Natalia Yurchenko facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Natalia Yurchenko Наталья Юрченко
Full name	Russian: Наталья Владимировна Юрченко
Country represented	Soviet Union
Former countries represented	Russia
Born	(1965-01-26) 26 January 1965 (age 60) Norilsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height	155 cm (5 ft 1 in)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team	1978–86 (URS)
Eponymous skills	Yurchenko, Yurchenko loop
Medal record Representing  Soviet Union World Championships Gold 1983 Budapest Team Gold 1983 Budapest All-Around Gold 1985 Montreal Team World Cup Final Gold 1982 Zagreb All-Around Gold 1982 Zagreb Vault Gold 1982 Zagreb Balance Beam Silver 1982 Zagreb Uneven Bars Friendship Games Gold 1984 Olomouc Team Gold 1984 Olomouc Vault Silver 1984 Olomouc Uneven Bars

Natalia Vladimirovna Yurchenko was a celebrated artistic gymnast from the Soviet Union, born on January 26, 1965. She became famous for her powerful and innovative routines. Natalia is especially known for inventing a special type of vault called the "Yurchenko vault." This vault changed how gymnasts approached the vaulting table, making her a legend in the sport. In 1983, she achieved a major victory, winning the gold medal in the all-around competition at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.

Who is Natalia Yurchenko?

Natalia Yurchenko was a very talented artistic gymnast from the Soviet Union. She was born on January 26, 1965. Natalia is famous for her amazing and creative gymnastics skills. She is best known for inventing a special vault called the Yurchenko vault. This vault uses a unique way to get onto the vaulting table. Many gymnasts still use her technique today! In 1983, she won the gold medal for the all-around competition at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. This showed everyone her incredible talent.

Early Life and Training

Natalia was born in Norilsk, a city in what was then the Russian SFSR. She trained with a well-known coach, Vladislav Rastorotsky. Her training took place at the Dinamo sports society in Rostov on Don. Natalia's dedication to gymnastics started when she was young. This led her to compete internationally very early in her career.

Rising Star in Gymnastics

Natalia's first big international competition was the Junior Friendship Tournament in 1978. There, she showed great promise. She finished 5th in the all-around competition. She also helped her team win a gold medal and secured another gold on the uneven bars. Later that same year, she earned a bronze medal on the floor exercise at the Riga International meet.

By 1982, Natalia had become a top gymnast. She won several important titles that year. These included the all-around championships at the USSR Championships and the USSR Cup. She also won the prestigious Moscow News tournament and the World Cup. At the World Cup, she took home the all-around title, along with gold medals on vault and balance beam. She also earned a silver medal on uneven bars.

World Champion Success

The year 1983 was a major highlight for Natalia. She performed exceptionally well at the University Games and the USSR Championships. She won almost every gold medal available in those events. Her biggest achievement came at the 1983 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. There, she became the all-around World Champion! She even scored two perfect 10s during her routines. Natalia qualified for all the individual event finals. However, she had an injury during the vault final. Because of this, she had to withdraw from the uneven bars, balance beam, and floor exercise finals. Despite this setback, she still left the championships with two World Championship gold medals.

Overcoming Challenges and More Wins

Natalia showed incredible strength and determination. After her injury, she returned to competition at the Friendship Games in Olomouc in 1984. She performed wonderfully, winning gold medals in both the vault and team competitions. She also earned a silver medal on the uneven bars. In 1985, she continued her success at the University Games, winning many events. She also played a key role in her team winning another gold medal at the World Championships that year.

Natalia was recognized for her outstanding career. She received the title of Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR. This was a very high honor for athletes in the Soviet Union. She officially retired from gymnastics in 1986. She did make an appearance at the 1991 World Professional Championships in Fairfax, Virginia.

The Famous Yurchenko Vault

Natalia Yurchenko is most famous for creating a gymnastics skill named after her: the Yurchenko vault. This vault is a special way to approach the vaulting table. It involves a "round-off" followed by a "flic-flac" (also known as a back handspring) onto the table. After this entry, the gymnast performs a backward somersault (tuck or twist) off the table.

Many vaults today are based on Natalia's original entry. This means her innovation continues to influence gymnasts around the world! She also created another skill called the Yurchenko loop. However, it is no longer part of the official gymnastics rulebook, called the Code of Points.

Life After Competition

After retiring from competitive gymnastics, Natalia Yurchenko continued to share her passion for the sport. She moved to the United States in 1999. She became a gymnastics coach, working at several clubs. She coached at LVSA, a gymnastics club in Pennsylvania, for almost nine years. She also coached at the Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania. Later, she coached at the Lakeshore Academy of Artistic Gymnastics in Chicago. In June 2015, Natalia opened her very own gymnastics academy in Chicago's South Loop. It is called C.I.T.Y. Club Gymnastics Academy.

Major Achievements

Natalia Yurchenko's career was filled with many impressive wins. Here are some of her top achievements: