BELARUS NEWS AND ANALYSIS

DATE:

14/06/2008

Lesson from the past: Olga Korbut

Matthew Syed

Perhaps no young sportsman or woman has captured the affection of the world quite like Olga Korbut, the "Sparrow from Minsk", who romped to three gymnastics gold medals at the Munich Olympics in 1972.

All pigtails and enthusiasm, she punctured the stereotype of the Eastern European sporting automaton as she danced and sashayed her way to victory on the beam, the floor and in the team competition. The 17-year-old was the smiling face of communism.

Now 53, Korbut lives in Arizona, having moved from her native Belarus 17 years ago. But it has not been plain sailing since she vanished from the global spotlight. Divorced twice since moving to the United States, she was arrested for shoplifting in 2002, avoiding prosecution only by agreeing to attend a diversion programme. A few months later her son was sentenced to 3 years in prison after $30,000 (about ?19,000) in counterfeit money was found in one of Korbut's former homes.

As we explored the many dilemmas associated with sporting precocity, I expected Korbut to offer an enlightened alternative to the rigours of her own gruelling childhood. Instead, she seemed to regard her background as a template."It is important to start out very young if you want to succeed in any sport, but particularly in gymnastics," she said. "I don't mean that you should be competing at the age of 1, but you should get going as soon as possible because the more you do at a young age, the more responsive your body will be.

"It is tough, but then life is tough. You cannot get to the top in anything without making sacrifices. When I won a gold medal I was not satisfied. It made me even more determined to get another gold."

Korbut, who conducts coaching sessions for local children, has been scathing about the dedication of American youngsters, once saying: "They are not hungry enough because they have everything. They are also weak because, instead of climbing trees and playing on the streets like I did, they spend their early childhood in front of the TV."

Asked how she coped with the emotional transition from sport into the world beyond, she said: "I have not made a transition out of gymnastics. I will be in gymnastics for ever. I am still performing and practising. Gymnastics is not a part of my life: gymnastics is life."

Some will see Korbut's tumultuous journey as providing a cautionary tale for aspiring sports stars, although the woman herself would view things differently. What she would concede, however, is that avoiding the pitfalls of teenage celebrity is every bit as challenging as gaining the celebrity in the first place.

Source:

http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/sport/olympics/article4133206.ece

Google