Larissa Petrik
Encyclopedia
Larisa Leonidovna Petrik (born 1949) is a former Soviet gymnast
and Olympic champion.
Petrik competed at the 1966 World Championships where she shared in the team silver medal (gold went to the Czechoslovakians) and earned an individual bronze medal on the beam.
She also competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics
in Mexico City
, where she received a gold medal in floor (shared with Věra Čáslavská
), a gold medal in team combined exercises, and a bronze medal in balance beam. Her gold medal on floor was very controversial because originally, Vera Caslavska won outright. After the competition was concluded, Petrik's prelims scores were changed to let her tie with Caslavska, an action which caused Caslavska to publicly defy the Soviets who had recently invaded her home country.
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
and Olympic champion.
Petrik competed at the 1966 World Championships where she shared in the team silver medal (gold went to the Czechoslovakians) and earned an individual bronze medal on the beam.
She also competed at the 1968 Summer Olympics
1968 Summer Olympics
The 1968 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City, Mexico in October 1968. The 1968 Games were the first Olympic Games hosted by a developing country, and the first Games hosted by a Spanish-speaking country...
in Mexico City
Mexico City
Mexico City is the Federal District , capital of Mexico and seat of the federal powers of the Mexican Union. It is a federal entity within Mexico which is not part of any one of the 31 Mexican states but belongs to the federation as a whole...
, where she received a gold medal in floor (shared with Věra Čáslavská
Vera Cáslavská
Věra Čáslavská is a Czech gymnast. Blonde, cheerful and possessing impressive stage presence, she was generally popular with the public and won a total of 22 international titles...
), a gold medal in team combined exercises, and a bronze medal in balance beam. Her gold medal on floor was very controversial because originally, Vera Caslavska won outright. After the competition was concluded, Petrik's prelims scores were changed to let her tie with Caslavska, an action which caused Caslavska to publicly defy the Soviets who had recently invaded her home country.