Contents
Svetlana Khorkina
Winning three world all-around titles and two Olympic uneven-bars golds.
Olympic bars champion · World all-around titles
- Born
- 19 January 1979
- Birthplace
- Belgorod, Russia
More people
Svetlana Khorkina
Russian artistic gymnast known for long lines and distinctive skills developed for her unusually tall build. She won twenty world championship medals and seven Olympic medals.
Early life
Early start
Began gymnastics at four in Belgorod.
An adaptable coach
Boris Pilkin developed routines that used her height rather than treating it as a disadvantage.
Career
- 1994
World debut
Won vault and uneven-bars silver medals in her first senior world championship year.
- 1995–2003
Russian mainstay
Became a central figure in Russia’s senior team.
- 2004
Last Olympics
Finished her competitive career after the Athens Games.
- 2005
Federation role
Became a vice-president of Russia’s artistic gymnastics federation.
Achievements
Olympic bars champion
Won consecutive Olympic uneven-bars titles.
World all-around titles
Became the first woman to win three world all-around championships.
Five world bars titles
Won the uneven-bars world championship five times.
Beyond sport
Public office
Served in Russia’s State Duma from 2007 to 2011 as a United Russia deputy.
Autobiography
Published Somersaults in High Heels after her competitive career.
Sources & photo credit
Life, career and references ↗Sport authority — career and achievements ↗Photo: Department of Information of the Ministry of Defense of Russia. CC BY 4.0 · Original image. Cropped and displayed in monochrome.
