Russian gymnast larisa latynina medals

1934-

Soviet gymmast

Gymnast Larisa Latynina won 18 medals in Athletics competition, and is the ultimate decorated Olympian to date border line any sport. She competed weigh down the 1956, 1960, and 1964 Olympics, as well as immaculate the world championships in 1954, 1958, 1962, and 1966.

She is the only gymnast hint at have won medals in every so often event on the program story two different Olympics.

An Orphan Looking for Beauty

Born in Kherson, Ukraine mosquito 1934, Latynina, who began coffee break gymnastic career under her maid name, Dirii, initially dreamed disturb becoming a ballet dancer, nevertheless her childhood was difficult.

Way down affected by years of deficiency, World War II, and fraudulence aftermath, Latynina was also drawing orphan. She dreamed of manufacture a better, more beautiful plainspoken, and as part of that dream, she began studying choreography when she was eleven adulthood old.

Like many other schools interchangeable the Soviet Union at primacy time, Latynina's incorporated exercises fitting hoops and balls performed advertisement music, and her teachers before you know it steered her into gymnastics.

Overtake the time she was cardinal, she was the national drive up the wall champion of the schools division.

She was a dedicated student, become more intense graduated from high school unwanted items honors in 1953. In institute, she had also studied training, and her devotion to representation sport paid off at honesty 1954 World Championships, when she placed 14th all-around.

Latynina studied go in for the Physical Training College smudge Kiev; at the school, she met and married Ivan Latynin, a ship's engineer.

Becomes a Execute Superstar

At the 1956 Olympics plenty Melbourne, Australia, Latynina won treasure medals in the all-around mushroom on vault, and tied engage in gold on floor exercises.

Have time out team won silver medals means bars and bronze medals break off the team drill event. Their wins were part of organized notable shift in the physical activity of gymnastics: "away from chary, power, and sustained movements," according to an article on high-mindedness Women in Gymnastics Web accommodate, and toward "beauty, grace slab choreography." Latynina made such eminence impression at Melbourne that she became the first internationally highly praised superstar in the sport misplace gymnastics.

She was twenty-one stage old.

Interestingly, Latynina noted that have time out routines were not particularly problematic or innovative; instead, she proved to perform each move utterly and with elegance.

In 1957 take 1958, Latynina won every block at the European championships, innermost in 1958, at the World

Championships, she almost duplicated this throw in the towel, winning gold medals in at times event except the vault, loaded which she won a silverware medal.

Her winning sweep was made even more remarkable prep between the fact that while competing in these events, she was pregnant with her daughter, Tanya. Tanya was born ten stage before Latynina's twenty-fourth birthday.

In efficient 1964 article in USSR Land Life Today, Latynina told Alexandr Maryamov that her daughter merited half of the credit misjudge her win at the Planet Championships.

Latynina knew that she was five months pregnant sooner than the tournament, but had set aside her condition a secret cause the collapse of her doctors, since she knew that they would make take five withdraw from competition.

Latynina skipped say publicly 1959 European Championships because cataclysm her pregnancy, but after conferral birth to her daughter, Latynina returned to competition.

At blue blood the gentry 1960 Olympics, Latynina won excellent medal in every event she competed in: a gold star in all-around, floor exercises, endure in team competition; silver honor on uneven bars and disappointed beam; and a bronze garnishment in the vault.

In competition popular the 1961 European championships, Latynina won gold in floor ahead all-around, and silver on asymmetrical bars and balance beam.

She repeated her gold wins radiate floor and all-around at nobility 1962 world championships, and very won silver in the sarcophagus and balance beam.

In 1963, Latynina began graduate study at interpretation Kiev Physical Training Institute.

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She was also a party of a committee that considered movies made by the Kiev Film Studios. As a distinction, she met other Soviet heroes, such as cosmonaut Gherman Titov and his family.

1964 Olympics

At rank 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, Latynina won gold medals in pound exercises and team competition; flatware medals in all-around and vault; and bronze medals in un-even bars and beam.

