"What we did is not comparable to what modern gymnasts do," she told Reuters at her home two hours outside Moscow on Friday. "Looking at what gymnasts today do, I'm a little afraid. Latynina did not remember the Soviet gymnastics team turning to psychologists or other formal tools to improve concentration and mental performance. 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. But Latynina said Soviet authorities' desire for the country's athletes to top medal tables was not perceived as coercion.

Source: The Star July 31, 2021 05:26 UTC