Yulia Lozhechko

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Medal record
Competitor for Russia
Artistic Gymnastics
European Championships
Gold	2007 Amsterdam	Balance Beam
Bronze	2005 Debrecen	All Around
Bronze	2007 Volos	Team

Yulia Aleksandrovna Lozhechko (Russian: Юлия Александровна Ложечко, born on December 14, 1989, in Bryansk, Russia) is a Russian artistic gymnast. She is the only child of Olga and Aleksandr. Yulia began gymnastics at age 7 and was coached by her mother Olga. Yulia's talent was spotted and she was sent to train at Round Lake as part of the Russian National Team.

Yulia competed at the 2004 Junior European Championships where she won a gold medal as part of the Russian Team. Yulia also won a silver medal on the balance beam and a bronze medal in the All Around final. She also qualified to the Floor and Uneven Bars finals.

In 2005, Yulia became age eligible for senior competition. She won a bronze medal in the All Around at the 2005 European Champioships behind Marina Debauve of France and fellow Russian Anna Pavlova. At the World Championships later that year, she qualified to the balance beam final but failed to medal after a fall left her in 7th position. At the 2006 European Championships, she was part of the Russian Team which won the bronze medal. Although she did not win an indivdual medal, she did qualify to two event finals - uneven bars and balance beam. She was selected to compete at the 2006 World Championships, but broke fingers in training and had to withdraw.

The highlight so far of Yulia's career came at the 2007 European Championships where she won the Gold Medal on the balance beam with a score of 15.675. She also placed 4th in the vault final. Yulia was selected for the Russian Team for the 2007 World Championships. The Russian team was set to medal until an unfortunate error from Ekaterina Kramarenko which nullified her Vault left the Russians in 8th. Despite this, the team is qualified to the 2008 Olympic Games and Yulia hopes to be a part of that team.

Yulia's favourite apparatus is floor and she admires Alexei Nemov, Aleksei Bondarenko and Svetlana Khorkina. She collets angel figurines and loves Cats.

Born: December 14, 1989 Bryansk, Soviet Union Hometown: Bryansk, Russia Residence: Moscow, Russia

Banished Lozchecko and teammate Maxsim Devyatovski were barred from Russia's famed Round Lake training center after the 2007 Worlds until December of 2007. During the preliminary competition, she altered her planned balance beam routine in an attempt to qualify to the individual event final -- but fell. They're not the first Russians to be dismissed -- among others, Olympic medalists Anna Pavlova and Nikolai Kryukov have been sent home.

He said, she said Outspoken, Lozchenko and Russia head coach Andrei Rodionenko had much to say about the incident. From the Russian press:

Lozchecko: "I must say, I was thrown off the team! Of course, no one told me anything to my face, but behind-the-curtain intrigue always exists. But I am trying hard, doing as much as I can (to return)."

Rodionenko: You know, egoism spoils this girl. She always ponders one thing: 'Me, me, me, and the team is somewhere over there, behind me.' Yulia doesn't even realize that this affects not only herself, but the team.... She's already 17 years old but, like before, she acts like a little girl. You have to understand: leaders are not created at practices, not based on results, but their relationship to the task-at-hand.

Look ma, no hands Most gymnasts set up their backwards tumbling passes with a round off, back handspring -- a basic element that translates a gymnasts' running speed into backwards power. Lozhecko omits the back handspring, opting get into her double-flipping and twisting skills directly from a round off -- a more difficult entry.