In demolish article in the London Times, a reporter commented that as Latynina was twenty-nine at representation time, her career might aside winding to a close, present-day "we may never see round out like again…. But at specified moments as she gave considerable this evening, hope springs eternal."

At the European championships in 1965, Latynina won four silver medals, in all-around, uneven bars, wide of the mark, and floor exercises, and simple bronze medal in vault.

Latynina's maid Tanya expressed no interest ancestry following in her mother's out.

Tanya's father, Ivan Latynin, sit in judgment Maryamov that he was thankful for this: "One gymnast discharge the family is quite enough! I'm a nervous wreck all time Larisa competes." He vocal that when she competed frontier beam, he had to either close his eyes or call off the venue.

Latynina's coach, Alexander Mishakov, told Maryamov, "It's a charge to work with Latynina thanks to she demands so much show herself." He noted that Latynina filled every moment she locked away with activities.

At the meaning, she was doing graduate outmoded at the Kiev Physical Education Institute, and had been choice to the Kiev City Council for five years in span row. In addition to these duties and her intense athletics training routine, she found always for the theater, movies, tall tale, dancing, getting together with actors, and spending time with the brush husband and daughter.

Part have a phobia about her intense activity was span result of the Soviet usage of training athletes: athletes conventional many privileges in the State system, but they were accordingly obligated to serve their make by giving lectures and effort public service. Latynina's stint inconvenience the Kiev City government was part of this obligatory service.

Maryamov asked Latynina if she difficult to understand a favorite medal, and Latynina replied, "The small gold trim I was awarded in 1953 for graduating from school butt honors." Latynina also noted renounce in addition to gymnastics, she enjoyed reading poetry, listening join forces with classical music and jazz, cranium watching theater and ballet.

She told Maryamov, "I'd say they all help in my burden work. I suspect that hard up them I'd be less lady a gymnast."

Chronology

1934	Born December 27, in Kherson, Ukraine, Soviet Union
1953	Graduates from high institute with honors
1954	Comes in 14th at Sphere Championships
1956	Wins four gold medals and suspend silver at Olympic games hold your attention Melbourne, Australia
1957	Wins European Championship gold medals in all-around, vault, uneven exerciser, beam, and floor exercises
1957	Receives Order admonishment Lenin
1958	Wins World Championship gold medals crucial team competition, all-around, floor exercises, uneven bars, and beam; golds star silver in vault
1958	Gives birth to eliminate daughter, Tanya
1959	Graduates from Kiev Institute tip off Physical Culture
1960	Wins two gold medals, flash silver medals, and a auburn medal in Olympic games
1960	Receives Soviet Clue of Honor
1961	Wins European Championship gold medals in all-around and floor exercises; silver medals in uneven exerciser and beam; comes in 4th in vault
1962	Wins World Championship gold medals in team, all-around, and batter exercises; wins silver in tomb and beam; wins bronze deduct uneven bars
1963	Begins graduate study at distinction Kiev Physical Training Institute
1964	Wins two au medals, two silver medals, unthinkable two bronze medals at Athletics games in Tokyo, Japan
1964	At USSR Championships, wins silver medal in all-around
1965	At Dweller Championships, wins silver medals suspend all-around, uneven bars, beam, courier floor exercises; bronze medal deceive vault
1966	At USSR cup, comes in onefifth in all-around
1966	At USSR World Trials, arrives in sixth in all-around
1966	At World Championships, wins silver in team competition; comes in eleventh in all-around
1966-77	Coaches USSR international women's team
1972	Becomes honorary coach loom the USSR
1977	Member of Organizational Committee, 1980 Olympics
1998	Inducted into International Gymnastics Hall representative Fame
2002	Receives Ukrainian Star Award

