Polina Astakhova

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Olympic medalist
Center
Polina Astakhova
Medal record
Women's Artistic Gymnastics
Gold 1956 Melbourne Team competition
Gold 1960 Rome Team competition
Gold 1960 Rome Uneven bars
Gold 1964 Tokyo Team competition
Gold 1964 Tokyo Uneven bars
Silver 1960 Rome Floor exercise
Silver 1964 Tokyo Floor exercise
Bronze 1956 Melbourne Team, portable apparatus
Bronze 1960 Rome All-around
Bronze 1964 Tokyo All-around
World Championships
Gold 1958 Moscow Team competition
Gold 1962 Prague Team competition
Silver 1966 Dortmund Team competition
Bronze 1958 Moscow Uneven bars
European Championships
Gold 1959 Krakow Balance beam
Gold 1961 Leipzig Balance beam
Gold 1961 Leipzig Uneven bars
Silver 1961 Leipzig All-around
Silver 1961 Leipzig Floor exercise

Polina Ghrighorievna Astakhova (Russian:Полина Григорьевна Астахова) (October 30, 1936, in Dnepropetrovsk, Ukrainian SSR - August 5, 2005 in Kiev, Ukraine) was a Soviet/Ukrainian gymnast who won ten medals (five gold medals, two silver medals and three bronze medals) at the Summer Olympics, where she participated as a member of the USSR team in 1956, 1960 and 1964.

Astakhova became interested in artistic gymnastics at age 13, after she had watched the gymnastics championships in Donetsk, a city, where their family moved a short time before. She trained in the local gymnastics sports club Shakhtyor, where her trainer was the Honoured Trainer of the USSR Vladimir Alieksandrovitch Smirnov.

Astakhova earned a nickname The Russian Birch in Western countries for her exceptional grace, and at the 1960 Olympics she was even called Madonna by the Italian journalists. Between 1956 and 1966 Astakhova was on top of many international and national competitions especially on the uneven bars apparatus event. She was a member of the USSR team between 1955 and 1968.

In 1954 Astakhova competed in the USSR Championships for the first time and in a year she made the USSR National team at the 1956 Summer Olympics. She was the youngest team member and contributed to the team's gold. At the 1960 Summer Olympics Olympics in Rome she led in the all-around, but lost a whole point for a fall on beam, which was the seventh routine of eight contested. She was very disappointed by the accident and even did not compete that year, although in Rome she won the gold in the team competition and on the bars, silver on the floor and bronze in the all-around. She recovered after the 1961 European Championships, where she won gold medals on the bars and on beam. [1] Competing in the 1964 Summer Olympics, Astakhova contributed to the team's gold, won on the bars, was second on the floor and third in the all-around.

After she finished her career, since 1972 she worked as the USSR State Trainer for Ukrainian SSR for some time. In 2002 she was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. [2] Astakhova spent the last years of her life in Kiev, Ukraine before her death at age 68 from undisclosed causes.

[edit] Achievements (non-Olympic)

Year Event AA Team VT UB BB FX
1956 USSR Championships 3rd 3rd 3rd
1957 USSR Championships 3rd
1958 World Championships 1st 3rd
USSR Championships 3rd 3rd 2nd 3rd
1959 European Championships 1st 1st
USSR Championships 1st 1st 2nd 1st
USSR Cup 1st 1st 3rd 1st
1960 USSR Championships 1st 2nd 1st
USSR Cup 1st
1961 European Championships 2nd 1st 1st 2nd
USSR Championships 2nd 1st 2nd
USSR Cup 2nd 1st
1962 World Championships 1st
USSR Championships 3rd 2nd 3rd
1963 USSR Championships 3rd 1st 2nd
USSR Cup 1st 2nd 1st 2nd 1st
1964 USSR Championships 2nd 1st
1965 USSR Championships 2nd 3rd
USSR Cup 1st
1966 World Championships 2nd
USSR Championships 3rd
1967 USSR Championships 3rd

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Olympic champions in artistic gymnastics – women's team competition

1928: Netherlands Netherlands • 1936: Germany Germany • 1948: Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia • 1952: Soviet Union Soviet Union • 1956: Soviet Union Soviet Union • 1960: Soviet Union Soviet Union • 1964: Soviet Union Soviet Union • 1968: Soviet Union Soviet Union • 1972: Soviet Union Soviet Union • 1976: Soviet Union Soviet Union • 1980: Soviet Union Soviet Union • 1984: Romania Romania • 1988: Soviet Union Soviet Union • 1992: Unified Team Unified Team • 1996: United States United States • 2000: Romania Romania • 2004: Romania Romania
v • d • e
World champions in artistic gymnastics – women's team competition

1934: Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia • 1938: Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia • 1950: Flag of Sweden Sweden • 1954: Flag of the Soviet Union USSR • 1958: Flag of the Soviet Union USSR • 1962: Flag of the Soviet Union USSR • 1966: Flag of Czechoslovakia Czechoslovakia • 1970: Flag of the Soviet Union USSR • 1974: Flag of the Soviet Union USSR • 1978: Flag of the Soviet Union USSR • 1979: Flag of Romania Romania • 1981: Flag of the Soviet Union USSR • 1983: Flag of the Soviet Union USSR • 1985: Flag of the Soviet Union USSR • 1987: Flag of Romania Romania • 1989: Flag of the Soviet Union USSR • 1991: Flag of the Soviet Union USSR • 1994: Flag of Romania Romania • 1995: Flag of Romania Romania • 1997: Flag of Romania Romania • 1999: Flag of Romania Romania • 2001: Flag of Romania Romania • 2003: Flag of the United States United States • 2006: Flag of the People's Republic of China China • 2007: Flag of the United States United States

This article contains information from the website http://www.gymnast.ru/, incorporated into the Wikipedia with permission from its author E.V.Avsenev.