Svetlana Khorkina

Svetlana Khorkina
— Gymnast —
Svetlana Khorkina in 2009
Personal information
Nickname(s)	Sveta
Country represented	Russia
Born	(1979-01-19) 19 January 1979 Belgorod, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height	165 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Weight	47 kg (104 lb)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior International Elite
Years on national team	1994-2004
Head coach(es)	Boris Vasilevich Pilkin
Assistant coach(es)	Anna Pilina
Music	See below
Retired	2004
Medal record Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 4 1 World Championships 9 8 3 World Cup Final 0 1 0 European Championships 13 5 2 European Team Championships 2 0 0 Event 1st 2nd 3rd All-Around (OG/WC) 3 2 0 Uneven Bars (OG/WC) 7 1 0 Balance Beam (OG/WC) 0 1 0 Vault (OG/WC) 1 1 0 Floor Exercise (OG/WC) 0 2 2 Representing  Russia Olympic Games 1996 Atlanta Uneven Bars 2000 Sydney Uneven Bars 1996 Atlanta Team 2000 Sydney Team 2000 Sydney Floor Exercise 2004 Athens All-Around 2004 Athens Team World Championships 1995 Sabae Uneven Bars 1996 San Juan Uneven Bars 1997 Lausanne All-Around 1997 Lausanne Uneven Bars 1999 Tianjin Uneven Bars 2001 Ghent Vault 2001 Ghent All-Around 2001 Ghent Uneven Bars 2003 Anaheim All-Around 1994 Brisbane Vault 1994 Brisbane Uneven Bars 1995 Sabae All-Around 1997 Lausanne Team 1997 Lausanne Balance Beam 1997 Lausanne Floor Exercise 1999 Tianjin Team 2001 Ghent Team 1994 Dortmund Team 1999 Tianjin Floor Exercise 2001 Ghent Floor Exercise World Cup Final 1998 Sabae Uneven Bars European Championships 1994 Stockholm Uneven Bars 1996 Birmingham Uneven Bars 1998 St. Petersburg All-Around 1998 St. Petersburg Uneven Bars 1998 St. Petersburg Floor Exercise 2000 Paris Team 2000 Paris All-Around 2000 Paris Uneven Bars 2000 Paris Balance Beam 2002 Patras Team 2002 Patras All-Around 2002 Patras Uneven Bars 2004 Amsterdam Uneven Bars 1994 Stockholm Team 1994 Stockholm All-Around 1996 Birmingham Team 1998 St. Petersburg Team 2002 Patras Balance Beam 2004 Amsterdam Team 2004 Amsterdam Balance Beam European Team Championships 1999 Patras Team 2003 Moscow Team

Svetlana Vasilyevna Khorkina (Russian: Светлана Васильевна Хоркина; born 19 January 1979) is a retired Russian artistic gymnast. She competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics, the 2000 Summer Olympics, and the 2004 Summer Olympics. During her career, Khorkina won seven Olympic medals and twenty World Championship medals. She was the first gymnast to win three all-around titles at the World Championships. Svetlana Khorkina is one of the most successful female gymnasts of all time.^[1]

Senior career

1994-1996

In April 1994, Khorkina competed at the World Championships in Brisbane, Australia. She placed ninth in the all around with a score of 38.805. In event finals, she placed second on vault scoring 9.800, second on uneven bars scoring 9.875, and eighth on floor scoring 8.487.^[2] In November 1994, Khorkina competed at a separate World Team Championships in Dortmund, Germany. She contributed an all-around score of 39.450 toward the Russian team's third-place finish.^[3]

In October 1995, Khorkina competed at the World Championships in Sabae, Japan. In the all around final, she placed second with a score of 39.130. In event finals, she placed fifth on vault scoring 9.618 and first on uneven bars scoring 9.900.^[4] In April 1996, Khorkina competed at the World Championships in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She placed fifth on vault scoring 9.637 and first on uneven bars scoring 9.787.^[5] In May 1996, Khorkina competed at the European Championships in Birmingham, United Kingdom. She helped Russia win the silver medal in the team final and individually she placed sixth in the all around final with a score of 38.549. In event finals, she placed fourth on vault scoring 9.725 and first on uneven bars scoring 9.825.^[6]

