Svetlana Boginskaya facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Svetlana Boginskaya
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Personal information
Full name	Svetlana Leonidovna Boginskaya
Nickname(s)	Belarusian Swan, Goddess of Gymnastics
Country represented	Belarus
Former countries represented	CIS ( Unified Team),  Soviet Union
Born	(1973-02-09) February 9, 1973 (age 52) Minsk, Belarusian SSR, USSR (now Belarus)
Height	158.5 cm (5 ft 2 in)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Head coach(es)	Tatiana Grosovivich
Former coach(es)	Lyubov Miromanova
Retired	1997
Medal record Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 3 1 1 World Championships 5 3 1 European Championships 9 1 0 World Cup Final 1 1 1 Goodwill Games 2 1 1 American Cup 0 1 0 Total 21 8 4 Representing  Soviet Union Olympic Games Gold 1988 Seoul Team Gold 1988 Seoul Vault Silver 1988 Seoul Floor Exercise Bronze 1988 Seoul All-Around World Championships Gold 1989 Stuttgart Team Gold 1989 Stuttgart All-Around Gold 1989 Stuttgart Floor Exercise Gold 1991 Indianapolis Team Gold 1991 Indianapolis Balance Beam Silver 1987 Rotterdam Team Silver 1991 Indianapolis All-Around Bronze 1987 Rotterdam Balance Beam European Championships Gold 1989 Brussels All-Around Gold 1989 Brussels Vault Gold 1989 Brussels Floor Exercise Gold 1990 Athens All-Around Gold 1990 Athens Vault Gold 1990 Athens Uneven Bars Gold 1990 Athens Balance Beam Gold 1990 Athens Floor Exercise World Cup Final Gold 1990 Brussels Floor Exercise Silver 1990 Brussels All-Around Bronze 1990 Brussels Vault Goodwill Games Gold 1990 Seattle Team Gold 1990 Seattle Floor Exercise Silver 1990 Seattle All-Around Bronze 1990 Seattle Balance Beam Representing  CIS ( Unified Team) Olympic Games Gold 1992 Barcelona Team World Championships Silver 1992 Paris Vault Representing  Belarus European Championships Gold 1992 Nantes Balance Beam Silver 1996 Birmingham All-Around American Cup Silver 1996 Fort Worth All-Around

Svetlana Leonidovna Boginskaya (born February 9, 1973) is a famous former artistic gymnast. She competed for the Soviet Union and later for Belarus. Svetlana is a three-time Olympic champion. She won an individual gold medal on vault at the 1988 Summer Olympics. She also earned team gold medals at the 1988 and 1992 Summer Olympics.

Early Life and Training

Svetlana Boginskaya was born in Minsk, Belarus, on February 9, 1973. She first tried figure skating. But at age six, she started gymnastics after watching Nadia Comăneci compete in the Olympics. Just two years later, she moved to Moscow. There, she trained full-time at the Round Lake Gymnastics Center with her coach, Lyubov Miromanova.

Gymnastics Career Highlights

Starting Her Journey

Svetlana joined the Soviet national gymnastics team when she was 14. Her first international competition was the 1987 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. There, she won a bronze medal on the balance beam, and her team won silver.

Olympic Success in Seoul

At the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, South Korea, Svetlana won four medals. She earned two gold medals for the team competition and vault. She also took home a silver medal for floor exercise and a bronze for the individual all-around.

Overcoming Challenges

After the 1988 Olympics, Svetlana faced a difficult time. Her longtime coach, Lyubov Miromanova, who was like a second mother to her, passed away. This was a huge loss for Svetlana.

She then began training with Tatiana Grosovivich. Under her new coach, Svetlana competed at the 1989 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships. She won gold medals in the all-around, vault, and floor events. Later that year, at the 1989 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, she won gold in the all-around, floor, and team events. She dedicated these wins to her beloved former coach.

Dominating Europe

In 1990, Svetlana made history at the European Championships. She became only the fourth woman to win a gold medal in every individual event. She also won gold on floor at the FIG World Cup.

In 1991, Svetlana continued her success at the World Championships. She won gold on the balance beam and silver in the all-around. Her team also won a gold medal.

Barcelona Olympics and Retirement

In 1992, Svetlana won gold on the balance beam at the European Championships. She was a favorite for the all-around title at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. At the World Championships, she won a silver medal on vault.

At the Barcelona Olympics, Svetlana won her third Olympic gold medal in the team competition. However, in the individual competition, she had a mistake on the uneven bars and finished fifth in the all-around. After these Olympics, Svetlana decided to retire from gymnastics.

A Comeback Story

Svetlana returned to gymnastics in 1995. She was inspired by figure skater Katarina Witt's comeback. Svetlana moved to Houston, Texas, to train with coach Bela Karolyi. She worked hard to make her routines more difficult. At the 1995 European Championships, she won a silver medal in the all-around.

In 1996, at 23 years old, she placed second in the all-around at the American Cup. She also won silver at the European Championships. Svetlana then competed at the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. She was one of several older gymnasts competing there. Svetlana competed in the all-around and vault finals, but did not win a medal. The Belarusian team finished sixth.

After the 1996 Olympics, Svetlana retired from gymnastics for good.

A Gymnastics Legend

Svetlana Boginskaya is one of the few women to compete in three Olympic Games. Because of the changes in the Soviet Union, she competed under a different flag each time: the USSR, the Unified Team, and Belarus. In 2005, she was honored by being inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

Svetlana remains active in the gymnastics world. She works as a guest coach and helps other gymnasts. She has often supported her former teammate Oksana Chusovitina, who continued to compete for many years.

Life After Gymnastics

Svetlana Boginskaya lives in Houston, Texas, with her husband and two children. She runs several businesses, including an online store for gymnastics clothing and a summer camp for young gymnasts.

Her Unique Style

Svetlana was known for her beautiful and artistic routines. Her floor routine at the 1988 Olympics was set to the music of Georges Bizet's Carmen. Another routine in 1990 and 1991 was choreographed by the famous Bolshoi Ballet.

On the uneven bars, she had a special move: a giant swing to handstand with a 180-degree split. People often noticed her height and slim build, which she used to her advantage. She focused on perfect posture and body alignment. Commentators said she relied more on how well she performed and presented her routines than on extreme difficulty. However, she always met the requirements and earned high scores. She often landed her dismounts and vaults with her right foot slightly in front of her left. This was an artistic touch that also helped her stick her landings perfectly.

Competitive History Overview

See also

In Spanish: Svetlana Boguínskaya para niños

• List of top Olympic gymnastics medalists
• List of top medalists at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships