Valeri Liukin
Encyclopedia
Valeri Viktorovich Liukin ' onMouseout='HidePop("54359")' href="/topics/Kazakh_SSR">Kazakh SSR
, USSR) is a retired competitive artistic gymnast who competed for the former Soviet Union
. Liukin is the 1988 Olympic Champion
in the team competition and individually on the horizontal bar
and Olympic silver medalist in the all-around and the parallel bars. He is now a coach.
Liukin is the first man to do a triple back flip on floor and both a layout Tkatchev and a Jaeger with full twist on high bar.
Liukin became a U.S. citizen in 2000. He is married to Anna Kotchneva
and is the father and coach of 2008 Olympic champion
Nastia Liukin
. He is co-owner of the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy
with Yevgeny Marchenko.
to join the Soviet Junior National team. His rise in the ranks was consistent and his world debut came at the 1985 Friendship Cup. During his career, he was coached by Eduard Yarov. Liukin was a member of the USSR National Team until the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union.
At the 1987 European Championships in Moscow, he won gold medals in the all-around, on the horizontal bar on the floor exercise where he was the first gymnast to perform a tripple back sommersault. He won the silver medal on the still rings and the bronze on the vault. At the 1987 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
in Rotterdam
, he won the team competition with the Soviet Union.
At the 1988 Summer Olympics
in Seoul
, South Korea, Liukin won the gold medal in the team competition, and was the co-champion on the horizontal bar with fellow Soviet gymnast Vladimir Artemov
. Liukin won the silver medal in the all-around and on the parallel bars.
At the 1991 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
in Indianapolis
, he again was a member of the champion Soviet team in the Team competition. He won the bronze medal in the All-Around.
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Liukin competed for his native Kazakhstan
, competing for them most notably at the 1993 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
and the 1994 Asian Games
, and did not win a medal at either competition.
He married Anna Kotchneva
while still competing. Their daughter, Anastasia Liukina
, nicknamed Nastia, and surname later Americanized to Liukin, was born in Moscow in 1989.
In 1992, Liukin moved to the United States and began a coaching career. Liukin originally moved to New Orleans. He and his family later moved to Plano, Texas
.
Together with his longtime friend Evgeny Marchenko, Liukin owns and runs three World Olympic Gymnastics Academy locations. Carly Patterson
, the 2004 Summer Olympics
all-around champion trained in Liukin's gym. Others he has coached include his daughter, Nastia Liukin
. Valeri Liukin coached her to the 2008 Summer Olympics
, where she won five medals, including the All-Around gold.
He is currently coaching Rebecca Bross
who placed second in the All Around Competition at the World Championships
in London 2009 and Ivana Hong
who had been an alternate on the Olympic Team 2008.
He was the International Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2004. He was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame
in 2005.
Liukin had a small cameo in the film Stick It
as the spotter in his daughter's uneven bars routine.
Kazakh SSR
The Kazakh Soviet Socialist Republic , also known as the Kazakh SSR for short, was one of republics that made up the Soviet Union.At in area, it was the second largest constituent republic in the USSR, after the Russian SFSR. Its capital was Alma-Ata . Today it is the independent state of...
, USSR) is a retired competitive artistic gymnast who competed for the former Soviet Union
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....
. Liukin is the 1988 Olympic Champion
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
in the team competition and individually on the horizontal bar
Horizontal bar
The high bar, also known as the horizontal bar, is an apparatus used by male gymnasts in Artistic Gymnastics. It traditionally consists of a cylindrical metal bar that is rigidly held above and parallel to the floor by a system of cables and stiff vertical supports. Gymnasts typically wear leather...
and Olympic silver medalist in the all-around and the parallel bars. He is now a coach.
Liukin is the first man to do a triple back flip on floor and both a layout Tkatchev and a Jaeger with full twist on high bar.
Liukin became a U.S. citizen in 2000. He is married to Anna Kotchneva
Anna Kotchneva
Anna Kotchneva is a former Soviet rhythmic gymnast. She is the 1987 World Champion in clubs, the 1987 World bronze medalist in the hoop, and the 1987 World co-bronze medalist in the rope with Marina Lobatch....
and is the father and coach of 2008 Olympic champion
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
Nastia Liukin
Nastia Liukin
Anastasia Valeryevna "Nastia" Liukin is a Russian-American artistic gymnast. She was the 2008 Olympic individual all-around Champion, the 2005 and 2007 World Champion on the balance beam, and the 2005 World Champion on the uneven bars...
. He is co-owner of the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy
World Olympic Gymnastics Academy
The World Olympic Gymnastics Academy is a three-facility gymnastics club located in Plano, Frisco, and Dallas, Texas.The head coaches at WOGA are Valeri Liukin, gold and silver medalist at the 1988 Olympic Games representing the former Soviet Union, and Yevgeny Marchenko, a five-time World...
with Yevgeny Marchenko.
Biography
Liukin began gymnastics when he was 7 years old. He moved to MoscowMoscow
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...
to join the Soviet Junior National team. His rise in the ranks was consistent and his world debut came at the 1985 Friendship Cup. During his career, he was coached by Eduard Yarov. Liukin was a member of the USSR National Team until the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union.
At the 1987 European Championships in Moscow, he won gold medals in the all-around, on the horizontal bar on the floor exercise where he was the first gymnast to perform a tripple back sommersault. He won the silver medal on the still rings and the bronze on the vault. At the 1987 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
1987 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 24th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Rotterdam, Netherlands, in 1987.-Medals:-All-around:- Floor exercise :-Pommel horse:-Rings:-Vault:-Parallel bars:-Horizontal bar:-Team final:-All-around:- Vault :...
in Rotterdam
Rotterdam
Rotterdam is the second-largest city in the Netherlands and one of the largest ports in the world. Starting as a dam on the Rotte river, Rotterdam has grown into a major international commercial centre...
, he won the team competition with the Soviet Union.
At the 1988 Summer Olympics
1988 Summer Olympics
The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...
in Seoul
Seoul
Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...
, South Korea, Liukin won the gold medal in the team competition, and was the co-champion on the horizontal bar with fellow Soviet gymnast Vladimir Artemov
Vladimir Artemov
Vladimir Nikolaevich Artemov is a former Russian gymnast, Olympic champion and world champion who competed for the Soviet Union.He was born in Vladimir....
. Liukin won the silver medal in the all-around and on the parallel bars.
At the 1991 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
1991 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 26th Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Indianapolis, USA, in the Hoosier Dome, September 6 to 15, 1991.-Medals:-All-round:-Apparatus:-All-round:-Apparatus:-References:**...
in Indianapolis
Indianapolis
Indianapolis is the capital of the U.S. state of Indiana, and the county seat of Marion County, Indiana. As of the 2010 United States Census, the city's population is 839,489. It is by far Indiana's largest city and, as of the 2010 U.S...
, he again was a member of the champion Soviet team in the Team competition. He won the bronze medal in the All-Around.
Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Liukin competed for his native Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
, competing for them most notably at the 1993 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
1993 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The Artistic Gymnastics World Championships were held in Birmingham, England in 1993. There was no team competition at this meet; gymnasts competed in the all-around and event finals only....
and the 1994 Asian Games
1994 Asian Games
The 1994 Asian Games also known as XII Asiad were held from October 2 to October 16, 1994 in Hiroshima, Japan. The main theme of this edition was to promote peace and harmony among Asian nations. It was emphasized by the host because the venue was the site of the first atomic bomb attack in...
, and did not win a medal at either competition.
He married Anna Kotchneva
Anna Kotchneva
Anna Kotchneva is a former Soviet rhythmic gymnast. She is the 1987 World Champion in clubs, the 1987 World bronze medalist in the hoop, and the 1987 World co-bronze medalist in the rope with Marina Lobatch....
while still competing. Their daughter, Anastasia Liukina
Nastia Liukin
Anastasia Valeryevna "Nastia" Liukin is a Russian-American artistic gymnast. She was the 2008 Olympic individual all-around Champion, the 2005 and 2007 World Champion on the balance beam, and the 2005 World Champion on the uneven bars...
, nicknamed Nastia, and surname later Americanized to Liukin, was born in Moscow in 1989.
In 1992, Liukin moved to the United States and began a coaching career. Liukin originally moved to New Orleans. He and his family later moved to Plano, Texas
Plano, Texas
Plano is a city in the state of Texas, located mostly within Collin County. The city's population was 259,841 at the 2010 census, making it the ninth-largest city in Texas and the 71st most populous city in the United States. Plano is located within the metropolitan area commonly referred to as...
.
Together with his longtime friend Evgeny Marchenko, Liukin owns and runs three World Olympic Gymnastics Academy locations. 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...
, the 2004 Summer Olympics
2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
all-around champion trained in Liukin's gym. Others he has coached include his daughter, Nastia Liukin
Nastia Liukin
Anastasia Valeryevna "Nastia" Liukin is a Russian-American artistic gymnast. She was the 2008 Olympic individual all-around Champion, the 2005 and 2007 World Champion on the balance beam, and the 2005 World Champion on the uneven bars...
. Valeri Liukin coached her to the 2008 Summer Olympics
2008 Summer Olympics
The 2008 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, was a major international multi-sport event that took place in Beijing, China, from August 8 to August 24, 2008. A total of 11,028 athletes from 204 National Olympic Committees competed in 28 sports and 302 events...
, where she won five medals, including the All-Around gold.
He is currently coaching Rebecca Bross
Rebecca Bross
Rebecca Bross is an American artistic gymnast. She won the all-around and three events at the junior national championships in 2007. At the 2007 Pan American Games in Brazil, Bross won a team gold, individual all-around second, and the first place in floor exercise. She was a member of the U.S...
who placed second in the All Around Competition at the World Championships
2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
The 41st World Artistic Gymnastics Championships was held at The O2 arena in London, United Kingdom, on 12 October to 18 October 2009. Similar to the World Championships in 2005, there were no team competitions...
in London 2009 and Ivana Hong
Ivana Hong
Ivana Hong is an American artistic gymnast. She was a member of the gold medal American team at the 2007 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and the all-around bronze medalist at the 2007 Pan American Games. Hong was named an alternate to the 2008 U.S. Olympic team and was a member of the U.S...
who had been an alternate on the Olympic Team 2008.
He was the International Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2004. He was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame
International Gymnastics Hall of Fame
The International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, located in Oklahoma City, USA, is a hall of fame dedicated to honoring the achievements and contributions of the world's greatest competitors, coaches and authorities in artistic gymnastics....
in 2005.
Liukin had a small cameo in the film Stick It
Stick It
Stick It is an American teen comedy-drama film starring Jeff Bridges, Missy Peregrym, and Vanessa Lengies. It was written and directed by Jessica Bendinger, writer of Bring It On; the film marks her directorial debut...
as the spotter in his daughter's uneven bars routine.