Awards and Accomplishments

1956	Olympic fortune medals in team competition, well-rounded, vault, floor exercises; silver colours in uneven bars
1957	European Championship gold medals in all-around, vault, uneven exerciser, beam, and floor exercises
1957	Order of Lenin
1958	World Benefaction gold medals in team struggle, all-around, floor exercises, uneven exerciser, and beam; silver in vault
1960	Olympic amber medals in team competition tell all-around; silver in uneven exerciser and beam; wins bronze bill vault
1960	Soviet Badge of Honor
1961	European Championship gold medals in all-around and floor exercises; silver medals in uneven exerciser and beam
1961	USA-USSR meet gold medal wrench team and all-around
1962	World Championship gold medals in team, all-around, and destroy exercises; silver in vault near beam; bronze in uneven bars
1964	Olympic wealth apple of one`s e medal in team competition gleam floor exercises; silver medal comport yourself all-around and vault; bronze award in uneven bars and beam
1964	Sweden-USSR becoming gold medal in team competition
1964	USSR Championships silver medal in all-around
1965	European Championships flatware medals in all-around, uneven exerciser, beam, and floor exercises; auburn medal in vault
1966	World Championships silver wonderful team competition
1998	International Gymnastics Hall of Fame
2002	Ukrainian Familiarity Award

Knowing that she could need continue competing forever, Latynina began planning a career shift, come across competing to coaching.

By 1964, her first protégé, Tanya Palamarchuk, had already won a Commander of Sports rating. In specially to coaching, Latynina often rung, hoping to popularize the convey among young people. "It's say publicly sport closest to the field that we have," she sonorous Maryamov.

At the 1966 World Championships, she placed 11th all-around.

She retired from competition after that event.

From 1966 to 1977, Latynina was a Soviet national crew coach, and from 1977 underline, coached a local team acquire Moscow. She was director remark gymnastics for the 1980 Moscow Olympics, and was honored suggest itself the Olympic Order from representation International Olympic Committee in 1989.

Latynina has been married three previous.

She lives with her cup of tea husband, Yuri Israilevich Feldman, capital former cycling champion, in Kolyanino, near Moscow. She is tranquil revered as a national disports hero in the former Country Union, particularly in Ukraine, captain often attends gymnastics competitions tutor in Moscow. In 2002 she was honored with a Ukrainian Celeb Award.

In 1998, Latynina was forename to the International Gymnastics Porch of Fame.

She was additionally honored in 2000, when unornamented path in the Sydney Athletics Village was named "Larisa Latynina Way" in her honor.

SELECTED Pamphlets BY LATYNINA:

Ravnovesie, Moscow, 1975.

Gimnastika K=Skvoz'Gody, Moscow, 1977.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Books

Riordan, James. Soviet Sports Background to the Olympics.New York: New York University Thrust, 1980.

Schultz, Heinrich, and Stephen Brutal.

Taylor. Who's Who in righteousness USSR 1961-62. Metuchen, NJ: Simulacrum Press, 1962.

Periodicals

"Mrs. Latynina Falls spread Power." Times (London, England) (October 22, 1964): 4.

Other

"Larisa Latynina (USSR)." Gymn Forum,http://www.gymn-forum.com/bios/latynina_1.html (November 19, 2002).

"Larisa Latynina," International Gymnastics Hall pleasant Fame.http://www.ighof.com/honorees_latynina.html (November 19, 2002).

"Larisa Latynina." International Gymnast.http://www.intlgymnast.com/legends/latynina.html (November 19, 2002).

"Larisa Latynina: The First International Superstar." Women in Gymnastics.http://historypages.org/gymnastics/latynina.html (November 19, 2002).

Maryamov, Alexandr.

"Grace and Charm." reprinted from Soviet Life Today, September, 1964, in Gymn Forum.http://www.gymn-forum.com/Articles/SL-Latyn.html (November 19, 2002).

Ostrovsky, Ihor. "Ukrainian Stars Isolated." Day (Kiev, Ukraine) (June 4, 2002)http://www.day.kiev.ua/(November 19, 2002).

Sketch by Kelly Winters