Maria Evgenievna Filatova () (born July 19, 1961) is a retired Russian gymnast who competed at the

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and 1980 Olympics.

Career

Filatova began competing for the USSR junior team in 1974. In 1976 she placed fourth at the USSR National Championships and competed well in various international events. Filatova was originally named as an alternate to the Soviet team at the

1976 Summer Olympics The 1976 Summer Olympics (), officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad () and officially branded as Montreal 1976 (), were an international multi-sport event held from July 17 to August 1, 1976, in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. Montreal ...

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. However, during podium training, she received such a positive reaction from the crowd that she was added to the team roster. She shared in the team gold medal and was ranked ninth overall after the team competition. Because four of her teammates scored higher than she did and only three gymnasts per team were allowed to compete in the all-around, she did not advance to the AA finals in spite of her high placement. Following the Olympics and the retirements of several high-profile gymnasts, including Ludmilla Tourischeva and

Olga Korbut Olga Valentinovna Korbut (born 16 May 1955) is a Belarusian retired gymnastics, gymnast who competed for the Soviet Union. Nicknamed the "Old World sparrow, Sparrow from Minsk", she won four gold medals and two silver medals at the Summer Olymp ...

, Filatova emerged as one of the leaders of the Soviet team. She won the World Cup in 1977 and 1978; the USSR Nationals in 1977, and the Riga International meet in 1977 and 1979. At the 1980 Olympics, Filatova served as the lead-off gymnast on several events and contributed to the team's gold medal. She continued to the 1981 World Championships, where she was the silver medalist in the all-around. British journalist David Hunn referred to Filatova as a "fifteen-year-old in the Korbut tradition." As Korbut, Filatova was known for her enthusiastic, expressive floor exercise routines and her difficult acrobatic skills. She was one of the first female gymnasts to successfully compete a double back somersault on floor in 1975. Following her retirement in 1982, Filatova worked for several years with the British Gymnastics Federation (in Belfast) before moving to the United States. She now lives and coaches in Rochester, New York.

Achievements (non-Olympic)

External links and sources

* *
List of competitive results at Gymn-Forum.net
* *Hunn, David; (1980). ''The Complete Book of Gymnastics'', London : Ward Lock Ltd. . {{DEFAULTSORT:Filatova, Maria 1961 births Living people People from Leninsk-Kuznetsky Soviet female artistic gymnasts Russian female artistic gymnasts Gymnasts at the 1976 Summer Olympics Gymnasts at the 1980 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for the Soviet Union Olympic bronze medalists for the Soviet Union Olympic gymnasts for the Soviet Union Olympic medalists in gymnastics Medalists at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships Medalists at the 1980 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1976 Summer Olympics European champions in gymnastics 20th-century Russian sportswomen