Stella Zakharova

Stella Zakharova
— Gymnast —
Country represented	Soviet Union
Born	(1963-07-12) July 12, 1963 Odessa, Ukraine
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Medal record Competitor for  Soviet Union Olympic Games Gold 1980 Moscow Team World Championships Gold 1981 Moscow Team Silver 1979 Fort Worth Team Silver 1979 Fort Worth Vault Silver 1981 Moscow Vault World Cup Final Gold 1979 Tokyo All-Around Gold 1980 Toronto All-Around Gold 1980 Toronto Vault Silver 1979 Tokyo Vault Silver 1979 Tokyo Floor Exercise Silver 1980 Toronto Floor Exercise Bronze 1979 Tokyo Uneven Bars

Stella Zakharova (born 12 July 1963 in Odessa, Ukraine) is a retired gymnast who competed internationally for the former Soviet Union between 1977 and 1982. She was an Olympic and World Championship gold medalist in team competitions, and won individual all-around titles at other events.

Zakharova won her first all-around championship at the 1976 All-Union School Spartakiade. That same year she placed second overall in the Junior USSR Championships. She was a consistently strong competitor through 1977-78, winning several vaulting and floor exercise event titles. A powerful tumbler, Zakharova was the first woman to incorporate three double-back somersaults into her floor routine.

Zakhrova's most successful year was 1979, during which she won individual all-around championships at the American Cup, Moscow News, and World Cup events. At the World Championships held in Fort Worth, Texas she was a member of the Soviet women's team which finished second to the Romanian squad led by an injured Nadia Comăneci. It was the first time the Soviets had failed to beat their Romanian rivals in a major team competition.

In 1980 Zakharova continued to enjoy success, winning the gold medal with her Soviet teammates at the Olympic games and capturing a second all-around title at the World Cup. That proved to be her high-water mark, as her performances began to decline from 1981 onward.

After retirement, Stella Zakharova married Dynamo Kiev football player Viktor Khlus. The couple have a son and a daughter. Zakharova's home country Ukraine hosts an annual Stella Zakharova Cup competition in artistic gymnastics, named in her honor.

Footage of Stella Zakharova training with the Soviet national team was captured in a 1978 Soviet Gymnastics training documentary; Zakharova appears about one minute into the clip . Included in the film are teammates Elena Mukhina, Natalia Shaposhnikova and Maria Filatova.

External links

• List of Competitive Results at Gymn Forum
• Stella Zakharova's Web Site (Russian language)
• Stella Zakharova CUP Site

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 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 1981:  Soviet Union (URS), Olga Bicherova, Yelena Davydova, Maria Filatova, Natalia Ilienko, Elena Polevaya, Stella Zakharova