Larisa Latynina competes in Tokyo in 1964
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Latynina did not remember the Soviet gymnastics team turning to psychologists or other formal tools to improve concentration and mental performance.
But that was a different era, when athletes may have relied on encouragement and accolades from coaches and teammates. To soothe her nerves, she would stand on her tiptoes, close her eyes and remain still.
"My coach would always say it doesn't matter in which position you finish," Latynina said. "The most important thing is doing what you can."
Latynina said Soviet Olympic gymnasts competing at the 1964 Tokyo Olympics lived in military barracks with communal bathrooms, striking a sharp contrast with the hotel rooms used by the U.S. gymnastics team.
In Latynina's era there was pressure, of course, to win medals for the Soviet Union, which used elite sports as a tool to boost its international prestige.
But Latynina said Soviet authorities' desire for the country's athletes to top medal tables was not perceived as coercion.
"We were trying ourselves not to let our country, our people down," she said. "We would cry when our flag was raised and national anthem played."
August 01, 2021 at 02:04AM
https://www.nbcolympics.com/news/soviet-legend-modern-gymnastics-routines-im-little-afraid
Soviet legend on modern gymnastics routines: 'I'm a little afraid' - NBC Olympics
https://news.google.com/search?q=little&hl=en-US&gl=US&ceid=US:en
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