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1974 MAG World Championships

1974: The Men’s Event Finals at the World Championships

The Japanese men were unable to dominate on the final day of competition in Varna — in part because Kasamatsu withdrew from several events.

As clear as the Japanese won team and individual victories, they could not assume this dominant role in the apparatus final, especially as Kasamatsu had to forego competing on rings, parallel bars, and high bar due to a shoulder injury.

Neues Deutsches Turnen, No. 12, 1974

So klar die Japaner Mannschafts-und Einzelsieg erkämpften — im Gerätefinale konnten sie diese dominierende Rolle nicht spielen, zumal Kasamatsu an den Ringen, am Barren und am Reck wegen einer Schulterverletzung auf den Start verzichten mußte.

Six different gymnasts won gold medals, representing five different countries (Japan, the Soviet Union, Hungary, Romania, and West Germany).

Below, you’ll find snippets of newspaper reports, as well as videos from the 1974 men’s event finals, which took place on Sunday, October 27.

Enjoy!

Eberhard Gienger, 1974

Quick Links: Floor | Pommel Horse | Rings | Vault | Parallel Bars | High Bar

Floor Exercise

Reminder: COA stands for the average of the compulsories and optional scores from competitions Ia and Ib.

GymnastCTRYCOAFinalTotal
1. Kasamatsu
Shigeru
JPN9.6759.70019.375
2. Kajiyama
Hiroshi
JPN9.5259.80019.325
3. Keranov
Andrei
BUL9.5259.70019.225
4. Marchenko
Vladimir
URS9.5509.60019.150
5. Hanschke
Rainer
GDR9.5009.40018.900
6. Mikaelian
Edvard
URS9.5009.30018.800

The triple twist dismount on men’s floor turns 50 this year.

Kasamatsu claimed the world champion title, but the standout performer without a doubt was the ever-smiling Kajiyama, who achieved the highest score in the final with a remarkable 9.8. He executed a double somersault at the beginning and a triple twist at the end, seeming to spend more time in the air than on the ground.

Népsport, October 28, 1974

A világbajnoki címet ugyan hozott pontjai segítségével Kaszamacu szerezte meg, de a szer legjobbja kétségtelenül a mindig mosolygó, Kadzsijama, aki a döntő legmagasabb értékét, 9.8-at kapta. Egy dupla szaltó az elején, egy tripla csavar a végén, közben szinte többet volt a levegőben, mint a földön. 

Here’s Kajiyama’s triple twist dismount from event finals:

Kajiyama Hiroshi’s triple twist dismount

Here’s a video of Marchenko’s floor routine with a full-twisting double tuck.

Note: He had competed the same skill earlier in the year in Riga.


Pommel Horse

GymnastCTRYCOAFinalTotal
1. Magyar
Zoltán
HUN9.6759.90019.575
2. Andrianov
Nikolai
URS9.5759.80019.375
3. Kenmotsu
Eizo
JPN9.5759.65019.225
4. Kasamatsu
Shigeru
JPN9.6509.30018.950
5. Molnár
Imre
HUN9.4759.40018.875
6. Thüne
Wolfgang
GDR9.4509.05018.500

Zoltán Magyar’s “playful” approach to pommel horse gave him a 9.9.

The gymnasts, including two Hungarians, Zoltán Magyar and Imre Molnár, headed to the pommel horse. Even during the warm-up, Zoli garnered applause for his seemingly effortless and almost “playful” approach to the apparatus, all while maintaining remarkable precision and safety. His coach, László Vigh, stood at the farthest geometric point in the room from the horse, yet I could sense his anticipation and anxiety, empathizing with his emotions. Molnár was the first to go, but unfortunately, he stumbled early in his routine, resulting in a score of just 9.4. Kasamatsu came next and was closer to Magyar, but faced a more significant setback, scoring 9.3. Then came Andrianov, who shone with a remarkable 9.8. Finally, it was Zoli’s turn, and he gave it his absolute best, executing every move flawlessly, earning an impressive 9.9!

