Elena Mukhina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Elena Mukhina Елена Мухина
Elena Mukhina
Personal information
Full name	Elena Vyacheslavovna Mukhina
Alternative name(s)	Elena Muchina Yelena Muchina Yelena Mukhina
Country represented	Soviet Union
Born	(1960-06-01)1 June 1960 Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Died	22 December 2006(2006-12-22) (aged 46) Moscow, Russia
Hometown	Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior International Elite
Years on national team	3
Club	CSKA Moscow
Head coach(es)	Mikhail Klimenko [ru]
Eponymous skills	Mukhina salto (floor exercise), Mukhina hecht (uneven bars), Mukhina flip (uneven bars)
Medal record Representing  Soviet Union World Championships Gold 1978 Strasbourg Team Gold 1978 Strasbourg All-Around Gold 1978 Strasbourg Floor Exercise Silver 1978 Strasbourg Uneven Bars Silver 1978 Strasbourg Balance Beam World Cup Final Gold 1977 Oviedo Uneven Bars Gold 1977 Oviedo Balance Beam European Championships Gold 1977 Prague Balance Beam Gold 1977 Prague Floor Exercise Gold 1977 Prague Uneven Bars Gold 1979 Copenhagen Uneven Bars Silver 1977 Prague All-Around Silver 1979 Copenhagen Floor Exercise Bronze 1977 Prague Vault

Elena Vyacheslavovna Mukhina (Russian: Елена Вячеславовна Мухина) was a talented Soviet gymnast. She was born on June 1, 1960, in Moscow, Russia. Elena became famous for winning the all-around title at the 1978 World Championships in Strasbourg, France.

Her gymnastics career was very promising. However, in 1979, she broke her leg. While recovering, she was pressured to learn a very difficult and risky move called the Thomas salto. Sadly, just two weeks before the 1980 Summer Olympics, she broke her neck during practice. This injury left her unable to move her arms and legs.

Elena Mukhina's Early Life

Elena Mukhina was born on June 1, 1960, in Moscow, Russia. When she was five years old, both of her parents passed away. Her grandmother, Anna Ivanovna, then raised her.

Elena's Gymnastics Career

Elena became interested in gymnastics and figure skating when she was young. When a scout from a sports club visited her school, she was eager to try out for gymnastics. She later joined the CSKA Moscow sports club. This club was also known as the "Central Red Army" sports club. Elena was later honored by being added to the CSKA Hall of Fame.

Becoming a Top Gymnast

Before 1975, Elena was not a very well-known gymnast. Soviet coaches mostly overlooked her. But then, two things helped her skills stand out for the Soviet team. First, Romanian gymnasts, especially Nadia Comăneci, performed very well at the 1976 Olympics. This made the Soviet team want to improve. Second, Elena started working with a new coach, Mikhail Klimenko [ru]. He helped her become one of the most exciting gymnasts of her time.

World Championship Success

Elena truly shined at the 1978 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Strasbourg, France. She gave an amazing performance and won the gold medal in the all-around competition. She beat famous gymnasts like Nadia Comăneci and top Soviet gymnast Nellie Kim.

She also won a gold medal in the floor exercise. She earned silver medals in the balance beam and uneven bars events. Elena made history at this competition by showing off her unique moves. These included a special Korbut flip on the uneven bars and a difficult dismount on the balance beam. She also performed a challenging somersault on the floor, which was named the "Muchina" after her.

Even with these new moves, Elena kept the classic Soviet gymnastics style. This style was known for its ballet-like movements and graceful lines. People quickly saw her as an athlete to watch for at the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow.

Elena Mukhina on the balance beam at the 1978 World Championships in Strasbourg.

Elena Mukhina's Injury

Elena's floor exercise routines were considered very new and exciting. They included a never-before-seen combination somersault called the "Muchina." However, in 1979, her coach wanted her to learn a move from men's gymnastics. This was the Thomas salto. It is a very difficult flip with twists that ends in a forward roll.

Elena had won many titles and had her own daring moves. But she was pressured by her coach and other Soviet coaches to add this risky element to her floor routine. Elena soon realized the Thomas salto was extremely dangerous. It required perfect height and speed to complete all the flips and twists and land safely. A small mistake could cause a serious injury.

