Natalya Kuchinskaya: why did the Soviet gymnast, with whom the president's son was in love, fled to the USA
'27.11.2020'
Source: Lenta.ru
About one of the strongest gymnasts of the Union, who won the hearts of thousands of Mexicans, but could not find herself at home after leaving the sport, she says Lenta.ru.
Two victories at the Olympics and three at the World Championships - the Soviet gymnast Natalya Kuchinskaya had already won the highest sports awards by the age of 19. For her visual appeal and special elegance at the 1968 Games in Mexico, the athlete was named the "Bride of Mexico City". Her photo graced the front pages of many foreign newspapers, and the son of the Mexican president offered Natalia a hand and heart. Upon returning from the Olympics, Kuchinskaya ended her career and began to train, but she could not find a permanent job. As a result, in the 1990s, the Olympic champion decided to emigrate. For almost 30 years now, she has been living in the United States and developing her own gymnastics club there.
"I ran around the hall like crazy"
Natalia Kuchinskaya was born on March 8, 1949 in Leningrad. Her mother, Yekaterina Yakovlevna, was one of the founders of the local school of rhythmic gymnastics, so Natasha and her sister Masha spent all their time in the gym from an early age. At first, both girls trained under the guidance of their mother, then they were separated. Natasha did not show much interest in sports.
“Maria is calmer than me, she stayed in rhythmic gymnastics. And I ran around the hall like a madman, only interfered with everyone, and my mother took me to the sports hall, ”she recalled.
Maria, by the way, eventually became the world champion in group exercises.
Lazar Ilyich Zatsarenny became the first coach of Kuchinskaya in artistic gymnastics. Only my mother continued to come to choreography classes - she advised, helped, prompted. For the rest, it was Zatsarenny who laid the foundation for the athlete and developed her talent. The result of this cooperation was "gold" in the absolute superiority at the USSR Championship-1965. Kuchinskaya was 16 years old, by that time she had not even finished school.
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In 1966, in search of a better place for training, I had to move to Kiev from Leningrad. Zatsarenny and Kuchinskaya did not stay there for long: problems with housing did not allow them to stay in the city. From there the coach transported the athlete to Nikolaev, and then to Odessa. The sports society of the Black Sea Shipping Company helped with the apartment. Everything seemed to work out, but after a few months Zatsarenny disappeared. According to unconfirmed reports, he emigrated to Israel because he received the permission he had been waiting for for many years. The coach did not tell anyone about his plans, and this came as a surprise even for the student. Kuchinskaya was left alone, but she had to prepare for the debut World Championship. In 1966, Dortmund hosted it.
Mexican star
Natalia's new mentor was Vladimir Aleksandrovich Smirnov, for the sake of training with whom I had to return to Kiev. The tandem Kuchinskaya - Smirnov went to the world championship. In Germany, the Soviet gymnast was in for a triumph.
Kuchinskaya outshined the main star of the national team - Larisa Latynina, a nine-time Olympic champion. She, however, was already close to leaving the sport, but still remained one of the favorites. Latynina (she will soon become the head coach of the national team, where Kuchinskaya will continue to shine) did not take a single personal award. But her young teammate became three times champion: on the uneven bars, the balance beam and in floor exercises. It is also important that in addition to Latynina, the Czechoslovak gymnast Vera Chaslavska, another contender for “gold” in almost every type of program, also lost to a 17-year-old athlete from the USSR.
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In the team championship, the USSR national team took only second place, and the “gold” remained with Czechoslovakia.
There were two years left before the Olympics in Mexico City. Kuchinskaya strengthened her leadership in the national team, won the USSR championships and was logically considered the main hope of the Soviet national team at the Games. Here is an archival video where young Kuchinskaya herself tells reporters about her plans:
Together with her, Zinaida Voronina, Olga Karaseva, Larisa Petrik, Lyudmila Turischeva and Lyubov Burda went to Mexico. It was a strong, albeit very young team - from the point of view of technology, quite a match for the more titled and experienced Czechoslovak national team, which was traditionally predicted by all the “gold” of the Games.
A month and a half before the start of the competition, the USSR, Bulgaria, Hungary, the GDR and Poland sent troops to Prague, which put an end to the reforms of the Prague Spring (the period of liberalization in Czechoslovakia, which lasted from January 5 to August 21, 1968 and was associated with the reforms of the first Secretary of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Ukraine Alexander Dubchek, aimed at expanding the rights and freedoms of citizens and decentralizing power in the country. Approx. "Lenta.ru"). The world community reacted ambiguously to the actions of the Warsaw Pact countries, and most of the sympathy at the Olympics went to Czechoslovak athletes. But the pressure on the USSR national team was colossal.
And Kuchinskaya, the team leader, could not cope with this pressure. On the first day of the Olympic tournament, she fell off the bars, making a childish mistake. It was necessary to get ready for the second day, although the chances of a medal in the individual championship were now reduced to zero. Chaslavska walked much more confidently and was in the lead. Kuchinskaya's teammate Zinaida Voronina also performed well, and it seemed that at some point she could even impose a fight on her Czechoslovak rival.