Népsport, October 28, 1974

A lólengéshez vonultak a tornászok, köztük két magyar, Magyar Zoltán és Molnár Imre. Már a bemelegítésnél tapsot kapott Zoli, aki a maga látszólag könnyed módján fantasztikus biztonsággal szinte „játszott” a szeren. Vigh László, az edzője, a teremnek a lótól mértanilag kiszámított legtávolabbi pontján állt, mégis hallani véltem a szívdobbanását, mert együttéreztem vele. Előbb Molnárkerült sorra, sajnos, a gyakorlat elején hibázott, így csak 9.4-ig vitte. Kaszamacu, társa ,legközelebb állt Magyarhoz, súlyosaban rontott (9.3). Utána azonban Andrianov 9.8-at kapott. És utolsónak Zoli: mindent beleadott, mindent megcsinált gyönyörűen — 9.9! 

According to the Hungarian newspaper Népsport, there was no doubt that Magyar deserved to win.

While Varna did see its share of contentious results and decisions, with some world championship titles being hotly debated, there was no room for doubt when it came to Zoli’s performance on the pommel horse. He unequivocally earned the gold medal, leaving no questions unanswered.

His scores weren’t just a testament to his reputation; they were also a testament to his dazzling, nearly flawless routines. What he can achieve on the pommel horse today is unmatched by anyone else in the world; there’s simply no one who can replicate his skill.

Népsport, October 30, 1974

Volt Várnában jó néhány vitatott eredmény, döntés, néhány világbajnoki cím megszerzése hajszálon múlott, Zoli azonban pillanatig sem hagyott kétséget afelől, hogy ő érdemli meg egyedül az aranyérmet a lólengésben. 
 
Kapott pontszámait nemcsak előzetes hírének, hanem káprázatos, majdnem hibátlanul végrehajtott gyakorlatainak köszönhette. Azt, amit ő ma tud a lovon, valóban senki nem tudja a világon még utánozni sem! 

Magyar didn’t have much to say about his victory.

After a World Championship gold medal, a journalist naturally expects the winner to be happy and enthusiastic. However, when Zoltán Magyar exited the room, he simply remarked:

“It’ll do.”

These few words – and a World Championship gold medal.

Képes Sport, October 29, 1974

Az újságíró egy VB-arany után természetesen azt várja, hogy a győztes boldogan, önfeledten nyilatkozzék. Magyar Zoltán azonban, amikor kilépett a teremből, csak ennyit mondott:

​​Beérjük. 
 
Ezzel a pár szóval — és a világbajnoki aranyéremmel.

This was Hungary’s first gold in men’s artistic gymnastics at the World Championships in over 40 years.

It had been forty-four long years since our male gymnasts last tasted such victory, dating back to István Pelle’s individual world title on the horizontal bar in 1930.

Népsport, October 28, 1974

A világbajnokság leghosszabb vastapsa köszöntötte húszéves sportolónkat, aki felállhatott a dobogó legmagasabb fokára. Negyvennégy évig vártak férfi tornászaink erre a pillanatra, hiszen utoljára 1930-ban Pelle Istvánnyert egyéni világbajnoki címet, nyújtón. 

Note #1: István Pelle scored a perfect 32.0 on high bar in 1930.

Note #2: István Pelle also won gold medals on floor and pommel horse at the 1932 Olympics.

The Magyar travel, Thanks to Hardy Fink for the video

Reminder: Sivadó also performed his eponymous travel in 1974, but he did not make event finals. You can find a video here.

Rings

GymnastCTRYCOAFinalTotal
1T. Andrianov
Nikolai
URS9.7259.80019.525
1T. Grecu
Dan
ROU9.7259.80019.525
3. Szajna
Andrzej
POL9.5759.65019.225
4. Tsukahara
Mitsuo
JPN9.5759.55019.125
5. Borș
Mihai
ROU9.5009.50019.000
6. Thüne
Wolfgang
GDR9.4759.45018.925

Andrianov’s routine

Grecu’s routine

Reminder: Grecu won the rings title at the 1973 University Games, and his emphasis on strength gave Japan cause for concern.

