Elena Zamolodchikova facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Elena Zamolodchikova
Zamolodchikova in 1998
Personal information
Full name	Elena Mikhailovna Zamolodchikova
Alternative name(s)	Yelena Zamolodchikova
Nickname(s)	Zamo
Country represented	Russia
Born	(1982-09-19) 19 September 1982 (age 42) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Hometown	Moscow, Russia
Height	154 cm (5 ft 1 in)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team	1996-2009 (RUS)
Club	Dynamo Moscow
Former coach(es)	Nadesha Maslennikova
Retired	2009
Medal record Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 1 1 World Championships 2 3 2 World Cup Final 2 2 1 European Championships 2 4 3 European Team Championships 1 0 0 Universiade 0 1 3 Representing  Russia Olympic Games Gold 2000 Sydney Vault Gold 2000 Sydney Floor exercise Silver 2000 Sydney Team Bronze 2004 Athens Team World Championships Gold 1999 Tianjin Vault Gold 2002 Debrecen Vault Silver 1999 Tianjin Team Silver 2001 Ghent Team Silver 2003 Anaheim Vault Bronze 1999 Tianjin All-around Bronze 2006 Aarhus Team World Cup Final Gold 2000 Glasgow Vault Gold 2002 Stuttgart Vault Silver 2000 Glasgow Floor exercise Silver 2002 Stuttgart Balance beam Bronze 2006 São Paulo Vault Goodwill Games Gold 2001 Brisbane Vault Gold 2001 Brisbane Floor exercise Bronze 2001 Brisbane All-around European Championships Gold 2000 Paris Team Gold 2002 Patras Team Silver 1998 Saint Petersburg Team Silver 2000 Paris All-around Silver 2000 Paris Vault Silver 2004 Amsterdam Vault Bronze 2000 Paris Balance beam Bronze 2004 Amsterdam Team Bronze 2004 Amsterdam All-around European Team Championships Gold 2001 Riesa Team Summer Universiade Silver 2009 Belgrade Team Bronze 2005 Izmir Team Bronze 2007 Bangkok Team Bronze 2007 Bangkok Floor exercise

Elena Mikhailovna Zamolodchikova (Russian: Елена Михайловна Замолодчикова; born September 19, 1982) is a famous Russian former artistic gymnast. She won four medals at the Olympic Games. Elena was the Olympic champion in 2000 for both vault and floor exercise. She also won two World Championship titles on vault in 1999 and 2002. In 2004, she earned a bronze medal with the Russian team at the Olympics. She was added to the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2015.

Early Life and Start in Gymnastics

Elena Zamolodchikova was born in Moscow, Russia, on September 19, 1982. Her father, Mikhail Alexandrovich, worked in a dangerous job helping people after a big accident. Her mother, Irina Nikolaevna, was a teacher.

Elena started gymnastics when she was six years old. She was inspired to try it after watching a gymnastics competition on TV. For a short time, she stopped gymnastics because doctors thought she had a heart problem. Luckily, another doctor said this was not true, and she was able to go back to training.

Elena's Gymnastics Journey

Elena joined Russia's junior national team in 1996. At the 1996 Junior European Championships, her team won the gold medal. Elena also earned a silver medal on the vault.

Becoming a Senior Gymnast (1998–1999)

In 1998, Elena was old enough to compete as a senior gymnast. She helped the Russian team win a silver medal at the 1998 European Championships. She also placed fourth on vault. Later that year, she won the all-around title at the 1998 World Youth Games in Moscow.

In 1999, Elena competed in her first World Championships. She won a gold medal on vault. Her team earned a silver medal, and Elena won a bronze in the all-around competition. After this, she won more gold medals on vault at other events.

The Olympic Year (2000)

Elena started the year 2000 strong, winning a gold medal on vault at the Montreux World Cup. Even after a sad family loss, she chose to compete at the European Championships. There, she led her team to a gold medal. She also won silver medals in the all-around and vault, plus a bronze on the balance beam.

Sydney 2000 Summer Olympics

Elena was chosen for the Russian gymnastics team at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney. The team did very well in the first round. However, in the team final, some mistakes, including a fall from Elena on the balance beam, meant they won silver instead of gold. Romania took the gold medal.

