Svetlana Khorkina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Svetlana Khorkina
Khorkina in 2017
Personal information
Full name	Svetlana Vasilyevna Khorkina
Nickname(s)	Sveta
Country represented	Russia
Born	(1979-01-19) 19 January 1979 (age 46) Belgorod, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Russia)
Hometown	Belgorod, Russia
Height	165 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior International Elite
Years on national team	1994–2004 (RUS)
Head coach(es)	Boris Vasilevich Pilkin
Assistant coach(es)	Anna Pilina
Music	See below
Retired	23 August 2004
Medal record Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 4 1 World Championships 9 8 3 World Cup Final 0 1 0 Goodwill Games 4 2 1 European Championships 13 5 2 European Team Championships 2 0 0 Event 1st 2nd 3rd All-Around (OG/WC) 3 2 0 Uneven Bars (OG/WC) 7 1 0 Balance Beam (OG/WC) 0 1 0 Vault (OG/WC) 1 1 0 Floor Exercise (OG/WC) 0 2 2 Women's artistic gymnastics Representing  Russia Olympic Games Gold 1996 Atlanta Uneven Bars Gold 2000 Sydney Uneven Bars Silver 1996 Atlanta Team Silver 2000 Sydney Team Silver 2000 Sydney Floor Exercise Silver 2004 Athens All-Around Bronze 2004 Athens Team World Championships Gold 1995 Sabae Uneven Bars Gold 1996 San Juan Uneven Bars Gold 1997 Lausanne All-Around Gold 1997 Lausanne Uneven Bars Gold 1999 Tianjin Uneven Bars Gold 2001 Ghent Vault Gold 2001 Ghent All-Around Gold 2001 Ghent Uneven Bars Gold 2003 Anaheim All-Around Silver 1994 Brisbane Vault Silver 1994 Brisbane Uneven Bars Silver 1995 Sabae All-Around Silver 1997 Lausanne Team Silver 1997 Lausanne Balance Beam Silver 1997 Lausanne Floor Exercise Silver 1999 Tianjin Team Silver 2001 Ghent Team Bronze 1994 Dortmund Team Bronze 1999 Tianjin Floor Exercise Bronze 2001 Ghent Floor Exercise World Cup Final Silver 1998 Sabae Uneven Bars Goodwill Games Gold 1994 St Petersburg Team Gold 1994 St Petersburg Uneven Bars Gold 1998 New York Uneven Bars Gold 2001 Brisbane Uneven Bars Silver 2001 Brisbane All-Around Silver 2001 Brisbane Floor Exercise Bronze 1994 St Petersburg Vault European Championships Gold 1994 Stockholm Uneven Bars Gold 1996 Birmingham Uneven Bars Gold 1998 St. Petersburg All-Around Gold 1998 St. Petersburg Uneven Bars Gold 1998 St. Petersburg Floor Exercise Gold 2000 Paris Team Gold 2000 Paris All-Around Gold 2000 Paris Uneven Bars Gold 2000 Paris Balance Beam Gold 2002 Patras Team Gold 2002 Patras All-Around Gold 2002 Patras Uneven Bars Gold 2004 Amsterdam Uneven Bars Silver 1994 Stockholm Team Silver 1994 Stockholm All-Around Silver 1996 Birmingham Team Silver 1998 St. Petersburg Team Silver 2002 Patras Balance Beam Bronze 2004 Amsterdam Team Bronze 2004 Amsterdam Balance Beam European Team Championships Gold 1999 Patras Team Gold 2003 Moscow Team
Awards	Longines Prize for Elegance (1999)

Svetlana Vasilyevna Khorkina (Russian: Светлана Васильевна Хоркина; born on January 19, 1979) is a famous retired Russian artistic gymnast. She competed in three Summer Olympics: 1996, 2000, and 2004. Svetlana won seven Olympic medals and twenty World Championship medals during her career. She is known for winning medals in every event at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships.

Svetlana was the first gymnast to win three all-around titles at the World Championships. She was also the second female artistic gymnast, after Nadia Comăneci, to win three European All-Around titles. Many people consider Khorkina one of the most successful female gymnasts ever. At the opening ceremony of the 2019 Winter Universiade, she helped light the fire.

Svetlana Khorkina's Gymnastics Career

Early Years (1994-1996)

In April 1994, Svetlana competed at the World Championships in Australia. She finished ninth in the all-around competition. In the event finals, she won silver medals on vault and uneven bars. She also placed eighth on floor exercise. Later in 1994, at the World Team Championships in Germany, she helped the Russian team win a bronze medal.

In October 1995, Khorkina competed at the World Championships in Japan. She won a silver medal in the all-around final. In the event finals, she placed fifth on vault and won a gold medal on uneven bars. In April 1996, at the World Championships in Puerto Rico, she won another gold medal on uneven bars. In May 1996, at the European Championships in the UK, she helped Russia win a silver medal in the team final. She also won a gold medal on uneven bars.

Atlanta Olympics (1996)

Svetlana competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, USA. In the team final, she helped the Russian team win a silver medal. In the all-around final, she had a fall on the uneven bars and finished fifteenth. However, she bounced back and won the gold medal in the uneven bars final a few days later.

World and European Success (1997-2000)

In September 1997, Khorkina competed at the World Championships in Switzerland. She helped Russia win a silver medal in the team final. Individually, she won the all-around final, earning a gold medal. In the event finals, she won gold on uneven bars and silver on both balance beam and floor exercise. Svetlana once said that she showed the world that tall gymnasts could do amazing things.

