Natalia Yurchenko
Encyclopedia
Natalia Vladimirovna Yurchenko (born January 26, 1965 in Norilsk
, Russian SFSR) was a Soviet
artistic gymnast, who was the women's all-around gold medalist at the 1983 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
. Natalia is best known for creating the Yurchenko vault, which is like a round-off and a back handspring up onto the vault, and then performing the series of twists and flips.
Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR, she was coached by Vladislav Rastorotsky
at the Dinamo sports society in Rostov on Don. Her first international competition was the 1978 Junior Friendship Tournament, where she placed 5th all-around and won gold medals in the team competition and on bars. In the same year she debuted in the senior Riga International meet, earning the bronze on the floor
.
The great series of successes began four years later, when she won the all-around title at the USSR Championships, USSR Cup, at the prestigious Moscow News
tournament and the World Cup. Perhaps even more successful was the year 1983. She won almost complete gold medal complects (except the floor exercise) at the University Games
and the USSR Championships. She also became the all-around World Champion, achieving two perfect 10s in the process.
At the Friendship Games in Olomouc
, Yurchenko battled with Olga Mostepanova
and managed to win the gold medal on the vault and in the team competition. In 1985 she once again won almost all events at the University Games (except vault
and the balance beam) and contributed to the team's gold medal at the World Championships.
Apart from being one of the strongest gymnasts of the 1980s, she originated such popular gymnastics elements as Yurchenko vault
and Yurchenko loop
. She retired from gymnastics in 1986, but made a surprise appearance at the World Professional Championships (Fairfax, VA) in 1991. In 1999 Yurchenko emigrated to the USA and coached there since that time. She coached at LVSA, a gymnastics club in Pennsylvania, for almost 9 years and at Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania. She lives with her family consisting of her husband Igor Sklyarov
and daughter Olga.
Norilsk
Norilsk is an industrial city in Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia, located between the Yenisei River and the Taymyr Peninsula. Population: It was granted city status in 1953. It is the northernmost city in Siberia and the world's second largest city north of the Arctic Circle...
, Russian SFSR) was a Soviet
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....
artistic gymnast, who was the women's all-around gold medalist at the 1983 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
1983 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 22nd Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, in 1983.-Medals:-All-around:- Floor exercise :-Pommel horse:-Rings:-Vault:-Parallel bars:-Horizontal bar:-Team final:-All-around:...
. Natalia is best known for creating the Yurchenko vault, which is like a round-off and a back handspring up onto the vault, and then performing the series of twists and flips.
Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR, she was coached by 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...
at the Dinamo sports society in Rostov on Don. Her first international competition was the 1978 Junior Friendship Tournament, where she placed 5th all-around and won gold medals in the team competition and on bars. In the same year she debuted in the senior Riga International meet, earning the bronze on the floor
Floor (gymnastics)
In gymnastics, the floor refers to a specially prepared exercise surface, which is considered an apparatus. It is used by both male and female gymnasts. The event in gymnastics performed on floor is called floor exercise. The English abbreviation for the event in gymnastics scoring is FX.A spring...
.
The great series of successes began four years later, when she won the all-around title at the USSR Championships, USSR Cup, at the prestigious Moscow News
Moscow News
The Moscow News, which began publication in 1930, is Russia’s oldest English-language publication newspaper. Many of its feature articles used to be translated from the now defunct Russian Moskovskiye Novosti.-History:...
tournament and the World Cup. Perhaps even more successful was the year 1983. She won almost complete gold medal complects (except the floor exercise) at the University Games
1983 Summer Universiade
The 1983 Summer Universiade, also known as the XII Summer Universiade, took place in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada between July 1 and 12, 1983. Over 2,400 athletes from 73 countries participated....
and the USSR Championships. She also became the all-around World Champion, achieving two perfect 10s in the process.
At the Friendship Games in Olomouc
Olomouc
Olomouc is a city in Moravia, in the east of the Czech Republic. The city is located on the Morava river and is the ecclesiastical metropolis and historical capital city of Moravia. Nowadays, it is an administrative centre of the Olomouc Region and sixth largest city in the Czech Republic...
, Yurchenko battled with Olga Mostepanova
Olga Mostepanova
Olga Vasilyevna Mostepanova is a retired prominent Soviet gymnast. Her birth year has been variously reported as 1968 or 1969, but Mostepanova herself has stated that she was actually born in 1970.-Gymnastics career:...
and managed to win the gold medal on the vault and in the team competition. In 1985 she once again won almost all events at the University Games (except vault
Vault (gymnastics)
The vault is an artistic gymnastics apparatus, as well as the skill performed using that apparatus. Vaulting is also the action of performing a vault. Both male and female gymnasts perform the vault...
and the balance beam) and contributed to the team's gold medal at the World Championships.
Apart from being one of the strongest gymnasts of the 1980s, she originated such popular gymnastics elements as Yurchenko vault
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....
and Yurchenko loop
Yurchenko loop
A Yurchenko loop is a skill performed on the balance beam in women's artistic gymnastics. It is named after Soviet gymnast Natalia Yurchenko, who originated and competed the element in the early 1980s....
. She retired from gymnastics in 1986, but made a surprise appearance at the World Professional Championships (Fairfax, VA) in 1991. In 1999 Yurchenko emigrated to the USA and coached there since that time. She coached at LVSA, a gymnastics club in Pennsylvania, for almost 9 years and at Parkettes National Gymnastics Training Center in Allentown, Pennsylvania. She lives with her family consisting of her husband Igor Sklyarov
Igor Sklyarov
Igor Yevgenyevich Sklyarov is a former Russian footballer. He last worked as an athletic director for FC Sibir Novosibirsk.-Background:...
and daughter Olga.
Achievements
| Year | Event | AA | Team | VT | UB | BB | FX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1982 | World Cup | 1st | 1st | 2nd | 1st | ||
| USSR Cup | 1st | 1st | |||||
| USSR Championships | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | |||
| 1983 | World Championships 1983 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships The 22nd Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Budapest, the capital of Hungary, in 1983.-Medals:-All-around:- Floor exercise :-Pommel horse:-Rings:-Vault:-Parallel bars:-Horizontal bar:-Team final:-All-around:... |
1st | 1st | ||||
| USSR Championships | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 2nd | ||
| 1984 | Friendship Games Friendship Games The Friendship Games or Friendship-84 was an international multi-sport event held between 2 July and 16 September 1984 in the Soviet Union and eight other socialist states which boycotted the 1984 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles.... |
1st | 1st | 2nd | |||
| 1985 | World Championships 1985 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships The 23rd Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Montreal, Canada, in 1985.-Medals:-All-around:- Floor exercise :-Pommel horse:-Rings:-Vault:-Parallel bars:-Horizontal bar:-Team final:-All-around:- Vault :... |
1st | |||||
| USSR Championships | 3rd |
External links and sources
- List of competitive results at Gymn Forum
- Whatever happened to Natalia Yurchenko?
- Video of Natalia Yurchenko performing Yurchenko vault - 1985 Summer Universiade1985 Summer UniversiadeThe 1985 Summer Universiade, also known as the XIII Summer Universiade, took place in Kobe, Japan.-Mascot:Name: UNITANArtist: Osamu Tezuka...
in KobeKobe, pronounced , is the fifth-largest city in Japan and is the capital city of Hyōgo Prefecture on the southern side of the main island of Honshū, approximately west of Osaka...
, all-around