The Romanian newspaper Sportul printed a list of quotations about the greatness of Dan Grecu.

ALBERT AZARIAN (U.S.S.R., former Olympic and world champion, member of the rings refereeing brigade): “Confirming his successes at the 1973 E.C. and Moscow University World Championships, Dan Grecu has now won the world title. It is a result that the Romanian gymnast highly deserves. He performed convincingly and my wish for him is to perform as he did during Sunday’s final in all future competitions. I am convinced that in Montreal we will once again see an extremely interesting fight at this apparatus and, without a doubt, Dan Grecu shall be among the favorites. I wish him a lot of success!” 

NICOLAE VIERU (General Secretary of R.G.F.): “Through his virtue and strength, Dan Grecu has achieved the greatest success of Romanian Gymnastics. We are happy to return home with a gold medal, but at the same time we regret that we did not get the “bronze” through Alina Goreac on vault, a performance of which our sportswoman – one of the best gymnasts in the world – was separated by only 5 hundredths. I think that, in the future, the strengths and possibilities of Romanian gymnastics should be better exploited. The good performance of the Romanian team at this 18th edition of the World Championships stimulates us all to work even harder in order to bring new prestigious results for the country.” 

FRANK CUMISKEY (Secretary of the Gymnastics Federation of U.S.A.): “What I liked about the new world champion, Dan Grecu, was the great confidence and precision with which he performed the elements of strength, the amplitude of his movement. Dan Grecu left an excellent impression on me a year ago, when the Romanian teams toured our country. I’m glad that here, in Varna, he has confirmed his international class.” 

N. ANDRIANOV (U.S.S.R.) “Dan Grecu is an excellent gymnast, especially on rings. I appreciate the calm, optimism and confidence with which he prepares his entry into the exercise. We’ve met several times so far, and I enjoy seeing him progress from one competition to the another. We are now bound not only by friendship, but also… by a gold medal at the World Championships! I will be amongst the first one to applaud his future success!” 

MAX BANGERTER (Switzerland, General Secretary of F.I.G.): “Even a year ago, in Brazil, I sensed the high value of the Romanian gymnast. Here in Varna, in the apparatus final on rings, I particularly liked his confidence and precision.” 

Sportul, October 29, 1974

ALBERT AZARIAN (U.R.S.S., fost campion olimpic și mondial, component al brigăzii de arbitraj la inele): „Confirmînd succesele repurtate la C.E. din 1973 și la C.M. universitare de la Moscova, Dan Grecu a cucerit acum titlul mondial. Este un rezultat pe care gimnastul român îl merită cu prisosință. El a evoluat convingă torși îi urez ca în toate concursurile viitoare să se prezinte ca în finala de duminică. Am convingerea că la Montreal vom asista din nou la o luptă extrem de interesantă la acest aparat și, fără îndoială, că Dan Grecu se va număra printre favoriți. Ii doresc mult succes !” 
 
NICOLAE VIERU (secretar general al F.R.G.) : „Prin valoarea  și forța sa, Dan Grecu a realizat cel mai mare succes al gimnasticii românești. Suntem fericiți că venim acasă cu o medalie de aur, dar încercăm în acela și timp regretul că nu am obținut și „bronzul“ prin Alina Goreac la sărituri, performanță de care sportiva noastră — una dintre cele mai bune gimnaste din lume — a fost despărțită numai de 5 sutimi Consider că în viitor forțele și posibilitățile gimnasticii românești trebuiesc mai bine valorificate. Comportarea bună a delegației României la această a 18-a ediție a C.M. ne stimulează pe toți pentru o muncă și mai intensă spre a putea aduce țârii noi rezultate de prestigiu”. 
 