In May 1998, Khorkina competed at the European Championships in Russia. She helped the Russian team win a silver medal. She also won gold medals in the all-around, uneven bars, and floor exercise finals.

In October 1999, Khorkina competed at the World Championships in China. She helped Russia win a silver medal in the team final. She also won a gold medal on uneven bars and a bronze medal on floor exercise. In May 2000, at the European Championships in France, she helped the Russian team win gold. She also won gold medals in the all-around, uneven bars, and balance beam finals.

Sydney Olympics (2000)

In September 2000, Svetlana competed at the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. The Russian team placed first in the qualification round. Svetlana also qualified first in the all-around. In the team final, she helped the Russian team win a silver medal.

In the all-around final, Svetlana finished tenth. During this competition, the vault was set too low, which caused many gymnasts, including Svetlana, to fall. The vault height was later corrected. Svetlana chose not to re-vault, knowing it wouldn't help her win a medal.

In the event finals, Svetlana gave her spot in the vault final to her teammate, Elena Zamolodchikova. Elena then went on to win the gold medal. Svetlana said she was happy to give her teammate that chance. Svetlana then won the gold medal in the uneven bars final. She became only the second gymnast to win this event in two Olympics in a row. She also won a silver medal in the floor final.

Svetlana Khorkina received the Order of Honour from Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 8, 2001.

Later Career (2001-2004)

In October 2001, Khorkina competed at the World Championships in Belgium. She helped the Russian team win a silver medal. Individually, she won gold medals in the all-around, vault, and uneven bars. She also won a bronze medal on floor exercise. In April 2002, at the European Championships in Greece, she helped Russia win gold in the team competition. She also won gold medals in the all-around and uneven bars, and a silver medal on balance beam.

In August 2003, Khorkina competed at the World Championships in the USA. She won the all-around final, making her the first gymnast to win three World all-around titles. In April 2004, at the European Championships in the Netherlands, she helped the Russian team win a bronze medal. She also won a gold medal on uneven bars and a bronze medal on balance beam.

Athens Olympics (2004)

In August 2004, Khorkina competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece. In the team final, she helped the Russian team win a bronze medal. In the all-around final, she won a silver medal.

Svetlana qualified first for the Uneven Bars Final. However, she placed eighth in the uneven bars final after a mistake. This meant she did not win her third Olympic uneven bars title.

Gymnastics Skills Named After Her

Svetlana Khorkina has several gymnastics moves named after her in the official Code of Points. These are special skills that she was the first to perform in a major competition.

Apparatus	Name	Description	Difficulty
Vault	Khorkina II	A round-off flic-flac with a half turn onto the vault, followed by a tucked forward salto with one and a half twists off.	4.8
Uneven Bars	Khorkina II	A clear hip circle through a handstand with a half turn in the air to catch the high bar.	E
Balance Beam	Khorkina	A gainer flic-flac with at least a three-quarter turn before placing hands on the beam.	D
	Khorkina II	A gainer back salto stretched with two and a half turns, landing sideways on the beam.

Svetlana's Life Outside Gymnastics

The sports complex at Belgorod State University, named after Khorkina, in her hometown of Belgorod.

Svetlana Khorkina was born on January 19, 1979. Her parents are Vasiliy and Lyubov. She has a younger sister named Yulia, who was also a gymnast. Svetlana started gymnastics at age four. Her mother hoped it would help her eat better after using a lot of energy in the gym.

At 5 feet 5 inches tall, many people thought Svetlana was too tall for artistic gymnastics. But her coach, Boris Pilkin, saw her talent. He created special training methods and new skills to fit her height. This is why so many skills are named after her.

Svetlana was known for her strong personality. She often said that her costumes and makeup were important for her performances. She believed that people came to see a show, not just a sport.

After she stopped competing in gymnastics, Svetlana became the vice-president of the Artistic Gymnastics Federation of Russia in December 2005. In 2008, she was a gymnastics commentator for the Beijing Olympics on Russian TV. She also wrote her autobiography called "Somersaults in High Heels." Svetlana was an ambassador for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. She has also been involved in politics, serving as a deputy for the Russian State Duma from 2007 to 2011.

Svetlana has two sons. Her first son, Svyatoslav, was born in 2005. In April 2011, Svetlana married Oleg Kochnev. They had their second son, Ivan, in October 2019.

Competitive History

Year	Event	Team	AA	VT	UB	BB	FX
1994
	European Championships			5th		5th	8th
	Goodwill Games						5th
	World Championships		9th				8th
1995
	World Championships	4th		5th
1996
	European Championships		6th	4th
	World Championships			5th
	Olympic Games		15th
1997
	World Championships			8th
1998
	European Championships
	Goodwill Games †		7th				7th
	World Cup Final			5th		4th	4th
1999
	World Championships		11th
2000
	European Championships
	Olympic Games		10th	WD
2001	Goodwill Games			4th
	World Championships
2002
	European Championships						5th
	World Championships				7th	4th
2003
	World Championships	6th
2004
	European Championships		4th				7th
	Olympic Games				8th

†1998 Goodwill Games: mixed pairs silver medal with Alexei Nemov.

Images for kids

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  Svetlana Khorkina received the Order of Honour from Russian President Vladimir Putin on June 8, 2001.

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  The sports complex at Belgorod State University, named after Khorkina, in her hometown of Belgorod.

See also

In Spanish: Svetlana Jórkina para niños

• List of Olympic female gymnasts for Russia
• List of top Olympic gymnastics medalists
• List of top medalists at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships