Maria Filatova

Maria Filatova
— Gymnast —
Full name	Mariya Yevgenyevna Filatova
Country represented	Soviet Union
Born	(1961-07-19) July 19, 1961 Leninsk-Kuznetsky, Kemerovo Oblast, Russia
Residence	Rochester, New York
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Retired	1982
Medal record Competitor for  Soviet Union Olympic Games Gold 1976 Montreal Team Gold 1980 Moscow Team Bronze 1980 Moscow Uneven Bars World Championships Gold 1978 Strasbourg Team Gold 1981 Moscow Team Silver 1979 Fort Worth Team Silver 1981 Moscow All-around World Cup Final Gold 1977 Oviedo All-Around Gold 1977 Oviedo Floor Exercise Gold 1978 Sao Paulo All-Around Gold 1978 Sao Paulo Floor Exercise Silver 1977 Oviedo Vault Silver 1977 Oviedo Uneven Bars Silver 1980 Toronto Balance Beam European Championships Gold 1977 Prague Floor Exercise Bronze 1977 Prague Balance Beam

Maria Evgenievna Filatova (Russian: Мария Евгеньевна Филатова) (born July 19, 1961) is a retired Soviet gymnast who competed at the 1976 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 in Montreal. 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, 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,NY.

Achievements (non-Olympic)

External links and sources

• Maria Filatova at Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique
• Official site of Maria Filatova
• List of competitive results
• Whatever happened to Maria Filatova?
• Hunn, David; (1980). The Complete Book of Gymnastics, London : Ward Lock Ltd. ISBN 99903-963-2-9.

v t e Olympic Champions in Artistic Gymnastics - Women's Team All-Around     1928 Netherlands 1936 Germany 1948 Czechoslovakia 1952 Soviet Union 1956 Soviet Union 1960 Soviet Union 1964 Soviet Union 1968 Soviet Union 1972 Soviet Union 1976 Soviet Union 1980 Soviet Union 1984 Romania 1988 Soviet Union 1992 Unified Team 1996 United States 2000 Romania 2004 Romania 2008 China 2012 United States 1976:  Soviet Union (URS), Maria Filatova, Svetlana Grozdova, Nellie Kim, Olga Korbut, Elvira Saadi, Ludmilla Tourischeva 1980:  Soviet Union (URS), Yelena Davydova, Maria Filatova, Nellie Kim, Yelena Naimushina, Natalia Shaposhnikova, Stella Zakharova

v t e World Champions in Artistic Gymnastics – Women's Team Competition     1934:  Czechoslovakia 1938:  Czechoslovakia 1950:  Sweden 1954:  Soviet Union 1958:  Soviet Union 1962:  Soviet Union 1966:  Czechoslovakia 1970:  Soviet Union 1974:  Soviet Union 1978:  Soviet Union 1979:  Romania 1981:  Soviet Union 1983:  Soviet Union 1985:  Soviet Union 1987:  Romania 1989:  Soviet Union 1991:  Soviet Union 1994:  Romania 1995:  Romania 1997:  Romania 1999:  Romania 2001:  Romania 2003:  United States 2006:  China 2007:  United States 2010:  Russia 2011:  United States 1978:  Soviet Union (URS), Svetlana Agapova, Tatiana Arzhannikova, Maria Filatova, Nellie Kim, Elena Mukhina, Natalia Shaposhnikova 1981:  Soviet Union (URS), Olga Bicherova, Yelena Davydova, Maria Filatova, Natalia Ilienko, Elena Polevaya, Stella Zakharova