Yana Batyrshina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yana Batyrshina
Personal information
Full name	Yanina Farkhadovna Batyrshina
Nickname(s)	Yana
Country represented	Russia
Born	(1979-10-07) 7 October 1979 (age 45) Tashkent, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union
Hometown	Moscow
Height	165 cm (5 ft 5 in)
Weight	46 kg (101 lb)
Discipline	Rhythmic gymnastics
Club	Gymnastics Center Novogorsk
Head coach(es)	Irina Viner
Retired	1998
Medal record Representing  Russia Rhythmic Gymnastics Olympic Games Silver 1996 Atlanta All-Around World Championships Gold 1995 Vienna Ball Gold 1995 Vienna Team Gold 1997 Berlin Rope Gold 1997 Berlin Team Silver 1996 Budapest Ribbon Silver 1997 Berlin Clubs Bronze 1995 Vienna All-around Bronze 1997 Berlin All-around European Championships Gold 1997 Patras Ribbon Gold 1998 Porto Rope Silver 1996 Asker All-around Silver 1996 Asker Ball Silver 1997 Patras Rope Silver 1997 Patras Clubs Silver 1998 Porto Hoop Silver 1998 Porto Ribbon Bronze 1998 Porto All-around Bronze 1998 Porto Team Junior European Championships Gold 1993 Bucharest Rope Gold 1993 Bucharest Clubs Silver 1993 Bucharest All-Around Silver 1993 Bucharest Ball Silver 1993 Bucharest Ribbon European Cup Final Gold 1995 Telford Ribbon Silver 1995 Telford All-around Silver 1995 Telford Clubs Bronze 1995 Telford Rope Bronze 1995 Telford Ball Grand Prix Final Gold 1995 Deventer Hoop Gold 1995 Deventer Ball Gold 1996 Vienna All-around Gold 1997 Deventer Ribbon Gold 1997 Deventer Hoop Silver 1995 Deventer Clubs Silver 1995 Deventer Ribbon Bronze 1995 Deventer All-around

Yanina "Yana" Farkhadovna Batyrshina (born October 7, 1979) is a famous former rhythmic gymnast from Russia. She won a silver medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in the all-around competition. Yana also earned many medals at World Championships and European Championships. She was known for her amazing flexibility and unique moves.

Yana Batyrshina's Life

Yana Batyrshina has a mixed background, with Tatar and Jewish family roots. She studied physical education to learn more about sports. Yana is married to Timur Weinstein, a businessman. They have two daughters and one son together.

Yana's Gymnastics Journey

Starting Young

Yana began her gymnastics training when she was just 5 years old. A rhythmic gymnastics coach noticed her and thought she had a natural talent. When she was 9, Yana moved to Russia with her coach, Irina Viner. Coach Viner later became the head coach for the Russian national team.

Becoming a Senior Gymnast

Yana started competing internationally in 1993. At the European Junior Championships, she finished second in the all-around. She also won gold medals with the rope and clubs, and silver medals with the ball and ribbon.

In 1994, Yana began competing as a senior gymnast. It was a tough year, and she thought about quitting. However, her ninth-place finish at the 1994 World Championships encouraged her to keep going.

Big Wins and Olympic Dreams

In 1995, Yana had a major breakthrough in her senior career. She won 15 medals at various Grand Prix events. At the 1995 World Championships, she won a bronze medal in the all-around. She also took home gold medals for the team competition and with the ball.

The year 1996 was a mix of ups and downs for Yana. Still, she won silver medals in the all-around and with the ball at the 1996 European Championships. At the 1996 World Championships, she won a silver medal with the ribbon.

The 1996 Atlanta Olympics

Yana competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. She had a difficult start in the first round, placing 13th. She improved in the semifinals. In the final, during her ribbon routine, she made a mistake and dropped the ribbon. Yana scored 9.683. She thought she had lost her chance at a silver medal. But her score was still enough to put her in second place overall! She finished her 1996 season by winning the all-around title at the 1996 Grand Prix Final.

Later Career and Retirement

In 1997, Yana continued to win many gold medals on the Grand Prix circuit. She also won the first-ever Longines Prize for Elegance at the 1997 World Championships.

Even with her success, 1998 brought a new challenge. A talented new Russian gymnast, Alina Kabaeva, was rising. Alina went on to win the 1998 European Championships. Yana struggled with her ribbon routine and finished third in the all-around. She still won three more medals in event finals: a gold with rope, a silver with hoop, and a bronze with ribbon.

Yana decided to retire shortly after the European Championships, at 19 years old. Her coach, Irina Viner, said that Yana felt there wasn't enough room for both her and Alina Kabaeva.

Life After Gymnastics

After retiring, Yana Batyrshina started coaching. In 1999, she was invited to be a trainer in Brazil. She helped prepare the Brazilian team for the 2000 Summer Olympics in Sydney.

On February 15, 2015, a special event was held in Russia. It celebrated 80 years since rhythmic gymnastics began. The event took place at the famous Mariinsky Theatre in St. Petersburg. Many former Russian Olympic champions and medalists performed, including Yana Batyrshina.

Yana's Special Achievements

• Yana was the youngest rhythmic gymnast to win the Grand Prix Final all-around title. She was only 16 years old when she won in Vienna in 1996.

Yana's Gymnastics Style

Yana Batyrshina was known for two main things:

• She was incredibly flexible.
• She performed unique and difficult leaps.

Images for kids

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