Yulia Barsukova facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yulia Barsukova
Barsukova winning the gold medal at Sydney 2000 Olympics
Personal information
Full name	Yulia Vladimirovna Barsukova
Alternative name(s)	Julia Barsoukova
Nickname(s)	Miss Bolshoi
Country represented	Russia
Born	(1978-12-31) 31 December 1978 (age 46) Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height	170 cm (5 ft 7 in)
Discipline	Rhythmic gymnastics
Club	MGFSO
Head coach(es)	Irina Viner
Assistant coach(es)	Vera Shatalina
Retired	2000
Medal record Rhythmic Gymnastics Representing  Russia Olympic Games Gold 2000 Sydney All-around World Championships Gold 1999 Osaka Team Bronze 1999 Osaka All-around Bronze 1999 Osaka Rope European Championships Gold 1999 Budapest Rope Gold 2000 Zaragoza Rope Gold 2000 Zaragoza Team Silver 1999 Budapest Ball Bronze 1999 Budapest Hoop Bronze 2000 Zaragoza All-around Bronze 2000 Zaragoza Hoop Bronze 2000 Zaragoza Ball European Team Championships Gold 1999 Patras Team World Cup Final Gold 2000 Glasgow Hoop Silver 2000 Glasgow Rope Silver 2000 Glasgow Ball Silver 2000 Glasgow Ribbon Grand Prix Final Gold 2000 Deventer All-around Gold 2000 Deventer Ball Gold 2000 Deventer Rope Gold 2000 Deventer Ribbon Silver 1999 Korneuburg Rope Silver 1999 Korneuburg Ribbon Bronze 1999 Korneuburg All-around Bronze 1999 Korneuburg Ball

Yulia Vladimirovna Barsukova (born December 31, 1978) is a famous Russian rhythmic gymnast. She is known for winning the gold medal at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. Yulia also won many other important awards during her career. These include being the 2000 Grand Prix Final All-around champion. She also earned bronze medals at the 1999 World Championships and the 2000 European Championships.

Early Life and Starting Gymnastics

Yulia Barsukova started figure skating when she was five years old. She lived in the Izmaylovo area of Moscow. When she was eight, she saw girls doing rhythmic gymnastics through a window at a sports club. Her father then signed her up for the sport.

After three years, she moved to a special rhythmic gymnastics program. This was at a high school in the Tagansky District.

Her Journey in Competitive Gymnastics

Yulia was first coached by Vera Silaeva. When Yulia was sixteen, Silaeva took her to meet Irina Viner. Viner was the head coach for Russia's rhythmic gymnastics team. At first, Viner was not very impressed. But she accepted Yulia because Veronica Shatkova, the national team's choreographer, really wanted her to join.

After this coaching change, Yulia started competing in international events. For six years, she was often in the shadow of other great Russian gymnasts. These included Yanina Batyrchina, Amina Zaripova, Natalia Lipkovskaya, and later Alina Kabaeva. Yulia even thought about quitting rhythmic gymnastics. But Irina Viner convinced her to keep going and be patient.

Yulia had a big breakthrough in 1998. She performed at an event for Ballet Magazine. She did her "Dying Swan" ball routine. This performance earned her the special nickname Miss Bolshoi Theater.

Winning Gold at the 2000 Olympics

(L-R) Alina Kabaeva (bronze), Yulia Barsukova (gold) and Yulia Raskina (silver) at 2000 Olympic Games Podium

After her breakthrough, Yulia Barsukova won many titles. She became a key member of the Russian team. At the 2000 World Cup Final in Glasgow, she won a gold medal in the hoop event.

Then, at the 2000 Sydney Olympics, she won the gold medal. This happened after Alina Kabaeva, who was the World champion at the time, made a mistake with her hoop. Yulia was also the 2000 European All-around bronze medalist. She won the rope final at the 2000 European Championships with a very high score.

Yulia was the oldest Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics for a while. She was 21 years, 8 months, and 27 days old when she won. Later, another Russian gymnast, Evgenia Kanaeva, became even older when she won her second gold medal at the London 2012 Olympics.

After Her Gymnastics Career

After the Olympics, Yulia Barsukova continued to win. She won the all-around title at the Grand Prix Final in Deventer. There, she also won gold medals in the ball, rope, and ribbon events. She stopped competing after the 2000 Aeon Cup.

Yulia has also appeared on Russia's Channel One TV show "Stars on Ice."

On February 15, 2015, a special event was held in Russia. It celebrated the 80th anniversary of rhythmic gymnastics. The event took place at the historic Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg. Many famous Russian gymnasts performed there. These included Yulia Barsukova, Evgenia Kanaeva, Irina Tchachina, Daria Dmitrieva, and Yana Batyrshina.

Personal Life

Yulia Barsukova was married to Denis Samokhin, who was an ice dancer. They had a son named Nikita in 2008. They later divorced. Yulia has another son, Daniil, who was born in 2017.

Images for kids

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  Barsukova at the 1999 European Championships