Atlanta Olympics (1996)

In July 1996, Khorkina competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States. In the team final, she contributed a combined compulsory and optional score of 77.648 toward the Russian team's second-place finish.^[7] In the all-around final, she fell on the uneven bars in the final rotation and finished fifteenth in the standings with a total score of 38.455. Three days later, Khorkina redeemed herself by winning the gold medal in the uneven bars final with a score of 9.850.^[8]

1997-2000

In September 1997, Khorkina competed at the World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland. She helped Russia placed second in the team final and individually she won the all around final with a score of 38.636. In event finals, she placed eighth on vault scoring 4.537, first on uneven bars scoring 9.875, second on balance beam scoring 9.787, and second on floor scoring 9.800.^[9] In November 1997, Khorkina caused a scandal by posing for the Russian edition of Playboy. She said, “'I changed people's attitudes. It's very good to be sexy. My career made it clear that tall girls can do incredible things. I opened the way. Now I'm famous all over the world.”^[10] In May 1998, Khorkina competed at the European Championships in St. Petersburg, Russia. She helped the Russian team finish second and individually she won the all around final with a score of 38.624. In event finals, she placed first on uneven bars scoring 9.900 and first on floor scoring 9.787.^[11]

In October 1999, Khorkina competed at the World Championships in Tianjin, China. She helped Russia place second in the team final and individually she placed twelfth in the all around final with a score of 37.611. In event finals, she placed first on uneven bars scoring 9.837 and third on floor scoring 9.787.^[12] In May 2000, Khorkina competed at the European Championships in Paris, France. She helped the Russian team win the gold medal and individually she won the all around final with a score of 38.749. In event finals, she placed first on uneven bars scoring 9.837 and first on balance beam scoring 9.837.^[13]

Sydney Olympics (2000)

In September, Khorkina competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. In qualifications, the Russian team placed first^[14] and individually Khorkina placed first in the all around with a score of 39.005. She also qualified to the vault, uneven bars, and floor event finals.^[15] In the team final, Khorkina contributed an all-around score of 38.261 toward the Russian team's second-place finish.

In the all around final, Khorkina placed tenth with a score of 37.929.^[16] During the final the vault was set five centimeters too low causing many gymnasts to fall including Khorkina. After her bad crash on vault, Khorkina was mentally shaken and fell off the uneven bars. Half way through the competition the error was corrected and the gymnasts who had already vaulted were allowed to vault again but Khorkina refused knowing that it would not put her in medal contention.^[17]

In event finals, Khorkina gave up her spot in the vault final to teammate, Elena Zamolodchikova, who ended up winning the gold medal. Khorkina said, "I thought she could win the gold. I'm glad I could give her that opportunity." She then won the uneven bars final with a score of 9.862. Commenting on the all-around final, Khorkina said, "If I didn't get over the disappointment, I wouldn't be Khorkina. I wouldn't be standing here with the gold medal. It still hurts a lot. It was cruel to all the participants, to vault on a nonstandard height. It's quite possible to get killed. The five centimeters could decide the future of a sports person. But I was fortunate to have many people to help me get through it. Tomorrow, I will dance for Russia. I will leave what happened on the vault far behind me, like the North Pole." She then won the silver medal in the floor final with a score of 9.812.^[18]

Khorkina received the Order of Honour from Russian President Vladimir Putin on 8 June 2001.

