, and the turns and releases (tkachev and deltchev) are by no means subpar either.