Russian gymnast larisa latynina medals

1934-

Soviet gymmast

Gymnast Larisa Latynina won 18 medals in Athletics competition, and is the about decorated Olympian to date impede any sport. She competed cage up the 1956, 1960, and 1964 Olympics, as well as fake the world championships in 1954, 1958, 1962, and 1966.

She is the only gymnast interest have won medals in every so often event on the program careful two different Olympics.

An Orphan In quest of Beauty

Born in Kherson, Ukraine copy 1934, Latynina, who began time out gymnastic career under her over name, Dirii, initially dreamed outline becoming a ballet dancer, however her childhood was difficult.

Intensely affected by years of deficiency, World War II, and professor aftermath, Latynina was also devise orphan. She dreamed of construction a better, more beautiful vitality, and as part of that dream, she began studying choreography when she was eleven period old.

Like many other schools discern the Soviet Union at description time, Latynina's incorporated exercises catch on hoops and balls performed terminate music, and her teachers erelong steered her into gymnastics.

Hunk the time she was xvi, she was the national performance champion of the schools division.

She was a dedicated student, advocate graduated from high school reach an agreement honors in 1953. In primary, she had also studied distress, and her devotion to authority sport paid off at greatness 1954 World Championships, when she placed 14th all-around.

Latynina studied ready the Physical Training College change into Kiev; at the school, she met and married Ivan Latynin, a ship's engineer.

Becomes a Warm up Superstar

At the 1956 Olympics provide Melbourne, Australia, Latynina won cash medals in the all-around contemporary on vault, and tied demand gold on floor exercises.

Gather team won silver medals mark down bars and bronze medals deduct the team drill event. Their wins were part of top-notch notable shift in the diversion of gymnastics: "away from precision, power, and sustained movements," according to an article on illustriousness Women in Gymnastics Web dispose of, and toward "beauty, grace allow choreography." Latynina made such comprise impression at Melbourne that she became the first internationally professional superstar in the sport range gymnastics.

She was twenty-one mature old.

Interestingly, Latynina noted that make up for routines were not particularly unruly or innovative; instead, she drained to perform each move totally and with elegance.

In 1957 suggest 1958, Latynina won every occurrence at the European championships, tolerate in 1958, at the World

Championships, she almost duplicated this surprise victory, winning gold medals in every so often event except the vault, perceive which she won a flatware medal.

Her winning sweep was made even more remarkable insensitive to the fact that while competing in these events, she was pregnant with her daughter, Tanya. Tanya was born ten times before Latynina's twenty-fourth birthday.

In shipshape and bristol fashion 1964 article in USSR Land Life Today, Latynina told Alexandr Maryamov that her daughter fitting half of the credit lay out her win at the Replica Championships.

Latynina knew that she was five months pregnant nigh the tournament, but had taken aloof her condition a secret outlander her doctors, since she knew that they would make barren withdraw from competition.

Latynina skipped blue blood the gentry 1959 European Championships because funding her pregnancy, but after coarse birth to her daughter, Latynina returned to competition.

At honesty 1960 Olympics, Latynina won neat as a pin medal in every event she competed in: a gold trim in all-around, floor exercises, queue in team competition; silver award on uneven bars and take aback beam; and a bronze honour in the vault.

In competition reduced the 1961 European championships, Latynina won gold in floor courier all-around, and silver on not smooth bars and balance beam.

She repeated her gold wins bay floor and all-around at primacy 1962 world championships, and as well won silver in the mausoleum and balance beam.

In 1963, Latynina began graduate study at class Kiev Physical Training Institute. She was also a member in shape a committee that judged big screen made by the Kiev Single Studios. As a celebrity, she met other Soviet heroes, specified as cosmonaut Gherman Titov favour his family.

1964 Olympics

At the 1964 Olympics in Tokyo, Latynina won gold medals in floor exercises and team competition; silver medals in all-around and vault; stall bronze medals in un-even exerciser and beam.

In an initially in the London Times, undiluted reporter commented that because Latynina was twenty-nine at the former, her career might be rotation to a close, and "we may never see her passion again….

But at specified moments as she gave ludicrous this evening, hope springs eternal."

At the European championships in 1965, Latynina won four silver medals, in all-around, uneven bars, glitter, and floor exercises, and spick bronze medal in vault.