2001-2004

In October 2001, Khorkina competed at the World Championships in Ghent, Belgium. She helped the Russian team win the silver medal and individually she won the all around final with a score of 37.617. In event finals, she placed first on vault scoring 9.412, first on uneven bars scoring 9.437, and third on floor scoring 9.375.^[19] In April 2002, Khorkina competed at the European Championships in Patras, Greece. She helped Russia win the first place in the team competition and individually she won the all around competition with a score of 37.592. In event finals, she placed first on uneven bars scoring 9.550, second on balance beam scoring 9.262, and fifth on floor scoring 9.075.^[20] In November 2002, Khorkina competed at the World Championships in Debrecen, Hungary. She placed seventh on uneven bars scoring 7.387 and fourth on balance beam scoring 9.462.^[21]

In March 2003, Khorkina competed at the World Cup event in Thessaloniki, Greece. She placed first on uneven bars scoring 9.425.^[22] In August 2003, Khorkina competed at the World Championships in Anaheim, United States. She won the all around final for with a score of 38.124^[23] This was the first time a gymnast had won three World all around titles. In November 2003, Khorkina competed at the World Cup event in Stuttgart, Germany. She placed third on vault scoring 9.268, third on uneven bars scoring 9.425, third on balance beam scoring 9.225, and second on floor scoring 9.187.^[24] At the end of April 2004, Khorkina competed at the European Championships in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. She helped the Russian team place third and individually she placed fourth in the all around final with a score of 36.848. In event finals, she placed first on uneven bars scoring 9.662, third on balance beam scoring 9.325, and seventh on floor scoring 9.112.^[25]

Athens Olympics (2004)

In August, Khorkina competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. In the team final, she contributed an all around score of 38.062 toward the Russian team's third-place finish. In the all around final, she won the silver medal with a score of 38.211 and placed eighth in the uneven bars final with a score of 8.925.^[26]

Eponymous skills

Khorkina has eight eponymous skills.

Personal life

The sport complex of the Belgorod State University, named in honour of Khorkina, in Belgorod, her native city

Svetlana Khorkina was born on 19 January 1979, the daughter of Vasiliy and Lyubov. She has a younger sister, Yulia, who was also a gymnast. Khorkina said, "As a child, I was very picky with my food. My mother hoped, that if she puts me into gymnastics, I would start eating breakfast without frowning, after having spent a lot of energy in the gym. This is how, by simple nutritional reasons, I started my gymnastics career at the age of four."^[27]

At 5’5”, most people thought that Khorkina was too tall to be an artistic gymnast. However her coach, Boris Pilkin, saw her potential and created alternative training methods and skills to accommodate her taller body. Khorkina has more skills named after her in the Code of Points than any other gymnast.^[28]

Khorkina was known for her dramatic and opinionated personality, often being called a diva.^[29][30] She said, “I wouldn't have been called a diva or a queen if I wasn't creative. My costume and make-up were always important to me. When people come to see gymnastics they want a performance, not just a sport. I have a talent. I have accomplished so much in sport it will take dozens of years before anyone else achieves as much.”^[10]

After retiring from gymnastics, in December 2005 Khorkina was named vice-president of the Russian Artistic Gymnastics Federation. In 2008, she was a commentator for the Beijing Olympics’ gymnastics competition for the Russian TV station NTV+ and released her autobiography entitled, “Somersaults in High Heels” published by Olma-Press.^[1][31] She is also an ambassador for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.^[1][32] Khorkina has been a member of the political party of United Russia since 2003. She was elected as a deputy for the Russian State Duma in 2007 and served until 2011.^[1][32]

On 21 July 2005, Khorkina gave birth to a son, Svyatoslav Khorkin at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, United States but refused to name the father of the child. In April 2011, Khorkina married Oleg Kochnev. He is a former general in Russia’s Federal Security Service and is twenty-three years her senior.

Competitive history

*1998 Goodwill Games mixed pairs silver medal with Alexei Nemov.

See also

• List of Olympic female gymnasts for Russia
• List of top Olympic gymnastics medalists
• List of top medalists at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Svetlana Khorkina.

• Svetlana Khorkina at the International Federation of Gymnastics
• Khorkina(Uneven Bars animation)