Elvira Saadi

Elvira Saadi
— Gymnast —
Country represented	Soviet Union
Born	(1952-01-02) January 2, 1952 Tashkent, Uzbek SSR
Height	1.66 m (5 ft 5 1⁄2 in)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Retired	Yes
Medal record Competitor for  Soviet Union Olympic Games Gold 1972 Munich Team Gold 1976 Montreal Team

Elvira Fuadovna Saadi (born January 2, 1952 in Tashkent, Uzbek SSR) is a retired gymnast from the former Soviet Union who is now an elite gymnastics coach in Canada.^[1]

As a member of the Soviet Union's women's gymnastics team, Saadi shared in the team gold medals at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics.^[1] She placed 8th in the all-around at the 1972 Olympics and 7th all-around at the 1976 Olympics.^[2]

Saadi won the all-around, balance beam and floor exercise at the 1973 USSR national championships. That year, she tried for first on vault at the 1973 World University Games, where she also placed 3rd in the all-around.^[2]

At the 1974 World Championships, she earned a share of the USSR team gold, placed fourth in the all-around and captured the bronze medal on floor exercise.^[3]

Following the 1976 Olympics, Saadi accepted a coaching position at the Moscow Dynamo Club, where she was the coach of Soviet gymnast Tatiana Groshkova, who placed third all-around in the 1989 U.S.S.R. gymnastics championships and placed first all-around at the 1990 Trophee Massilia.^[4]

Saadi relocated to Canada in 1991 to become a coach at the Canadian gym Cambridge Kips, where she trained Canadian Olympians Yvonne Tousek and Crystal Gilmore.^[3][5]

In June 2011, Saadi announced plans to open her own club, Dynamo Gymnastics. The new club has begun operations on the premises of Revolution Gymnastics in Waterloo, where several top young gymnasts who left Cambridge Kips with Saadi are now training.^[5]

References

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 1972:  Soviet Union (URS), Ludmilla Tourischeva, Olga Korbut, Tamara Lazakovich, Lyubov Burda, Elvira Saadi, Antonina Koshel 1976:  Soviet Union (URS), Maria Filatova, Svetlana Grozdova, Nellie Kim, Olga Korbut, Elvira Saadi, Ludmilla Tourischeva

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 2014:  United States 1974:  Soviet Union (URS), Nina Dronova, Nellie Kim, Olga Korbut, Elvira Saadi, Rusudan Sikharulidze, Ludmilla Tourischeva