Broken Leg and Pressure to Recover

In 1979, while training for the 1979 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, Elena broke her leg. This meant she could not compete in the World Championships. The Soviet team lost to Romania at this competition.

With the 1980 Moscow Olympics less than a year away, there was huge pressure on the Soviet coaches and doctors. They wanted Elena, the previous all-around champion, to recover quickly. In an interview, Elena said that the doctors at TsITO (a medical institute) tried to rush her back to training too soon. She begged them not to remove her cast because she knew she was not healed.

When the doctors removed her cast, Elena felt that she was walking "crookedly." X-rays showed that her leg fracture had not healed correctly. She had surgery that afternoon. However, one coach unfairly blamed her for not being "conscientious." Against her wishes again, doctors removed her cast early. Elena returned to training for the Olympics. She also started a tough workout program to lose weight she had gained while recovering.

The Tragic Accident

Elena's leg was still weak, and she was very tired from her intense workouts. She found it hard to master the Thomas salto, which was supposed to be a new part of her floor routine. Elena warned that the move often caused minor injuries and was very dangerous. But she was still pushed to keep it in her routine and continued to practice it.

On July 3, 1980, just two weeks before the Moscow Olympics, Elena was practicing the Thomas salto. She did not rotate enough, and she landed on her chin. This broke her spine and left her unable to move her body. Elena was training at the Minsk Palace of Sport when the injury happened. Her coach, Klimenko, was not there.

The Soviet Union gave her the Order of the Badge of Honour in 1980 because of her injury. Later, in 1982 or 1983, Juan Antonio Samaranch, the President of the IOC, gave her the Silver Medal of the Olympic Order.

After her injury, the Soviet Gymnastics Federation kept quiet about what happened. Information about her fall came out slowly. Elena became very private after the accident and rarely talked about it publicly. Despite everything, Elena took some responsibility for not saying no to protect herself. She said her first thought after her neck broke was, "Thank God, I won't be going to the Olympics."

Life After the Injury

Elena's coach, Mikhail Klimenko, was deeply affected by her injury. He had hoped Elena would be on the 1980 Soviet Olympic team. Soon after Elena's injury, Klimenko moved to Italy. He lived there with his children until he passed away from cancer in 2007.

After Elena's paralysis and other close calls with gymnasts, the Thomas salto was removed from the official rules for women's gymnastics. This meant female gymnasts were no longer allowed to perform it. It remained an allowed skill for men for some time, but as of 2017, similar risky moves were banned for both men and women.

Elena Mukhina wrote articles for Moscow News in the late 1980s. Her injury was also featured in a 1991 documentary. Elena was very interested in children and young gymnasts, both before and after her injury. She also had strong religious beliefs and loved horses and cartoons. Elena was grateful to her former teammates who stayed in touch, especially Yelena Davydova, whom she called "A real friend."

Elena was cared for by her grandmother. After her grandmother passed away, another former gymnast, Elena Gurina, cared for her.

In 2021, many people compared Elena Mukhina's situation to that of Simone Biles. This happened when Simone Biles decided to withdraw from some events at the 2020 Tokyo Olympics due to health concerns.

Elena Mukhina's Passing

Elena Mukhina passed away on December 22, 2006. Her death was due to complications from her paralysis.

As a tribute, the sports magazine Sovetsky Sport put her on the cover of its Christmas 2006 issue. A memorial service was held for her on December 27. She was buried at the Troekourov Cemetery in Moscow.

Elena Mukhina's Achievements

Gymnastics Skills Named After Elena

Elena Mukhina has two gymnastics skills named after her in the official Code of Points.

See also

In Spanish: Yelena Mújina para niños

• Yelena Shushunova, a Russian gymnast who performed the Thomas Salto in 1987.
• Julissa Gomez, an American gymnast who became paralyzed in a vaulting accident in 1988 and later passed away.
• Christy Henrich, an American gymnast who struggled with an eating disorder due to pressure to lose weight, which led to her death.
• Sang Lan, a Chinese gymnast who became paralyzed after a vaulting accident in 1998. She now helps disabled people in China.