Katerina Pisetsky facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Katerina Pisetsky |
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| Personal information | |
| Nickname(s) | Katya |
| Country represented |  Israel |
| Former countries represented |  Ukraine |
| Born | 26 February 1986 Zaporizhia, Soviet Union |
| Hometown | Petah Tikva |
| Discipline | Rhythmic gymnastics |
| Club | Sport Learn Petah Tikva |
| Head coach(es) | Natasha Asmolov |
| Former coach(es) | Lyubov Serebrianskaya |
Katerina "Katya" Pisetsky is an amazing rhythmic gymnast. She was born in Ukraine and later became an Israeli citizen. Katya showed her skills at the 2004 Summer Olympics and the 2008 Summer Olympics.
Contents
Early Life and Training
Katerina Pisetsky was born on February 26, 1986. Her birth name was Yekaterina Yevgenyevna Pisetskaya. She was born in Zaporizhia, which was part of the Soviet Union back then. Her parents are Yevgeny and Tatiana.
Katya started rhythmic gymnastics when she was just 6 years old. Her first coach was Svetlana Zakharova. Later, she trained with Lyudmila Kovalik. Kovalik had also coached Oxana Skaldina, a famous world champion.
Moving to a Special Sports School
Lyudmila Kovalik saw how talented Katya was. She suggested Katya train with Lyubov Serebrianskaya. Lyubov was the coach and mother of Kateryna Serebrianskaya, an Olympic champion. This meant Katya would join a special sports boarding school.
At first, Katya's parents were not sure about this plan. But they agreed because her grandmother lived nearby. This meant Katya could visit her grandmother often. Katya worked hard and improved her movements and how she used the gymnastics equipment. For two years, she even shared a room with Svetlana Rudalova, another future Olympic gymnast.
First Competitions and Success
Katya became a medalist at the Ukrainian Junior Championships. She competed internationally for the first time in 1998 in Slovenia. She won that event! In 2000, she placed seventh at the Club World Championships in Tokyo.
Moving to Israel
In 2002, Katya's coach, Lyubov Serebrianskaya, became ill. Katya's family then thought about moving to Belarus or Israel. They decided to move to Tel Aviv, Israel. Katya had competed there once before in 1999.
After moving, Katya took a break from gymnastics for six months. Then, she started training again with Natasha Asmolov. Natasha coached at a club in Petah Tikva.
Representing Israel
Katya quickly showed her talent in Israel. She won the 2002 Israeli Cup. Her first international competition for Israel was in France in 2002. She placed 24th there.
In 2003, she was second at the Israeli Cup. This made her the second-best Israeli gymnast at the European Championship. At the 2002 European Championships, Katya finished 13th. This was the best result for an Israeli gymnast at that event. She also competed at the 2003 European Championships. There, she placed 10th in both the ribbon and clubs events.
Olympic Dreams and Achievements
Katya worked hard to reach the Olympics.
Qualifying for the 2004 Athens Olympics
Katya first qualified for the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. She placed 17th at the 2003 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships. However, the Israeli Olympic Committee had strict rules. They wanted her to place in the top 10 at an international event.
At the 2004 European Championships in Ukraine, Katya placed 11th. She just missed the top 10 cutoff. But the Israeli Olympic Committee made a special exception for her. They allowed her to join the Olympic team! Katya said this was one of the happiest moments of her life.
Competing in Athens
At the Athens Olympics, Katya placed 16th in the qualification round. She did not make it to the final, which was for the top 12 gymnasts. After the Olympics, she completed her required time serving in the Israeli army.
The 2008 Beijing Olympics
Katya continued her gymnastics career. She competed as part of the Israeli group team at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. The group finished seventh in the qualification round. Then, they improved and finished sixth in the final!
Images for kids
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Katerina Pisetsky
