Svetlana Vasilyevna Khorkina (russian: Светлана Васильевна Хоркина; born 19 January 1979) is a retired

Russia Russia (, , ), or the Russian Federation, is a transcontinental country spanning Eastern Europe and Northern Asia. It is the largest country in the world, with its internationally recognised territory covering , and encompassing one-ei ...

artistic gymnast Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics in which athletes perform short routines on different apparatuses. The sport is governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique (FIG), which designs the Code of Points and regulates ...

. She competed at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

, the

2000 Summer Olympics The 2000 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and also known as Sydney 2000 ( Dharug: ''Gadigal 2000''), the Millennium Olympic Games or the Games of the New Millennium, was an international multi-sport event held from ...

, and the

2004 Summer Olympics The 2004 Summer Olympics ( el, Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004, ), officially the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad ( el, Αγώνες της 28ης Ολυμπιάδας, ) and also known as Athens 2004 ( el, Αθήνα 2004), ...

. During her career, Khorkina won seven Olympic medals and twenty

World Championship A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

medals. Over time, she medaled in every event at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. She was also the first gymnast to win three all-around titles at the World Championships and only the second female artistic gymnast ever, after

Nadia Comăneci Nadia Elena Comăneci Conner (born November 12, 1961) is a Romanian retired gymnast and a five-time Olympic gold medalist, all in individual events. In 1976, at the age of 14, Comăneci was the first gymnast to be awarded a perfect score of 10 ...

, to win three European All-Around titles. Khorkina is regarded as one of the most successful female gymnasts of all time. At the opening ceremony of the

2019 Winter Universiade The 2019 Winter Universiade (russian: Зимняя Универсиада 2019), the XXIX Universiade, was a multi-sport event for student and youth athletes which took place from 2 to 12 March 2019 in the Russian city of Krasnoyarsk. The 2019 W ...

she lit the fire, together with bandy player Sergey Lomanov.

Senior career

1994–1996

In April 1994, Khorkina competed at the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game, ...

in Brisbane, Australia. She placed ninth in the all around with a score of 38.805. In the event finals, she placed second on vault scoring 9.800, second on uneven bars scoring 9.875, and eighth on floor scoring 8.487. In November 1994, Khorkina competed at the World Team Championships in Dortmund, Germany. She contributed an all-around score of 39.450 toward the Russian team's third-place finish. In October 1995, Khorkina competed at the

in Sabae, Japan. In the all around final, she placed second with a score of 39.130. In the event finals, she placed fifth on vault scoring 9.618 and first on uneven bars scoring 9.900. In April 1996, Khorkina competed at the

in San Juan, Puerto Rico. She placed fifth on vault scoring 9.637 and first on uneven bars scoring 9.787. In May 1996, Khorkina competed at the European Championships in Birmingham, United Kingdom. She helped Russia win the silver medal in the team final and came sixth in the all around final with a score of 38.549. In the event finals, she placed fourth on vault scoring 9.725 and first on uneven bars scoring 9.825.

Atlanta Olympics (1996)

Khorkina competed at the

in Atlanta, United States. In the team final, she contributed a combined compulsory and optional score of 77.648 toward the Russian team's second-place finish. In the all-around final, she fell on the uneven bars in the final rotation and finished fifteenth in the standings with a total score of 38.455. Three days later, Khorkina redeemed herself by winning the gold medal in the uneven bars final with a score of 9.850.

1997–2000

In September 1997, Khorkina competed at the

in Lausanne, Switzerland. She helped Russia place second in the team final and individually she won the all around final with a score of 38.636. In event finals, she placed eighth on vault scoring 4.537, first on uneven bars scoring 9.875, second on balance beam scoring 9.787, and second on floor scoring 9.800. In November 1997, Khorkina caused a scandal by posing for the Russian edition of

Playboy ''Playboy'' is an American men's Lifestyle magazine, lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from H ...

. She said, "I changed people's attitudes. It's very good to be sexy. My career made it clear that tall girls can do incredible things. I opened the way. Now I'm famous all over the world". In May 1998, Khorkina competed at the European Championships in St. Petersburg, Russia. She helped the Russian team finish second and individually she won the all around final with a score of 38.624. In event finals, she placed first on uneven bars scoring 9.900 and first on floor scoring 9.787. In October 1999, Khorkina competed at the

in Tianjin, China. She helped Russia place second in the team final and individually she placed twelfth in the all around final with a score of 37.611. In event finals, she placed first on uneven bars scoring 9.837 and third on floor scoring 9.787. In May 2000, Khorkina competed at the European Championships in Paris, France. She helped the Russian team win the gold medal and individually she won the all around final with a score of 38.749. In event finals, she placed first on uneven bars scoring 9.837 and first on balance beam scoring 9.837.

Sydney Olympics (2000)

In September, Khorkina competed at the

in Sydney, Australia. In

qualifications Qualification is either the process of qualifying for an achievement, or a credential attesting to that achievement, and may refer to: * Professional qualification, attributes developed by obtaining academic degrees or through professional expe ...

