Alina Kozich
Encyclopedia
Alina Kozich is a former Ukrainian
gymnast
. She is from Kiev
and was a member of the 2004 Ukrainian Olympic team
in Athens
, Greece
. She started Gymnastics at the age of 5 and her younger sister Olha is also a very talented gymnast.
Alina first came to prominence at the age of 13 when she competed at the 2001 European Youth Olympics in Murcia
, Spain
where she won the All Around competition and impressed judges and fans with her clean lines and form. Her success in the Junior ranks continued in 2002 with a Gold Medal on the Uneven Bars at the 2002 Junior European in Patras
, Greece
as well as a fourth place finish in the All Around. 2003 saw Alina move into the senior ranks where she continued to impress with a solid 8th place finish in the All Around as well as a 7th place finish with her Ukraine team, qualifying for the team competition at the 2004 Olympics. She eventually placed 11th in the All Around and 8th on floor.
The Olympic year started strongly with Alina with a career highlight victory in the 2004 European All Around competition where she narrowly defeated Romania
n Daniela Sofronie. Alina was the first Ukrainian to take this title since Lilia Podkopayeva
in 1996, and joined a list of illustrious compatriots such as Tatiana Gutsu
and Ludmilla Tourischeva
. Frequently, the European all-around champion goes on to take the Olympic title (this was the case in 1975, 1992 and 1996) so expectations for Alina heading into the 2004 Olympics were high. She helped the high quality, but often inconsistent Ukrainian team to a respectable Fourth in the team competition, their best ever Olympic Result. Alina had the highest All Around score of all the gymnasts in the team final, including Carly Patterson
and Svetlana Khorkina
who would go on to place first and second in the All Around Final. This made Alina a strong favorite to win a medal. However, falls from the Balance Beam in the All Around and on her first tumbling pass in the floor final prevented Alina from winning a medal.
Alina continued to compete after the Olympics, but at first struggled to regain her 2004 form. She failed to make any finals at the 2005 World Championships in Melbourne
, Australia
or the 2006 European Championships in Greece
, but did win a silver medal on floor at the 2005 Glasgow
Grand Prix and helped the Ukrainian team to a fifth place finish at 2006 European Championships. In late 2006, Alina began to regain the form that won her the 2004 European title, placing 13th in the all-around final at the 2006 World Championships in Aarhus
, Denmark
. She also helped her Ukrainian team finish a solid fifth in the team final.
Alina has continued to compete and improve in 2007, winning several medals at World Cup events. She solidified this comeback with bronze medals in the all-around and on floor at the European Championships in Amsterdam
, with Vanessa Ferrari
of Italy
taking both titles.
Alina made herself in the 2008 Ukrainian Olympic team
. She competed in all the four events, trying to make herself into the all-around final. And, however, after two falls on uneven bars and her strongest event, floor
, Alina finally finished 45th in the prelim and did not advance into any final of the Games.
After the 2008 Olympic Games, Alina started competing for Uzbekistan (still training at her usual gym in Ukraine
with a different coach).
At the end of 2009, Alina announced that she has retired as a gymnast. She was present as a coach at the World Championships 2010 (in Rotterdam), as she is now the official choreographer of the Women Japanese team.
Ukrainians
Ukrainians are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Ukraine, which is the sixth-largest nation in Europe. The Constitution of Ukraine applies the term 'Ukrainians' to all its citizens...
gymnast
Gymnast
Gymnasts are people who participate in the sports of either artistic gymnastics, trampolining, or rhythmic gymnastics.See gymnasium for the origin of the word gymnast from gymnastikos.-Female artistic:Australia...
. She is from Kiev
Kiev
Kiev or Kyiv is the capital and the largest city of Ukraine, located in the north central part of the country on the Dnieper River. The population as of the 2001 census was 2,611,300. However, higher numbers have been cited in the press....
and was a member of the 2004 Ukrainian Olympic team
Ukraine at the 2004 Summer Olympics
-Gold:*Yuriy Bilonoh — Athletics, Men's Shot Put*Valeriy Goncharov — Gymnastics, Men's Parallel Bars*Yuriy Nikitin — Gymnastics, Men's Trampoline Individual*Olena Kostevych — Shooting, Women's 10m Air Pistol...
in Athens
Athens
Athens , is the capital and largest city of Greece. Athens dominates the Attica region and is one of the world's oldest cities, as its recorded history spans around 3,400 years. Classical Athens was a powerful city-state...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
. She started Gymnastics at the age of 5 and her younger sister Olha is also a very talented gymnast.
Alina first came to prominence at the age of 13 when she competed at the 2001 European Youth Olympics in Murcia
Murcia
-History:It is widely believed that Murcia's name is derived from the Latin words of Myrtea or Murtea, meaning land of Myrtle , although it may also be a derivation of the word Murtia, which would mean Murtius Village...
, Spain
Spain
Spain , officially the Kingdom of Spain languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Spain's official name is as follows:;;;;;;), is a country and member state of the European Union located in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula...
where she won the All Around competition and impressed judges and fans with her clean lines and form. Her success in the Junior ranks continued in 2002 with a Gold Medal on the Uneven Bars at the 2002 Junior European in Patras
Patras
Patras , ) is Greece's third largest urban area and the regional capital of West Greece, located in northern Peloponnese, 215 kilometers west of Athens...
, Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
as well as a fourth place finish in the All Around. 2003 saw Alina move into the senior ranks where she continued to impress with a solid 8th place finish in the All Around as well as a 7th place finish with her Ukraine team, qualifying for the team competition at the 2004 Olympics. She eventually placed 11th in the All Around and 8th on floor.
The Olympic year started strongly with Alina with a career highlight victory in the 2004 European All Around competition where she narrowly defeated Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n Daniela Sofronie. Alina was the first Ukrainian to take this title since Lilia Podkopayeva
Lilia Podkopayeva
Lilia Alexandrivna Podkopayeva ; born August 15, 1978 in Donetsk) is a retired Ukrainian gymnast who became the 1996 Olympic all-around champion, the 1995 Artistic Gymnastics World Championships all-around champion and the 1996 European Women's Artistic Gymnastics Championships all-around champion...
in 1996, and joined a list of illustrious compatriots such as Tatiana Gutsu
Tatiana Gutsu
Tatiana Konstantinivna Gutsu is a Ukrainian gymnast, winner of the 1992 Olympic all-around title. Renowned as a trickster, the routines she competed were some of the most difficult ever in the sport...
and Ludmilla Tourischeva
Ludmilla Tourischeva
Ludmilla Ivanovna Tourischeva is a former Russian gymnast and a nine-time Olympic medalist for the Soviet Union.Tourischeva began gymnastics in 1965 and began competing for the Soviet team as early as in 1967...
. Frequently, the European all-around champion goes on to take the Olympic title (this was the case in 1975, 1992 and 1996) so expectations for Alina heading into the 2004 Olympics were high. She helped the high quality, but often inconsistent Ukrainian team to a respectable Fourth in the team competition, their best ever Olympic Result. Alina had the highest All Around score of all the gymnasts in the team final, including Carly Patterson
Carly Patterson
Carly Rae Patterson is an American singer and former gymnast. She is the 2004 Olympic All-Around Champion and a member of the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame...
and Svetlana Khorkina
Svetlana Khorkina
Svetlana Vasilyevna Khorkina is a popular Russian gymnast and seven-time Olympic medalist, who is now a deputy at the Russian State Duma. With an unprecedented nine gold, eight silver, and three bronze World Championships medals, she is one of the most successful female gymnasts of her era and has...
who would go on to place first and second in the All Around Final. This made Alina a strong favorite to win a medal. However, falls from the Balance Beam in the All Around and on her first tumbling pass in the floor final prevented Alina from winning a medal.
Alina continued to compete after the Olympics, but at first struggled to regain her 2004 form. She failed to make any finals at the 2005 World Championships in Melbourne
Melbourne
Melbourne is the capital and most populous city in the state of Victoria, and the second most populous city in Australia. The Melbourne City Centre is the hub of the greater metropolitan area and the Census statistical division—of which "Melbourne" is the common name. As of June 2009, the greater...
, Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
or the 2006 European Championships in Greece
Greece
Greece , officially the Hellenic Republic , and historically Hellas or the Republic of Greece in English, is a country in southeastern Europe....
, but did win a silver medal on floor at the 2005 Glasgow
Glasgow
Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland and third most populous in the United Kingdom. The city is situated on the River Clyde in the country's west central lowlands...
Grand Prix and helped the Ukrainian team to a fifth place finish at 2006 European Championships. In late 2006, Alina began to regain the form that won her the 2004 European title, placing 13th in the all-around final at the 2006 World Championships in Aarhus
Aarhus
Aarhus or Århus is the second-largest city in Denmark. The principal port of Denmark, Aarhus is on the east side of the peninsula of Jutland in the geographical center of Denmark...
, Denmark
Denmark
Denmark is a Scandinavian country in Northern Europe. The countries of Denmark and Greenland, as well as the Faroe Islands, constitute the Kingdom of Denmark . It is the southernmost of the Nordic countries, southwest of Sweden and south of Norway, and bordered to the south by Germany. Denmark...
. She also helped her Ukrainian team finish a solid fifth in the team final.
Alina has continued to compete and improve in 2007, winning several medals at World Cup events. She solidified this comeback with bronze medals in the all-around and on floor at the European Championships in Amsterdam
Amsterdam
Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...
, with Vanessa Ferrari
Vanessa Ferrari
Vanessa Ferrari , is a World Champion Gymnast from Italy. Her mother, Galya, is Bulgarian and her father, Giovanni, is Italian....
of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
taking both titles.
Alina made herself in the 2008 Ukrainian Olympic team
Gymnastics at the 2008 Summer Olympics
At the 2008 Summer Olympics, three different gymnastics disciplines were contested: artistic gymnastics, rhythmic gymnastics and trampoline. The artistic gymnastics events were held at the Beijing National Indoor Stadium on August 9–19. The rhythmic gymnastics events were held at the Beijing...
. She competed in all the four events, trying to make herself into the all-around final. And, however, after two falls on uneven bars and her strongest event, floor
Floor
A floor is the walking surface of a room or vehicle. Floors vary from simple dirt in a cave to many-layered surfaces using modern technology...
, Alina finally finished 45th in the prelim and did not advance into any final of the Games.
After the 2008 Olympic Games, Alina started competing for Uzbekistan (still training at her usual gym in Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
with a different coach).
At the end of 2009, Alina announced that she has retired as a gymnast. She was present as a coach at the World Championships 2010 (in Rotterdam), as she is now the official choreographer of the Women Japanese team.
External links
- Official Website
- Kozich's Facebook page
- Kozich Photographs on Gymbox' ... with three photo galleries