FRANK CUMISKEY (Secretar al federației de gimnastică din S.U.A.) : „Mi-a plăcut la noul campion mondial, Dan Grecu, marea siguranță și precizie cu care a executat elementele de forță, amplitudinea mișcării sale. Dan Grecu mi-a lăsat, de altfel, o excelentă impresie încă de acum un an, cînd echipele României au efectuat un turneu în tara noastră. Mă bucur că aici, la Vama, el și-a confirmat clasa internațională” 
 
N. ANDRIANOV (U.R.S.S.) „Dan Grecu este un gimnast excelent, mai ales la inele. Apreciez calmul, optimismul și încrederea cu care el își pregătește intrarea în exercițiu. Ne-am intîlnit de mai multe ori pînă acum și mă bucură să-l văd progresînd de la un concurs la altul. Ne leagă acum nu numai o prietenie, ci și… O medalie de aur la „mondiale” ! Vor fi cei dinții care îl va aplauda pentru succesele lui viitoare !” 
 
MAX BANGERTER (Elveția secretar general al F.I.G.) : „încă de acum un an, in Brazilia, am intuit valoarea ridicată a gimnastului român. Aici, la Varna, în finala pe aparate de la inele, mi-au plăcut îndeosebi siguranța și precizia sa”.

My thought bubble: Yes, translating those quotes is overkill. But there’s a part of me that loves these long lists of newspaper quotes.


Vault

GymnastCTRYCOAFinalTotal
1. Kasamatsu
Shigeru
JPN9.7009.62519.325
2. Andrianov
Nikolai
URS9.7259.52519.250
3. Kajiyama
Hiroshi
JPN9.5759.65019.225
4. Szajna
Andrzej
POL9.6759.50019.175
5. Kenmotsu
Eizo
JPN9.6259.45019.075
6. Molnár
Imre
HUN9.6259.12518.750

Unlike the women’s competition, where the best score counted, the men averaged their scores. Andrianov paid the price when he fell on his full-twisting Tsukahara.

Kolya Andrianov is the same age, but, really, he could take this leaf out of her book, as sometimes his desire to “smash” takes over. This desire resulted on Sunday in simply giving out his legitimate, so to speak, gold medal for vaults. Having brilliantly performed a forward somersault in a tuck, high and accurate, in the first attempt, and receiving an excellent 9.75 score, he could – and should have – gone for a simple and reliable twist. He rushed with his undertrained “tsukahara” with a turn instead. He accelerated, took off and then sat. He ignored everyone’s advice, and paid for it. But that’s fine, he is learning, someday he will be the world’s first, not second. This experience will come in handy – the weapon strengthen in battle.

Sovetsky Sport, no. 254, 1974

Коля Андрианов — се ровесник, но, право, может этому у нее поучиться — уж очень иногда захватывает его желание «врезать». Это желание привело в воскресенье к тому, что законную, так сказать, свою золотую медаль в прыжке он просто отдал. Исполнив в первой попытке с блеском, высоко и точно сальто вперед в группировке, получив — превосходные 9,75, он мог — и должен был — пойти на простой и надежный «винт». А он ринулся на недоученную «цукахару» с винтом, разогнался, взлетел и сел. Ничьих советов не послушал, за что и поплатился. Ничего; вперед наука, должен же он когда-нибудь стать не вторым, а первым в мире. И опыт этот пригодится — оружие крепнет в бою.

Kasamatsu performed his eponymous vault.

Thanks to Hardy Fink for the video of Kasamatsu’s vault

But, but, but: Kasamatsu was not the only gymnast to perform this vault in Varna. Safronov (URS) successfully landed this vault during the team optionals. You can see a video here.


Parallel Bars

GymnastCTRYCOAFinalTotal
1. Kenmotsu
Eizo
JPN9.6759.70019.375
2. Andrianov
Nikolai
URS9.7259.60019.325
3. Marchenko
Vladimir
URS9.5509.30018.850
4. Kajiyama
Hiroshi
JPN9.5008.77518.275
5. Jäger
Bernd
GDR9.5508.55018.100
6. Thüne
Wolfgang
GDR9.5258.10017.625

Here is Nikolai Andrianov’s routine:

Reminder: Andrianov had struggled on parallel bars during the all-around finals.

The East German gymnasts had a shot at a medal, but they struggled.