, the Russian team placed first and individually Khorkina placed first in the all around with a score of 39.005. She also qualified for the vault, uneven bars, and floor event finals. In the team final, Khorkina contributed an all-around score of 38.261 toward the Russian team's second-place finish. In the all around final, Khorkina placed tenth with a score of 37.929. During the final the vault was set five centimeters lower than it should have been, causing many gymnasts, including Khorkina, to fall. Subsequently, she fell on the uneven bars for unrelated reasons. In the third rotation the vault height was corrected. The gymnasts who had already vaulted were invited to vault again, but Khorkina refused, knowing that it would not put her in medal contention. In the event finals, Khorkina gave up her spot in the vault final to teammate, Elena Zamolodchikova, who went on to win the gold medal. Khorkina said, "I thought she could win the gold. I'm glad I could give her that opportunity." She then won the uneven bars final with a score of 9.862. She became the second gymnast to win the event in two consecutive Olympic games after

Polina Astakhova Polina Ghrighorievna Astakhova (Полина Григорьевна Астахова, 30 October 1936 – 5 August 2005) was a Soviet and Ukrainian artistic gymnast. She won ten medals at the 1956, 1960 and 1964 Summer Olympics. Biography Ast ...

who won in 1960 and 1964. Commenting on the all-around final, Khorkina said, "If I didn't get over the disappointment, I wouldn't be Khorkina. I wouldn't be standing here with the gold medal. It still hurts a lot. It was cruel to all the participants, to vault on a nonstandard height. It's quite possible to get killed. The five centimeters could decide the future of a sportsperson. But I was fortunate to have many people to help me get through it. Tomorrow, I will dance for Russia. I will leave what happened on the vault far behind me, like the North Pole." She then won the silver medal in the floor final with a score of 9.812, upstaged again by Zamolodchikova who scored a 9.850. Vladimir Putin 8 June 2001-2

2001–2004

In October 2001, Khorkina competed at the

in Ghent, Belgium. She helped the Russian team win the silver medal and individually she won the all around final with a score of 37.617. In event finals, she placed first on vault scoring 9.412, first on uneven bars scoring 9.437, and third on floor scoring 9.375. In April 2002, Khorkina competed at the European Championships in Patras, Greece. She helped Russia win the first place in the team competition and individually she won the all around competition with a score of 37.592. In event finals, she placed first on uneven bars scoring 9.550, second on balance beam scoring 9.262, and fifth on floor scoring 9.075. In November 2002, Khorkina competed at the

in Debrecen, Hungary. She placed seventh on uneven bars scoring 7.387 and fourth on balance beam scoring 9.462. In March 2003, Khorkina competed at the

World Cup A world cup is a global sporting competition in which the participant entities – usually international teams or individuals representing their countries – compete for the title of world champion. The event most associated with the concept i ...

event in Thessaloniki, Greece. She placed first on uneven bars scoring 9.425. In August 2003, Khorkina competed at the

in Anaheim, United States. She won the all around final for with a score of 38.124 This was the first time a gymnast had won three World all around titles. In November 2003, Khorkina competed at the World Cup event in Stuttgart, Germany. She placed third on vault scoring 9.268, third on uneven bars scoring 9.425, third on balance beam scoring 9.225, and second on floor scoring 9.187. At the end of April 2004, Khorkina competed at the European Championships in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. She helped the Russian team place third and individually she placed fourth in the all around final with a score of 36.848. In event finals, she placed first on uneven bars scoring 9.662, third on balance beam scoring 9.325, and seventh on floor scoring 9.112.

Athens Olympics (2004)

In August, Khorkina competed at the

in Athens, Greece. In the team final, she contributed an all around score of 38.062 toward the Russian team's third-place finish. In the all around final, she won the silver medal with a score of 38.211. Khorkina qualified in first place for the Uneven Bars Final, with a score of 9.750. Gymnastics at the 2004 Summer Olympics – Women's artistic qualification However, she placed eighth in the uneven bars final with a score of 8.925 after turning late on a pirouette and coming off the apparatus. This meant that she failed to defend her two-time Olympic uneven bars title from the

1996 File:1996 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: A bomb explodes at Centennial Olympic Park in Atlanta, set off by a radical anti-abortionist; The center fuel tank explodes on TWA Flight 800, causing the plane to crash and killing everyone o ...

and

with the title going to

Émilie Le Pennec Émilie Le Pennec (born 31 December 1987) is a French retired artistic gymnast. Le Pennec was the 2004 Olympic Champion on the uneven bars and was the first female French gymnast to win an Olympic medal in women's artistic gymnastics. Career ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

instead.

Eponymous skills

Khorkina has 4 eponymous skills that are currently listed in the Code of Points ( CoP). Prior to the 2022–2024 quad, she held the record of having the most eponyms at 9 before some easier ones were removed as part of CoP's regular update.

