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
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 (born September 19, 1982) is a retired Russian artistic gymnast. She won four medals at the Summer Olympics. Elena was the Olympic champion in both vault and floor exercise at the 2000 Summer Olympics. She also won two World Championship titles in vault in 1999 and 2002. In 2004, she earned a bronze medal with the Russian team at the Olympics. Elena was also a two-time World Cup Final vault champion. She won two European team championships with Russia. In 2015, she was honored by being added to the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

Early Life and Gymnastics Start

Elena Zamolodchikova was born in Moscow, Russia, on September 19, 1982. Her father, Mikhail Alexandrovich, was part of the Soviet Army. He was one of the first people who helped clean up after the Chernobyl accident. Her mother, Irina Nikolaevna, worked as a teacher. Elena started gymnastics when she was six years old. She was inspired to try gymnastics after watching a competition on TV. She briefly stopped training after being told she had a heart problem she was born with. However, another doctor said this was not true, and she quickly returned to gymnastics.

Elena's Gymnastics Journey

Elena joined the Russian junior national team in 1996. She competed at the 1996 Junior European Championships. There, her team won the gold medal. Elena also earned a silver medal on the vault.

Becoming a Senior Gymnast

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 the vault. At the 1998 World Youth Games in Moscow, she won the all-around title.

In 1999, Elena competed in her first World Championships. She won a gold medal on the vault. She also earned a silver medal with the Russian team and a bronze in the all-around competition. After the World Championships, she won more gold medals on vault at the Glasgow and Stuttgart Grand Prix events.

The Olympic Year: 2000

Elena started the 2000 Olympic season by winning a gold medal on vault at the Montreux World Cup. Even though her father had recently passed away, she chose to compete at the European Championships. There, she led her team to a gold medal. She also won individual silver medals in the all-around and vault, and 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 finished first in the qualification round. In the team final, some mistakes, including Elena falling off the balance beam, meant they won the silver medal instead of gold. Romania took the gold.

In the all-around final, Elena was in first place after two events. However, a fall during her floor exercise meant she missed out on an all-around medal. She finished in sixth place.

Elena did not initially qualify for the vault final. This was due to a rule that only two gymnasts from each country could compete. But her teammate, Svetlana Khorkina, gave up her spot for Elena. Svetlana believed Elena had a better chance to win gold. Elena did win the gold medal on vault with a score of 9.712. In the floor exercise final, she won her second Olympic gold medal, beating Svetlana Khorkina by a small margin.

After the Olympics, Elena competed at the World Cup Final. She won gold on vault and silver on floor exercise. She also won three gold medals at the Stuttgart World Cup on vault, balance beam, and floor exercise.

Continuing Success: 2001-2003

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. She also helped the Russian team win gold at the European Team Championships. At the Goodwill Games, she won a bronze in the all-around and two gold medals on vault and floor exercise. She injured her foot at the 2001 World Championships, but her team still won a silver medal.

In 2002, Elena won more medals at World Cup events. She was part of the Russian team that won gold at the European Championships. She also won another gold medal on vault at the 2002 World Championships. At the 2002 World Cup Final, she tied for gold on vault and won silver on balance beam.

In 2003, Elena had to withdraw from the American Cup due to a leg injury. She returned to win more medals on vault at various World Cup events. At the 2003 World Championships, the Russian team finished sixth. However, Elena won a silver medal on the vault.

Athens 2004 Summer Olympics

In 2004, Elena won a bronze medal with the Russian team at the European Championships. She also won an individual bronze in the all-around and a silver on vault. She was chosen to represent Russia at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. The team won the bronze medal. Elena finished fourth in the vault final.

After the Olympics, she continued to compete in World Cup events. She won a gold medal on vault at the Glasgow World Cup. She also won a silver medal on vault at the Stuttgart World Cup.

Later Career and Retirement

Elena continued to compete in 2005 and 2006. At the 2005 European Championships, she placed fifth on vault and eighth on floor exercise. She helped the Russian team win a bronze medal at the 2005 Summer Universiade. At the 2005 World Championships, she placed fourth in both vault and floor finals.

In 2006, she helped the Russian team win a bronze medal at the World Championships. This was their first team medal at the World level since 2001. She also won several more medals on vault and floor exercise at World Cup events.

Elena missed the 2007 European Championships due to a leg injury. She won two bronze medals at the 2007 Summer Universiade. At the 2007 World Championships, her team finished eighth. Elena finished eighth in the vault final after a fall.

Elena hoped to compete in her third Olympics in 2008. However, a back injury prevented her from joining the team. She made her last competitive appearance at the 2009 Summer Universiade. There, she helped the Russian team win the silver medal.

After Gymnastics

After retiring from gymnastics in 2009, Elena Zamolodchikova became a gymnastics coach. She also became a certified judge. She studied at Lesgaft National State University of Physical Education, Sport and Health to earn her coaching degree. In 2013, she had a serious health issue with her heart. Elena became a mother for the first time on April 21, 2021.

Special Gymnastics Moves

Elena Zamolodchikova has two gymnastics moves named after her in the official Code of Points. This means she was the first to perform these moves successfully 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