In the all-around final, Elena was in first place after two events. But a fall during her floor exercise routine cost her a medal. She ended up finishing sixth.

Elena did not originally qualify for the vault final. This was due to a rule that only two gymnasts from each country could compete. However, her teammate Svetlana Khorkina gave up her spot for Elena. Svetlana believed Elena had a better chance to win gold. Elena proved her right by winning the gold medal on vault! She then went on to win her second Olympic gold medal in the floor exercise final, beating Svetlana by a tiny amount.

After the Olympics, Elena continued to win. She took gold on vault and silver on floor at the World Cup final. She also won multiple gold medals at the Stuttgart World Cup.

More Success (2001–2004)

In 2001, Elena won the all-around title at the American Cup. She continued to win gold medals on vault and floor exercise at other World Cup events. Her team also won gold at the European Team Championships. At the Goodwill Games, she earned a bronze in the all-around and two golds on vault and floor. Even with a foot injury at the World Championships, she helped her team win a silver medal.

In 2002, Elena won another gold medal on vault at the World Championships. She also helped her Russian team win gold at the European Championships. At the World Cup Final, she tied for gold on vault and won silver on balance beam.

Elena continued to perform well in 2003. She won gold medals on vault at several World Cup events. At the World Championships, she won a silver medal on vault.

In 2004, Elena won a bronze medal with the Russian team at the European Championships. She also earned a bronze in the all-around and a silver on vault. She was then chosen for her second Olympic Games in Athens. The Russian team won the bronze medal. Elena finished fourth in the vault final. After the Olympics, she won more medals at World Cup events.

Later Career and Retirement (2005–2009)

Elena kept competing at a high level in 2005 and 2006. She helped the Russian team win a bronze medal at the 2005 Summer Universiade. At the 2006 World Championships, her team won another bronze medal. She also won several bronze and silver medals on vault and floor at World Cup events.

In 2007, Elena won bronze medals with her team and on floor exercise at the Summer Universiade. She hoped to compete in her third Olympics in 2008, but a back injury stopped her. She still competed at the 2008 World Cup Final.

Elena's last competition was at the 2009 Summer Universiade. There, she helped the Russian team win a silver medal. She retired from gymnastics after this event.

Life After Gymnastics

After retiring from gymnastics, Elena Zamolodchikova became a gymnastics coach. She also became a certified judge for competitions. She studied at a university to get her coaching degree. In 2021, Elena welcomed her first child.

Gymnastics Skills Named After Elena

Elena Zamolodchikova has two special gymnastics skills named after her in the official Code of Points. This means she was the first to perform them perfectly in a major competition.

Competitive History

Elena Zamolodchikova competing on floor exercise

Year	Event	Team	AA	VT	UB	BB	FX
Junior
1996
	Junior European Championships		5				8
Senior
1998
	European Championships			4
	World Youth Games
1999
	World Championships
	Glasgow Grand Prix
	Stuttgart Grand Prix
2000	Montreux World Cup
	European Championships						8
	Olympic Games		6
	World Cup Final
	Stuttgart World Cup
2001	American Cup
	Paris World Cup
	Cottbus World Cup
	European Team Championships
	Goodwill Games
	World Championships
	Stuttgart World Cup						5
2002	Glasgow World Cup					4	8
	Paris World Cup
	European Championships			4
	World Championships
	World Cup Final				4		5
2003	American Cup		DNF
	Paris World Cup
	Glasgow World Cup						4
	Stuttgart World Cup						9
	World Championships	6
2004
	European Championships					7
	Olympic Games			4
	Glasgow World Cup				4		7
	Stuttgart World Cup						4
	World Cup Final			4			8
2005
	European Championships			5			8
	Universiade
	World Championships		16	4			4
2006	American Cup		8
	World Championships			6
	Stuttgart World Cup
	Glasgow World Cup
	World Cup Final						6
2007	Universiade
	World Championships	8		8
2008
	World Cup Final			6			4
2009	Universiade

See Also

In Spanish: Yelena Zamolódchikova para niños

• List of Olympic female gymnasts for Russia
• Katya Zamolodchikova, an American drag queen who uses Elena Zamolodchikova's last name as a tribute.