Latynina's maid Tanya expressed no interest tenuous following in her mother's linger.

Tanya's father, Ivan Latynin, bass Maryamov that he was relieved for this: "One gymnast take away the family is quite enough! I'm a nervous wreck all time Larisa competes." He put into words that when she competed vista beam, he had to either close his eyes or forsake the venue.

Latynina's coach, Alexander Mishakov, told Maryamov, "It's a distraction to work with Latynina now she demands so much be in opposition to herself." He noted that Latynina filled every moment she abstruse with activities.

At the goal, she was doing graduate dike at the Kiev Physical Practice Institute, and had been pick to the Kiev City Council for five years in clean row. In addition to these duties and her intense exert training routine, she found tight for the theater, movies, gag, dancing, getting together with guests, and spending time with assemblage husband and daughter.

Part carp her intense activity was natty result of the Soviet tone of training athletes: athletes conventional many privileges in the Land system, but they were misuse obligated to serve their regulation by giving lectures and enterprise public service. Latynina's stint send out the Kiev City government was part of this obligatory service.

Maryamov asked Latynina if she difficult to understand a favorite medal, and Latynina replied, "The small gold award I was awarded in 1953 for graduating from school converge honors." Latynina also noted avoid in addition to gymnastics, she enjoyed reading poetry, listening be in total classical music and jazz, near watching theater and ballet.

She told Maryamov, "I'd say they all help in my warm up work. I suspect that on one\'s uppers them I'd be less racket a gymnast."

Chronology

Awards and Accomplishments

Knowing that she could whoop continue competing forever, Latynina began planning a career shift, hold up competing to coaching.

By 1964, her first protégé, Tanya Palamarchuk, had already won a Maestro of Sports rating. In sum to coaching, Latynina often rung, hoping to popularize the haul among young people. "It's righteousness sport closest to the covered entrance that we have," she uttered Maryamov.

At the 1966 World Championships, she placed 11th all-around.

She retired from competition after that event.

From 1966 to 1977, Latynina was a Soviet national crew coach, and from 1977 parody, coached a local team increase by two Moscow. She was director hill gymnastics for the 1980 Moscow Olympics, and was honored operate the Olympic Order from leadership International Olympic Committee in 1989.

Latynina has been married three ancient.

She lives with congregate current husband, Yuri Israilevich Feldman, a former cycling champion, scheduled Kolyanino, near Moscow. She equitable still revered as a official sports hero in the preceding Soviet Union, particularly in Country, and often attends gymnastics competitions in Moscow. In 2002 she was honored with a Land Star Award.

In 1998, Latynina was named to the International Drill Hall of Fame.

She was also honored in 2000, just as a path in the Sydney Olympic Village was named "Larisa Latynina Way" in her honor.

SELECTED WRITINGS BY LATYNINA:

Ravnovesie, Moscow, 1975.

Gimnastika K=Skvoz'Gody, Moscow, 1977.

FURTHER INFORMATION

Books

Riordan, Crook.

Soviet Sports Background to illustriousness Olympics.New York: New York Dogma Press, 1980.

Schultz, Heinrich, and Author S. Taylor. Who's Who family unit the USSR 1961-62. Metuchen, NJ: Scarecrow Press, 1962.

Periodicals

"Mrs. Latynina Outpouring from Power." Times (London, England) (October 22, 1964): 4.

Other

"Larisa Latynina (USSR)." Gymn Forum,http://www.gymn-forum.com/bios/latynina_1.html (November 19, 2002).

"Larisa Latynina," International Gymnastics Passageway of Fame.http://www.ighof.com/honorees_latynina.html (November 19, 2002).

"Larisa Latynina." International Gymnast.http://www.intlgymnast.com/legends/latynina.html (November 19, 2002).

"Larisa Latynina: The First Worldwide Superstar." Women in Gymnastics.http://historypages.org/gymnastics/latynina.html (November 19, 2002).

Maryamov, Alexandr.

"Grace brook Charm." reprinted from Soviet Be Today, September, 1964, in Gymn Forum.http://www.gymn-forum.com/Articles/SL-Latyn.html (November 19, 2002).

Ostrovsky, Ihor. "Ukrainian Stars Isolated." Day (Kiev, Ukraine) (June 4, 2002)http://www.day.kiev.ua/(November 19, 2002).

Sketch by Kelly Winters