Natalia Shaposhnikova
Encyclopedia
Natalia Vitalyevna Shaposhnikova , (born June 24, 1961), married name Natalia Sout, was a Soviet
gymnast
, two-time Olympic Champion, Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR. She was born in Rostov on Don, Russian SFSR. She was known for her risky and original skills along with her expressive choreography, especially on beam and floor.
Shaposhnikova trained in Dynamo, Rostov on Don. Her trainer was the Honoured Trainer of the USSR Vladislav Rastorotsky
, who had also trained her famous compatriots Ludmilla Tourischeva
and Natalia Yurchenko
. Shaposhnikova was one of the world's strongest gymnasts in the late 1970s and early 1980s, especially in the Vault Event. She was well known for her difficulty and originality especially her one armed hand stand balances on beam, among this difficulty was one of the first triple twists in her 1979 European Championships floor routine and her Olympic games opening passage on floor, round-off 1.5 twisting layout immediately into a round off backhand spring double pike back. At the 1980 summer Olympic games in Moscow she contributed greatly to her teams gold medal and took home an individual gold medal in the vault apparatus. She also took home a bronze medal on both floor and beam and came .05 from a silver in the all around.
Shaposhnikova invented a complex low-to-high bar transition element on the uneven bars; the skill is named after her in the Code of Points
. The skill, sometimes referred to colloquially as the "Shaposh," is still widely performed today, it is credited as a D value element under the new Code of Points. During the 1990s, other gymnasts began to developed variations of the Shaposhnikova, these include Americans Kristen Maloney
who had a toe-on swing before the transition to the high bar, and Amy Chow
who performed a stalder circle entry before making the transition. Another variation on the skill is by three-time World All-around champion Svetlana Khorkina
who would include a half turn during the transition between the bars.
After retiring from the sport, Shaposhnikova and her husband Pavel Sout currently coach at Gymnastika[Gymnastika] in West Paterson, New Jersey
. According to the Gymnastika website, Pavel was a Gold Medalist at the 1981 World Championships. As a member of the Soviet Mens Team, he participated in many national and international competitions. Pavel was the head coach of the 1st place Soviet National Team at the 1991 World University Games. He was educated at the Sports College in Russia and the Moscow Sports Academy. Pavel is the Head Coach of the Girls Program at Gymnastika.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
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...
, two-time Olympic Champion, Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR. She was born in Rostov on Don, Russian SFSR. She was known for her risky and original skills along with her expressive choreography, especially on beam and floor.
Shaposhnikova trained in Dynamo, Rostov on Don. Her trainer was the Honoured Trainer of the USSR Vladislav Rastorotsky
Vladislav Rastorotsky
Vladislav Stepanovich Rastorotsky is a Russian artistic gymnastics coach, Honoured Trainer of the USSR, who trained in Dynamo sports society. Sportswomen trained by him earned more than 50 Champion titles at the National championships, European championships, World championships and Olympic Games...
, who had also trained her famous compatriots 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...
and Natalia Yurchenko
Natalia Yurchenko
Natalia Vladimirovna Yurchenko was a Soviet artistic gymnast, who was the women's all-around gold medalist at the 1983 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships...
. Shaposhnikova was one of the world's strongest gymnasts in the late 1970s and early 1980s, especially in the Vault Event. She was well known for her difficulty and originality especially her one armed hand stand balances on beam, among this difficulty was one of the first triple twists in her 1979 European Championships floor routine and her Olympic games opening passage on floor, round-off 1.5 twisting layout immediately into a round off backhand spring double pike back. At the 1980 summer Olympic games in Moscow she contributed greatly to her teams gold medal and took home an individual gold medal in the vault apparatus. She also took home a bronze medal on both floor and beam and came .05 from a silver in the all around.
Shaposhnikova invented a complex low-to-high bar transition element on the uneven bars; the skill is named after her 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...
. The skill, sometimes referred to colloquially as the "Shaposh," is still widely performed today, it is credited as a D value element under the new Code of Points. During the 1990s, other gymnasts began to developed variations of the Shaposhnikova, these include Americans Kristen Maloney
Kristen Maloney
Kristin Ann Maloney , also known as Kristen Maloney, is a retired gymnast from Pen Argyl, Pennsylvania, United States, who was coached by Jack Carter in the 2000 Olympics and won bronze in the Team Event. Maloney was also the U.S...
who had a toe-on swing before the transition to the high bar, and Amy Chow
Amy Chow
Amy Yuen Yee Chow is a retired American gymnast and a member of the famous Magnificent 7, the first American team to win Olympic gymnastics gold...
who performed a stalder circle entry before making the transition. Another variation on the skill is by three-time World All-around 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...
who would include a half turn during the transition between the bars.
After retiring from the sport, Shaposhnikova and her husband Pavel Sout currently coach at Gymnastika[Gymnastika] in West Paterson, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. According to the Gymnastika website, Pavel was a Gold Medalist at the 1981 World Championships. As a member of the Soviet Mens Team, he participated in many national and international competitions. Pavel was the head coach of the 1st place Soviet National Team at the 1991 World University Games. He was educated at the Sports College in Russia and the Moscow Sports Academy. Pavel is the Head Coach of the Girls Program at Gymnastika.
Achievements (non-Olympic)
| Year | Event | AA | Team | VT | UB | BB | FX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1976 | USSR Championships | 3rd | 2nd | ||||
| 1977 | World Cup | 3rd | 1st | ||||
| USSR Cup | 1st | ||||||
| USSR Championships | 3rd | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | |||
| 1978 | World Championships | 3rd | 1st | ||||
| World Cup | 3rd | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | |||
| 1979 | World Championships | 2nd | |||||
| European Championships | 3rd | 3rd | 1st | 2nd | |||
| USSR Cup | 1st | ||||||
| USSR Championships | 1st | 3rd | 1st | 2nd | |||
| 1980 | USSR Cup | 2nd |
