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, USSR
Height	165 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Years on national team	1994–2004
Head coach(es)	Boris Vasilevich Pilkin
Assistant coach(es)	Anna Pilina
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) is a famous retired Russian artistic gymnast. She was born on January 19, 1979. Svetlana competed in three Summer Olympics: in 1996, 2000, and 2004.

During her amazing career, Khorkina won seven Olympic medals. She also earned twenty medals at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. She is one of the few gymnasts to win medals in every event at the World Championships. Svetlana was also the first gymnast to win three all-around titles at the World Championships. She is considered one of the most successful female gymnasts ever.

Svetlana Khorkina: A Gymnastics Legend

Early Career and First Wins (1994-1996)

Svetlana Khorkina started her senior gymnastics career in April 1994. She competed at the 1994 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Australia. There, she finished ninth in the all-around competition. She also won silver medals on both vault and uneven bars.

Later in 1994, she helped the Russian team win a bronze medal at the World Team Championships. In 1995, at the World Championships in Japan, she earned a silver medal in the all-around. She also won her first gold medal on the uneven bars.

In 1996, Svetlana continued her success, winning another gold medal on the uneven bars at the World Championships. She also helped Russia win a silver medal at the European Championships.

Atlanta Olympics Success (1996)

Svetlana Khorkina competed in her first 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, USA. She helped the Russian team win a silver medal. In the individual all-around final, she had a fall on the uneven bars.

However, just three days later, she showed incredible strength. Svetlana won the gold medal in the uneven bars final. This was a huge moment for her career.

World and European Dominance (1997-2000)

In September 1997, Khorkina competed at the World Championships in Switzerland. She helped Russia win a silver medal in the team event. Individually, she won the all-around final, becoming a world champion. She also won gold on uneven bars and two silver medals on balance beam and floor exercise.

In May 1998, she competed at the European Championships in Russia. She helped the Russian team finish second. Svetlana also won gold medals in the all-around, uneven bars, and floor exercise.

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

Sydney Olympics Challenge (2000)

In September 2000, Khorkina went to the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney, Australia. The Russian team placed first in the qualifying rounds. Svetlana also qualified first in the all-around.

In the team final, she helped Russia win a silver medal. During the individual all-around final, there was a problem with the vault. It was set too low, which caused many gymnasts to fall. Svetlana also fell on the uneven bars for other reasons. Even though the vault height was fixed later, she decided not to re-vault.

Despite the challenges, Svetlana showed great sportsmanship. She gave her spot in the vault final to her teammate, Elena Zamolodchikova, who then won the gold medal. Svetlana then won her second Olympic gold medal on the uneven bars. She was only the second gymnast to win this event in two Olympics in a row. She also won a silver medal in the floor exercise final.

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

Continued Success and Retirement (2001-2004)

In September 2001, Svetlana won another gold medal on the uneven bars at the Goodwill Games. In October 2001, she competed at the World Championships in Belgium. She helped the Russian team win a silver medal. Individually, she won gold in the all-around, vault, and uneven bars. She also took home a bronze medal on floor exercise.

In April 2002, at the European Championships in Greece, she helped Russia win team gold. She also won gold in the all-around and uneven bars, plus a silver on balance beam.

In August 2003, Khorkina competed at the World Championships in the United States. She won the all-around final for the third time. This was a historic achievement, as no other gymnast had won three World all-around titles before.

Athens Olympics Farewell (2004)

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

Svetlana qualified first for the uneven bars final. However, she had a mistake during her routine and finished eighth. This meant she could not win her third Olympic uneven bars title. She retired from gymnastics shortly after the Athens Olympics.

Gymnastics Skills Named After Her

Svetlana Khorkina was so unique that several gymnastics moves are named after her! These are called "eponymous skills" and are listed in the official Code of Points. This book lists all the rules and skills in gymnastics. She used to have eight skills named after her, which was a record. Currently, five of her skills are still officially recognized.

• Vault:

* Khorkina II: A round-off entry with a half turn into a tucked forward salto with 1½ twists.

• Uneven Bars:

* Khorkina II: A clear hip circle through handstand with a half turn in flight to catch the high bar. Sometimes called a "Shaposh ½".

• Balance Beam:

* Khorkina: A gainer flic-flac with at least a ¾ turn before placing hands on the beam. * Khorkina II: A gainer back salto stretched with 2½ twists, landing sideways on the beam.

Svetlana's Life Outside Gymnastics

The sport complex of the Belgorod State University, named in honour of Khorkina, in Belgorod, her native city

Svetlana Khorkina was born in Belgorod, Russia. Her parents are Vasiliy and Lyubov. She has a younger sister, Yulia, who also did gymnastics. 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 unique skills just for her. This helped her become a champion.

Svetlana was known for her strong personality and creative routines. She once said that her costumes and makeup were very important. She believed that gymnastics should be a performance, not just a sport.

After she retired from gymnastics in 2004, Svetlana continued to be involved in sports. In December 2005, she became the vice-president of the Russian Artistic Gymnastics Federation. She also worked as a commentator for the Beijing Olympics gymnastics competition in 2008. She even wrote her autobiography. Svetlana was an ambassador for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia.

Svetlana has also been involved in politics. She was a member of the political party United Russia since 2003. She was elected as a deputy for the Russian State Duma (like a parliament) in 2007 and served until 2011.

In July 2005, Svetlana had a son named Svyatoslav. In April 2011, she married Oleg Kochnev. They had another son, Ivan, in October 2019.

Images for kids

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  Olympic rings

See also

In Spanish: Svetlana Jórkina para niños