Dina Kotchetkova
Encyclopedia
Dina Anatolyevna Kochetkova ' onMouseout='HidePop("28235")' href="/topics/Moscow">Moscow
, Russian SFSR) is a Russia
n gymnast
who competed at the 1996 Olympics. Stylistically, Dina was considered by many to be the "last of the Soviets," performing difficult skills with elegant, clean technique. An element she pioneered, a full-twisting back handspring on beam, remains in the Code of Points
as "the Kochetkova".
Kochetkova was a member of the Soviet national team from the early 1990s. She won four medals at the 1991 Junior European Championships, placing second on the floor exercise and third in the all-around, vault and balance beam. She continued to succeed in minor international meets; however, she would not come to prominence as a key member of the Russian team for several more years.
1994 was Kochetkova's breakthrough year. She won the Russian National Championships, the Goodwill Games
all-around, and three individual medals at the World Gymnastics Championships
in Brisbane
: bronze in the all-around, behind Shannon Miller
and Lavinia Miloşovici
; gold on the floor exercise and another bronze on the uneven bars. Kochetkova won three more medals (silver AA and team; bronze FX) at the European Championships and shared in the team bronze medal at the World Team Championships in Dortmund
.
At the 1995 World Championships, Dina, along with the entire Russian team, had a disappointing meet. The Russian women finished off the podium in the team competition; while Dina qualified for the all-around and two event finals, subpar performances and a low vault score kept her out of medal contention. At the 1996 World Championships Kochetkova rallied with a high balance beam score of 9.887 to win the event; at the '96 Europeans she earned a bronze on floor.
Kochetkova was a member of the Russian team for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, and was considered a viable medal contender on several events. Prior to the competition, the Russian team was considered one of the strongest there, and great things were expected from Dina, world bars champion Svetlana Khorkina
and returning Olympian Rozalia Galiyeva
. After a strong showing in the compulsory exercise, the Russians had a narrow lead at the halfway stage and were clearly delighted as they left the arena. However, errors from several gymnasts, combined with nerves from the high pressure event and the noise from the mostly-American crowd, dropped them to 2nd place in the finals. Dina, as one of the most experienced team members, showed strong performances and seemed one of the least affected by the high octane atmosphere, but it was not enough to rescue her team from silver.
Kochetkova qualified in third place to the all-around competition, and was leading after three apparati. A decision to perform a difficult 1½ twisting Yurchenko
vault in the final rotation proved to be unwise; Dina could not perform the skill as cleanly as her simpler vaults. Her low vault score dropped her to sixth place for the individual competition—the highest of the Russians, but still shy of a medal. And while she placed into three separate Event Finals, she had no better fortune there, finishing fourth on the balance beam and fifth on uneven parallel bars and floor exercise.
The Olympics were Kochetkova's last major competition. She underwent knee surgery in 1997 after her retirement and currently lives in Moscow
with her husband, working as a personal trainer.
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
, Russian SFSR) is a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n 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...
who competed at the 1996 Olympics. Stylistically, Dina was considered by many to be the "last of the Soviets," performing difficult skills with elegant, clean technique. An element she pioneered, a full-twisting back handspring on beam, remains in the Code of Points
Code of Points (artistic gymnastics)
A Code of Points is a rulebook that defines the scoring system for each level of competition in gymnastics. There is no unified, international code of points; every oversight organization—such as FIG , NCAA Gymnastics, and most national gymnastics federations—designs and employs its own unique Code...
as "the Kochetkova".
Kochetkova was a member of the Soviet national team from the early 1990s. She won four medals at the 1991 Junior European Championships, placing second on the floor exercise and third in the all-around, vault and balance beam. She continued to succeed in minor international meets; however, she would not come to prominence as a key member of the Russian team for several more years.
1994 was Kochetkova's breakthrough year. She won the Russian National Championships, the Goodwill Games
Goodwill Games
The Goodwill Games was an international sports competition, created by Ted Turner in reaction to the political troubles surrounding the Olympic Games of the 1980s...
all-around, and three individual medals at the World Gymnastics Championships
World Gymnastics Championships
The Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique organises World Gymnastics Championships for each of the gymnastic disciplines:...
in Brisbane
Brisbane
Brisbane is the capital and most populous city in the Australian state of Queensland and the third most populous city in Australia. Brisbane's metropolitan area has a population of over 2 million, and the South East Queensland urban conurbation, centred around Brisbane, encompasses a population of...
: bronze in the all-around, behind Shannon Miller
Shannon Miller
Shannon Lee Miller is a former artistic gymnast from Edmond, Oklahoma. She is the most decorated gymnast in U.S. History, and considered one of the greatest gymnasts the United States has ever produced...
and Lavinia Miloşovici
Lavinia Milosovici
Lavinia Corina Miloşovici is a Romanian Olympic gymnast. An exceptionally successful athlete on the international competition circuit, Miloşovici, also known as "Milo" in the gymnastics community, is considered to be one of Romania's top gymnasts of the 1990s and one of the most prolific female...
; gold on the floor exercise and another bronze on the uneven bars. Kochetkova won three more medals (silver AA and team; bronze FX) at the European Championships and shared in the team bronze medal at the World Team Championships in Dortmund
Dortmund
Dortmund is a city in Germany. It is located in the Bundesland of North Rhine-Westphalia, in the Ruhr area. Its population of 585,045 makes it the 7th largest city in Germany and the 34th largest in the European Union....
.
At the 1995 World Championships, Dina, along with the entire Russian team, had a disappointing meet. The Russian women finished off the podium in the team competition; while Dina qualified for the all-around and two event finals, subpar performances and a low vault score kept her out of medal contention. At the 1996 World Championships Kochetkova rallied with a high balance beam score of 9.887 to win the event; at the '96 Europeans she earned a bronze on floor.
Kochetkova was a member of the Russian team for the 1996 Olympics in Atlanta, and was considered a viable medal contender on several events. Prior to the competition, the Russian team was considered one of the strongest there, and great things were expected from Dina, world bars champion 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...
and returning Olympian Rozalia Galiyeva
Rozalia Galiyeva
Rozaliya Ilfovna Galiyeva or Roza Galieva is a gymnast who competed in the 1992 Summer Olympics and 1996 Summer Olympics....
. After a strong showing in the compulsory exercise, the Russians had a narrow lead at the halfway stage and were clearly delighted as they left the arena. However, errors from several gymnasts, combined with nerves from the high pressure event and the noise from the mostly-American crowd, dropped them to 2nd place in the finals. Dina, as one of the most experienced team members, showed strong performances and seemed one of the least affected by the high octane atmosphere, but it was not enough to rescue her team from silver.
Kochetkova qualified in third place to the all-around competition, and was leading after three apparati. A decision to perform a difficult 1½ twisting Yurchenko
Yurchenko (vault)
Yurchenko is the name of both a specific vault and a vault family in artistic gymnastics. The Yurchenko was named after Soviet gymnast Natalia Yurchenko, who originated the vault in the early 1980s....
vault in the final rotation proved to be unwise; Dina could not perform the skill as cleanly as her simpler vaults. Her low vault score dropped her to sixth place for the individual competition—the highest of the Russians, but still shy of a medal. And while she placed into three separate Event Finals, she had no better fortune there, finishing fourth on the balance beam and fifth on uneven parallel bars and floor exercise.
The Olympics were Kochetkova's last major competition. She underwent knee surgery in 1997 after her retirement and currently lives in Moscow
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
with her husband, working as a personal trainer.
External links
- Full list of competitive results
- "I did not play with dolls in childhood" Interview from Sovetskiy Sport, March 1998
- Spotlight on Dina Kochetkova