But on the second day Kuchinskaya, on which it was just right to put an end to, became a two-time Olympic champion. She perfectly performed the balance beam exercises, and also led the team to victory. She worked out all her programs without a single mistake, while Burda and Turishcheva made disruptions. But the most valuable for the athlete was the bronze medal in the all-around. It was impossible to catch up with Chaslavsk, and Natalia was separated from Voronina, who became the second, only 0,1 points. Unprecedented: close the gap and reach the podium with a fall the day before. It was a real sporting feat, and Kuchinskaya fell in love with all of Mexico in one evening.
“And what have I sacrificed for? I'm from the USSR "
Kuchinskaya was proclaimed "the bride of Mexico City": according to legend, this is the most beautiful girl who is sacrificed to the gods so that they have mercy and continue to guard the city.
“I didn't have time to get proud, because the essence of the legend was explained to me. I ask: “And what have I sacrificed for? I am generally from the USSR ”. They smile. And the next day, all the newspapers came out with the headlines: "Russian gymnast Natalia Kuchinskaya - the bride of Mexico City." But they didn’t sacrifice me, ”said the athlete.
Ahead were numerous receptions and dinner parties, meetings with fans and the Mexican elite. Mexico City turned out to be extremely hospitable, so the Soviet athletes did not have to get bored. And Kuchinskaya, the favorite of thousands of Mexican men, was certainly not up to boredom. For example, a local artist dedicated a portrait to Natalya - she took it home. On the street, passers-by certainly came up for an autograph: they knew the athlete by sight, because on Mexican television several times showed the film "Natalie", filmed after Dortmund-66.
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And at the traditional ball of the Olympians after the Games, Kuchinskaya received a marriage proposal from the son of the President of Mexico. The shocked gymnast thanked the senor, but refused. She dreamed of returning to the Union, where, it seemed, a bright future and popular love awaited her. It turned out, however, not at all.
“I learned what nostalgia is. It hurts"
In the same year, the athlete ended her career. At first, she tried to return to the training rhythm, but she could not establish the process. Injuries appeared that took a long time to heal. In addition, the study of more complex elements did not go in any way, and without this one could forget about future victories. The time has come for Olga Korbut and Nelly Kim - athletes who raised gymnastics to a new level thanks to the cosmic complexity of the programs. Kuchinskaya did not have enough motivation - this is how she herself explained her retirement from sports after years.
However, Natalia did not plan to leave the gymnasium forever. She began to train young gymnasts: first in Kiev, and after the collapse of the USSR and graduation from the Institute of Physical Education, she left for Japan under a contract. They paid well there, and at first Kuchinskaya liked everything, but then she wanted to go home.
“I’m not Japanese, or even a man of the world, as I thought. I learned what nostalgia is. It hurts, ”she explained. As a result, Kuchinskaya ended up in St. Petersburg and got a job at the modest rate of a simple coach.
“When I touch the shells, I am carried away to some other dimension,” said Natalya Kuchinskaya.
Very soon, the former athlete married businessman Alexander Kotlyar. According to unconfirmed reports, he was engaged in the production of goods for optics. Apparently, he did not conduct his business quite legally, or he managed to make enemies. One way or another, but in the mid-1980s, the husband of the Olympic champion was imprisoned for a couple of years under an economic clause. It was then that the marriage fell apart. After being released, Kotlyar emigrated to the United States, where he quickly settled down and re-established his own business.
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Natalia stayed at home. Coaching did not bring enough money, so the gymnast began to look for herself in acting, psychology, journalism, she even tried to perform in the circus. I worked a little everywhere and realized that I would still like to devote myself entirely to gymnastics - to train high achievements in sports. In the Union, they were in no hurry to give her such an opportunity, the State Committee for Sports did not need her services either, so after her ex-spouse I had to think about emigration. The last straw was a rather strange story that Kuchinskaya got into.
Once, in 1989, during a trip to Yalta, Natalya was attacked by local bandits. The former athlete was kidnapped and demanded a large ransom. Neither the gymnast nor her family had such a large sum, but her ex-husband could help. Having learned about what had happened, Kotlyar hurried to contact the bandits and pulled out Kuchinskaya. When Natalia was released, he again proposed to her - she agreed and moved to the United States. The Olympic champion never returned to her homeland.
Kotlyar helped Kuchinskaya found the International Gymnastics Gym in Illinois, where she still works as a head coach.
“I train anybody. It is so accepted here - pay money, train at least 80-year-olds. But I have children. Not bad. Of course, this is not a lot of gymnastics. But I finally calmed down. I found my family. Now a solid lady. We bought a house. We live. Received a green card. In general, everything is in order, ”she says.
At home, almost no one remembers Kuchinskaya now. She herself also does not maintain ties with Russia and Ukraine - it is not known whether she came at least once to visit. Despite this, the name of the former gymnast sometimes pops up in the press. So, Larisa Latynina in an interview with RIA Novosti said: “Her fantastic style, coupled with incredible complexity for that time, her soul, which the whole team lived, still affects our national gymnastics school. And I am proud to be the head coach of the team Natasha Kuchinskaya played for. "
