Alexandra Timoshenko

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Alexandra Alexandrovna Timoshenko, or Olexandra Olexandrivna Tymoshenko, (Ukrainian: Олександра Олександрівна Тимошенко; born 18 February 1972) is a former Ukrainian individual rhythmic gymnast who competed for the Soviet Union. She is the 1992 Olympics champion, 1988 Olympics bronze medalist, 1989 World all-around champion, 1991 World all-around silver medalist and two time (1988, 1990) European all-around champion. Along with Tatiana Gutsu, and Oleh Kucherenko, Oleksandra Tymoshenko also was among the first Olympians in honor of which at the 1992 Olympics was raised the Ukrainian flag and played the Ukrainian anthem.[1]

Alexandra Timoshenko
Олександра Тимошенко
Timoshenko in 1992
Personal information
Alternative name(s)Olexandra Tymoshenko
Country represented Unified Team
Former countries represented Ukraine
 Soviet Union
Born (1972-02-18) 18 February 1972 (age 52)
Bohuslav, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
DisciplineRhythmic gymnastics
Levelsenior
ClubDeriugins School
Head coach(es)Albina Deriugina
Assistant coach(es)Irina Deriugina
Retiredyes
Medal record
Rhythmic Gymnastics
Olympic Games
Representing  Unified Team
Gold medal – first place 1992 Barcelona All-around
Representing  Soviet Union
Bronze medal – third place 1988 Seoul All-around
Representing  Ukraine
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1992 Stuttgart Hoop
Gold medal – first place 1992 Stuttgart Ball
Gold medal – first place 1992 Stuttgart Clubs
Silver medal – second place 1992 Stuttgart All-around
Silver medal – second place 1992 Stuttgart Rope
Representing  Soviet Union
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1989 Sarajevo All-around
Gold medal – first place 1989 Sarajevo Rope
Gold medal – first place 1989 Sarajevo Hoop
Gold medal – first place 1989 Sarajevo Ball
Gold medal – first place 1989 Sarajevo Team
Gold medal – first place 1991 Athens Rope
Gold medal – first place 1991 Athens Hoop
Gold medal – first place 1991 Athens Ball
Gold medal – first place 1991 Athens Clubs
Gold medal – first place 1991 Athens Team
Silver medal – second place 1989 Sarajevo Ribbon
Silver medal – second place 1991 Athens All-around
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1988 Helsinki All-around
Gold medal – first place 1988 Helsinki Rope
Gold medal – first place 1988 Helsinki Hoop
Gold medal – first place 1988 Helsinki Clubs
Gold medal – first place 1990 Gothenburg Team
Gold medal – first place 1990 Gothenburg All-Around
Gold medal – first place 1990 Gothenburg Ball
Silver medal – second place 1990 Gothenburg Rope
Silver medal – second place 1990 Gothenburg Hoop
European Cup Final
Gold medal – first place 1988 Hanover All-around
Gold medal – first place 1988 Hanover Ball
Gold medal – first place 1988 Hanover Ribbon
Gold medal – first place 1991 Brussels All-around
Gold medal – first place 1991 Brussels Rope
Gold medal – first place 1991 Brussels Hoop
Gold medal – first place 1991 Brussels Ball
Gold medal – first place 1991 Brussels Clubs
Silver medal – second place 1988 Hanover Hoop
Bronze medal – third place 1988 Hanover Rope
Junior European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1987 Athens Rope
Silver medal – second place 1987 Athens Hoop
Silver medal – second place 1987 Athens Ribbon

Career

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When Tymoshenko was seven, her father (a construction engineer) was invited to work in Kyiv. She started training in gymnastics in 1980 at age eight at the Deriugins School, coached by the mother/daughter combination of Albina and Irina Deriugina. She placed seventh at the 1987 European Junior Championships, her first major international result. At age 14, she became the Soviet junior champion and, shortly after, collected three medals at a European championships: a gold for the Rope, a silver for the Hoop and a bronze for the Ribbon. At a Soviet competition, she placed second behind the top Soviet competition, Marina Lobach of Belarus, and so won the right to go to the 1988 European championships.

At the 1988 European Championships in Helsinki, Finland, Tymoshenko shared the All-Around title with two Bulgarians, Elizabeth Koleva and Adriana Dunavska. There she also won three golds - Hoop, Clubs and Rope. Several months later she won the All-Around bronze at the Seoul Olympics, and after that she became the USSR All-Around champion for the first time.

Tymoshenko continued her rise in 1989, taking five out of six golds at the Sarajevo World Championships. Her streak would continue through numerous other international competitions, although she started to feel the pressure from up-and-coming teammates. She would grab her second European title in 1990, but spent the rest of the year struggling against the steadily rising Oksana Skaldina. In 1991, Timoshenko seemed poised to earn her second World title after a very strong early season. However, in Athens Timoshenko's difficulty level could not match Skaldina's and the former World champion had to settle for silver. At the event finals she was able to sweep the gold medals on all four apparatus.

The ex-USSR countries competed as the Unified Team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain. Tymoshenko won the gold medal in All-around ahead of Skaldina.

Retirement

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Although the Ukrainian Federation tried to persuade her to continue after the 1992 Olympics, Timoshenko opted to retire from the sport at the age of 20. She enrolled in the Goethe Institute to study German language, while simultaneously completing her studies at the Kyiv University of Physical Culture and Sports. She spent some time coaching in Germany before getting married and making a permanent move to Vienna, Austria.

Detailed Olympic results

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Year Competition description Location Music [2] Apparatus Score-Final
1992 Olympics Barcelona All-around 59.037
Prelim 19.487
Gori, Gori Moya Zvezda music from Russian Romance by Volodymyr Bystryakov Rope 9.950
Main Title / Love Theme music from Wild Orchid by Simon Goldenberg & Geoff MacCormack Hoop 9.950
I Spoved by Volodymyr Bystryakov Ball 9.700
? Clubs 9.950
Year Competition description Location Music Apparatus Score-Final
1988 Olympics Seoul All-around 59.875
Prelim 19.875
Leyenda (from Suite Española) by Isaac Manuel, Francisco Albaniz Ribbon 10.000
Summertime (from Porgy and Bess) by George Gershwin Rope 10.000
? Ball 10.000
Summertime (from Porgy and Bess) by George Gershwin Clubs 10.000

References

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  1. ^ When had actually at first sounded the Ukrainian anthem at Olympics (Коли насправді вперше пролунав Гімн України на Олімпіаді ). Espreso.tv. 28 July 2015
  2. ^ "Timoschenko RG music list". rgforum. Archived from the original on 2016-03-05. Retrieved 2015-11-02.
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