Olesya Dudnik
Encyclopedia
Olesya [alternate spelling Olessia] Vitalyevna Dudnik (Олеся Витальевна Дудник born August 15, 1974 in Zaporizhia
, Ukraine
) is a gymnastics
coach and former artistic gymnast who competed internationally for the Soviet Union
between 1988 and 1990. She was the world champion on the vault in 1989 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest gymnasts ever on the balance beam. Her brief but spectacular competitive career was ended by injuries.
When her athletic potential was discovered Dudnik was sent to train at club Dynamo in Kirovograd. She was moderately successful in international junior meets. Her breakout performance came at the 1989 American Cup in Fort Worth, Texas
, where she finished second in the individual all-around competition.
At the 1989 World Championships held in Stuttgart, Germany, Dudnik was a member of the gold medal-winning Soviet team, led by Svetlana Boginskaya
and considered one of the most powerful women's line-ups ever assembled. The team was so deep with talent that Dudnik did not qualify for the individual all-around competition due to a large error in her compulsory uneven bar routine. However, in the event finals she won the gold medal on the vault. While considered the favorite to win beam and after recording a perfect 10.0 for her optional routine, Dudnik had a large stumble on her dismount. Nevertheless, the judges recognized the extreme and unprecedented difficulty of the routine, and she captured the silver medal. She also placed fourth in the floor exercise. She scored four perfect 10.0's during the competition.
Dudnik's gymnastics were a combination of artistic elegance and daring athleticism. In the vaulting event she routinely stuck a rarely seen double-twisting Yurchenko
. Her uneven bar routine included an Arabian tuck mount. Her balance beam routine included an aerial cartwheel to two layouts, a nearly laid-out full twisting somersault, and an exceptionally difficult round-off, flip-flop, triple-twisting dismount. Moreover, Dudnik rarely had balance errors on any of these elements. Her routine was so difficult that it would actually be worth a 9.9 under the 2001–2005 Code of Points even though the routine was not constructed to meet these guidelines.
Video footage from the World Championships shows Dudnik performing with a bandaged right foot. The foot injury continued to nag her through the 1990 French Internationals. Before the injury, Dudnik's floor routine consisted of an Arabian double front, a 2½ twist to punch barani, and a full-in pike dismount. Later, she sustained a serious knee injury, and difficulties with rehabilitation brought her competitive career to a premature end.
In addition to injuries, Dudnik has endured personal tragedies. Her parents died of illnesses they contracted from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster
. In March 1994 she married Ukrainian wrestler Oleg Chapny, and the couple had a son born in 1995. International Gymnast magazine reported that Chapny, however, died in 2004.
Olesya Dudnik and her son currently reside in Cairo, Egypt. She coaches gymnastics at the Al Gezeera Sporting Club.
Zaporizhia
Zaporizhia or Zaporozhye [formerly Alexandrovsk ] is a city in southeastern Ukraine, situated on the banks of the Dnieper River. It is the administrative center of the Zaporizhia Oblast...
, Ukraine
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
) is a gymnastics
Gymnastics
Gymnastics is a sport involving performance of exercises requiring physical strength, flexibility, agility, coordination, and balance. Internationally, all of the gymnastic sports are governed by the Fédération Internationale de Gymnastique with each country having its own national governing body...
coach and former artistic gymnast who competed internationally for the Soviet Union
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
between 1988 and 1990. She was the world champion on the vault in 1989 and is widely regarded as one of the greatest gymnasts ever on the balance beam. Her brief but spectacular competitive career was ended by injuries.
When her athletic potential was discovered Dudnik was sent to train at club Dynamo in Kirovograd. She was moderately successful in international junior meets. Her breakout performance came at the 1989 American Cup in Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth, Texas
Fort Worth is the 16th-largest city in the United States of America and the fifth-largest city in the state of Texas. Located in North Central Texas, just southeast of the Texas Panhandle, the city is a cultural gateway into the American West and covers nearly in Tarrant, Parker, Denton, and...
, where she finished second in the individual all-around competition.
At the 1989 World Championships held in Stuttgart, Germany, Dudnik was a member of the gold medal-winning Soviet team, led by Svetlana Boginskaya
Svetlana Boginskaya
Svetlana Leonidovna Boginskaya , is a Soviet/Belarusian gymnast. She was called the "Belarusian Swan" and the "Goddess of Gymnastics" because of her height, balletic grace, and long lines. She is especially renowned for the drama and artistry she displayed on floor exercise...
and considered one of the most powerful women's line-ups ever assembled. The team was so deep with talent that Dudnik did not qualify for the individual all-around competition due to a large error in her compulsory uneven bar routine. However, in the event finals she won the gold medal on the vault. While considered the favorite to win beam and after recording a perfect 10.0 for her optional routine, Dudnik had a large stumble on her dismount. Nevertheless, the judges recognized the extreme and unprecedented difficulty of the routine, and she captured the silver medal. She also placed fourth in the floor exercise. She scored four perfect 10.0's during the competition.
Dudnik's gymnastics were a combination of artistic elegance and daring athleticism. In the vaulting event she routinely stuck a rarely seen double-twisting Yurchenko
Yurchenko (vault)
Yurchenko is the name of both a specific vault and a vault family in artistic gymnastics. The Yurchenko was named after Soviet gymnast Natalia Yurchenko, who originated the vault in the early 1980s....
. Her uneven bar routine included an Arabian tuck mount. Her balance beam routine included an aerial cartwheel to two layouts, a nearly laid-out full twisting somersault, and an exceptionally difficult round-off, flip-flop, triple-twisting dismount. Moreover, Dudnik rarely had balance errors on any of these elements. Her routine was so difficult that it would actually be worth a 9.9 under the 2001–2005 Code of Points even though the routine was not constructed to meet these guidelines.
Video footage from the World Championships shows Dudnik performing with a bandaged right foot. The foot injury continued to nag her through the 1990 French Internationals. Before the injury, Dudnik's floor routine consisted of an Arabian double front, a 2½ twist to punch barani, and a full-in pike dismount. Later, she sustained a serious knee injury, and difficulties with rehabilitation brought her competitive career to a premature end.
In addition to injuries, Dudnik has endured personal tragedies. Her parents died of illnesses they contracted from the Chernobyl nuclear disaster
Chernobyl disaster
The Chernobyl disaster was a nuclear accident that occurred on 26 April 1986 at the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant in Ukraine , which was under the direct jurisdiction of the central authorities in Moscow...
. In March 1994 she married Ukrainian wrestler Oleg Chapny, and the couple had a son born in 1995. International Gymnast magazine reported that Chapny, however, died in 2004.
Olesya Dudnik and her son currently reside in Cairo, Egypt. She coaches gymnastics at the Al Gezeera Sporting Club.