Yulia Barsukova facts for kids
Quick facts for kids Yulia Barsukova |
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Barsukova winning the gold medal at Sydney 2000 Olympics
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| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Yulia Vladimirovna Barsukova | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Alternative name(s) | Julia Barsoukova | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Miss Bolshoi | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country represented |  Russia |
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| Born | 31 December 1978 Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
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| Height | 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 45 kg (99 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Rhythmic gymnastics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | MGFSO | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Head coach(es) | Irina Viner | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Assistant coach(es) | Vera Shatalina | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 2000 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Yulia Vladimirovna Barsukova (Russian: Ю́лия Влади́мировна Барсуко́ва) is a famous Russian rhythmic gymnast. She was born on December 31, 1978. Yulia became an Olympic champion in 2000. She won the gold medal in the All-Around event at the Sydney Olympics.
Yulia also achieved many other top awards. She was the 2000 Grand Prix Final All-around champion. In 1999, she won a bronze medal at the World Championships. She also earned a bronze medal at the European Championships in 2000.
Contents
Early Life and Training
Yulia Barsukova started her journey in sports very young. When she was five, she began figure skating. She lived in the Izmaylovo area of Moscow, Russia.
At age eight, she saw girls practicing rhythmic gymnastics. She was fascinated by their movements. Soon after, her father signed her up for the sport. After three years, she moved to a special high school for rhythmic gymnastics.
Her Gymnastics Career
Yulia was first coached by Vera Silaeva. When Yulia was sixteen, Vera Silaeva introduced her to Irina Viner. Irina Viner was the head coach for Russia's national team. At first, Viner was not very impressed. But the national team's choreographer, Veronica Shatkova, convinced her to accept Yulia.
After this change, Yulia started competing in international events. For six years, she was often overshadowed by other strong Russian gymnasts. These included Yanina Batyrchina and Alina Kabaeva. Yulia even thought about quitting gymnastics. But Coach Viner told her to be patient and keep going.
Breakthrough Moment
Yulia's big moment came in 1998. She performed at a special event for Ballet Magazine. She did her "Dying Swan" routine with a ball. It was so beautiful that people gave her the unofficial title of Miss Bolshoi Theater. This performance showed everyone her amazing talent.
Olympic Gold in 2000
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 gold in the hoop event.
Her biggest win was at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. She won the gold medal in the All-Around competition. This happened after a small mistake by the then-World champion, Alina Kabaeva. Yulia was 21 years old when she won her Olympic gold. This made her the oldest Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics for a while. Later, Evgenia Kanaeva won her second gold at the 2012 London Olympics at an older age.
After the Olympics
After her Olympic win, Yulia kept competing for a short time. 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. Yulia retired from gymnastics after the 2000 Aeon Cup.
After retiring, Yulia appeared on "Stars on Ice," a TV show in Russia. On February 15, 2015, she took part in a special event. It was a gala in Russia to celebrate 80 years of Rhythmic Gymnastics. The event was held at the famous Mariinsky Theatre in Saint Petersburg. Many former Olympic and World champions performed, including Yulia.
Personal Life
Yulia Barsukova was married to Denis Samokhin. He was a former ice dancer from Russia. 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