On parallel bars, our young Thüne and Jäger had a real chance of winning the bronze medal, especially since world champion Kasamatsu did not start and his teammate Kajiyama botched his exercise. But the GDR gymnasts were unable to correct their weak perception of the all-around competition on this apparatus. Thüne failed at the Diomidov and only received 8.10 points, and Jäger had to regrasp the bar during a handstand and only got 8.65 points.

Berliner Zeitung, October 28, 1974

Am Barren hatten unsere Jungen Thüne und Jäger eine reelle Chance, die Bronzemedaille zu gewinnen, zumal Weltmeister Kasamatsu auf seinen Start verzichtete und sein Vertreter Kajiyama seine Übung verpatzte. Doch die DDR-Turner konnten ihre schwache Vorstellung an diesem Gerät vom Mehrkampf nicht korrigieren. Thüne scheiterte beim Diamidow-Kreisel und erhielt nur 8,10 Punkte, und Jäger mußte bei einem Handstand nachgreifen und kam nur auf 8,65 Zähler.

High Bar

GymnastCTRYCOAFinalTotal
1. Gienger
Eberhard
FRG9.6509.85019.500
2. Thüne
Wolfgang
GDR9.7009.75019.450
3T. Kenmotsu
Eizo
JPN9.5759.70019.275
3T. Szajna
Andrzej
POL9.6259.65019.275
5. Jäger
Bernd
GDR9.6009.65019.250
6. Tsukahara
Mitsuo
JPN9.7509.15018.900

Only on the last piece of equipment, the horizontal bar, did our gymnasts once again put all their skills into the balance. Behind Gienger (FRG) Thüne won silver. Olympic champion Tsukahara, who missed a back toss over the bar and only received 9.15 points, had cleared the way to the top for both gymnasts. Jäger finished fifth with a good performance.

Berliner Zeitung, October 28, 1974

Erst am letzten Gerät, dem Reck, warfen unsere Turner noch einmal ihr ganzes Können in die Waagschale. Hinter Gienger (BRD) gewann Thüne Silber. Olympiasieger Tsukahara, der bei einem Überschlag über die Stange danebengriff und nur 9,15 Pkt. Erhielt, hatte beiden Turnern den Weg zur Spitze frei gemacht. Jäger wurde mit einer guten Leistung noch Fünfter.

Here’s Gienger’s routine from the 1974 World Championships:

/

Eberhard Gienger, Horizontal Bar, 1974

Here’s Jäger’s release from finals:

Thanks to Hardy Fink for providing the video.

Note: Jäger had performed his eponymous release earlier in the year, during a competition with the Swiss:

In the remaining five weeks until the world title fights, the focus is now on stabilizing the exercises. Bernd Jäger also performed his spectacular somersault forward into a hang on high bar in Altstätten.

Berliner Zeitung, September 16, 1974

In den noch verbleibenden fünf Wochen bis zu den Welttitelkämpfen steht nun die Stabilisierung der Übungen im Vordergrund. So turnte Bernd Jäger auch in Altstätten am Reck seinen spektakulären Salto vorwärts in den Hang.

Wrapping Things up…

As I said in the introduction to the men’s team competition, innovation and risk were flourishing in 1974. For example:

  • Bernd Jäger adapted Karin Janz’s salto for high bar, performing the now-famous Jäger release. 
  • Nikolai Andrianov attempted a triple back off high bar. (According to the East German press, he never successfully landed it.)
  • Both he and his teammate Vladimir Marchenko did full-twisting double backs on floor.
  • Janós Sivadó did his eponymous travel on pommel horse.
  • Vladimir Safronov and Kasamatsu Shigeru performed full-twisting Tsukaharas. (Andrianov attempted one, as well.) The skill is now called a Kasamatsu, and Safronov has been forgotten.

Hopefully, more and more videos of the men’s competition at the 1974 World Championships will crop up with time so that we can appreciate the sport’s beauty and steady progress.


More on 1974

One reply on “1974: The Men’s Event Finals at the World Championships”

I’m researching a gymnast from the 1920s, 1930s, named Paul Drahiem or Draheim. Anyone ever hear of him?

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