Personal life

Svetlana Khorkina was born on 19 January 1979, the daughter of Vasiliy and Lyubov. She has a younger sister, Yulia, who was also a gymnast. Khorkina said, "As a child, I was very picky with my food. My mother hoped, that if she puts me into gymnastics, I would start eating breakfast without frowning, after having spent a lot of energy in the gym. This is how, by simple nutritional reasons, I started my gymnastics career at the age of four." At 5'5", most people thought that Khorkina was too tall to be an artistic gymnast. However, her coach, Boris Pilkin, saw her potential and created alternative training methods and skills to accommodate her taller body. Khorkina has more skills named after her in the Code of Points than any other gymnast. Khorkina was known for her dramatic and opinionated personality, often being called a

diva Diva (; ) is the Latin word for a goddess. It has often been used to refer to a celebrated woman of outstanding talent in the world of opera, theatre, cinema, fashion and popular music. If referring to an actress, the meaning of ''diva'' is cl ...

. She said, "I wouldn't have been called a diva or a queen if I wasn't creative. My costume and make-up were always important to me. When people come to see gymnastics they want a performance, not just a sport. I have a talent. I have accomplished so much in sport it will take dozens of years before anyone else achieves as much". After retiring from gymnastics, in December 2005 Khorkina was named vice-president of the

Russian Artistic Gymnastics Federation The Artistic Gymnastics Federation of Russia (Eng. abbr.: AGFR, russian: Федерация спортивной гимнастики России) is the governing body of gymnastics in Russia. It is a member federation of both the European Union ...

. In 2008, she was a commentator for the Beijing Olympics' gymnastics competition for the Russian TV station NTV+ and released her autobiography entitled, "Somersaults in High Heels" published by Olma-Press She was also an ambassador for the

2014 Winter Olympics , ''Zharkie. Zimnie. Tvoi'') , nations = 88 , events = 98 in 7 sports (15 disciplines) , athletes = 2,873 , opening = 7 February 2014 , closing = 23 February 2014 , opened_by = President Vladimir Putin , cauldron = , stadium = Fisht Olympi ...

in Sochi, Russia. Khorkina has been a member of the political party of

United Russia United Russia ( rus, Единая Россия, Yedinaya Rossiya, (j)ɪˈdʲinəjə rɐˈsʲijə) is a Conservatism in Russia, Russian conservative List of political parties in Russia, political party. As the largest party in Russia, it hold ...

since 2003. She was elected as a deputy for the Russian

State Duma The State Duma (russian: Госуда́рственная ду́ма, r=Gosudárstvennaja dúma), commonly abbreviated in Russian as Gosduma ( rus, Госду́ма), is the lower house of the Federal Assembly of Russia, while the upper hous ...

in 2007 and served until 2011. In July 2005, Khorkina gave birth to a son, Svyatoslav Khorkin, at

Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Cedars-Sinai Medical Center is a nonprofit, tertiary, 886-bed teaching hospital and multi-specialty academic health science center located in Los Angeles, California. Part of the Cedars-Sinai Health System, the hospital employs a staff of over ...

in Los Angeles, United States but refused to name the father of the child. The father was later revealed to be businessman Kirill Shubsky, who was married to actress and film director

Vera Glagoleva Vera Vitalievna Glagoleva (russian: Вера Витальевна Глаголева; 31 January 1956 – 16 August 2017) was a Soviet and Russian actress and film director. Glagoleva was born in Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union in 1956. ...

. In April 2011, Khorkina married Oleg Kochnev. He is a former general in Russia's

Federal Security Service The Federal Security Service of the Russian Federation (FSB) RF; rus, Федеральная служба безопасности Российской Федерации (ФСБ России), Federal'naya sluzhba bezopasnosti Rossiyskoy Feder ...

and 23 years her senior. Khorkina and Kochnev have a son, Ivan, born in October 2019.

Political views

In March 2022, during the

2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. A ...

, Khorkina posted an image of the 'Z' military symbol which is commonly used by Russian invading forces in Ukraine, with the comment, "A campaign for those who are not ashamed of being Russian. Let's spread it!"

Competitive history

†1998 Goodwill Games: mixed pairs silver medal with

Alexei Nemov Alexei Yurievich Nemov (russian: link=no, Алексей Юрьевич Немов; born 28 May 1976 in Barashevo, Mordovia) is a former artistic gymnast from Russia. Nemov is most celebrated gymnasts of all time. During his career, he won fiv ...

References

External links

* * *
Khorkina (Uneven Bars animation)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Khorkina, Svetlana 1979 births Russian female artistic gymnasts Living people Gymnasts at the 1996 Summer Olympics Gymnasts at the 2000 Summer Olympics Gymnasts at the 2004 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Russia Olympic silver medalists for Russia Olympic bronze medalists for Russia Olympic gymnasts of Russia Originators of elements in artistic gymnastics World champion gymnasts Medalists at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships Fifth convocation members of the State Duma (Russian Federation) Mordvin people People from Belgorod United Russia politicians 21st-century Russian politicians Olympic medalists in gymnastics European champions in gymnastics Medalists at the 2004 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 2000 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1996 Summer Olympics Russian sportsperson-politicians Competitors at the 1994 Goodwill Games Competitors at the 1998 Goodwill Games Competitors at the 2001 Goodwill Games Goodwill Games medalists in gymnastics 21st-century Russian women