Stella Zakharova
Encyclopedia
Stella Zakharova 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 Romania
n 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 http://youtube.com/watch?v=Chu1qrOX3GU. Included in the film are teammates Elena Mukhina
, Natalia Shaposhnikova
and Maria Filatova
.
Gymnast
Gymnasts are people who participate in the sports of either artistic gymnastics, trampolining, or rhythmic gymnastics.See gymnasium for the origin of the word gymnast from gymnastikos.-Female artistic:Australia...
who competed internationally for the former 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 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
Moscow News
The Moscow News, which began publication in 1930, is Russia’s oldest English-language publication newspaper. Many of its feature articles used to be translated from the now defunct Russian Moskovskiye Novosti.-History:...
, and World Cup events. At the World Championships held 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...
she was a member of the Soviet women's team which finished second to the Romania
Romania
Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central and Southeastern Europe, on the Lower Danube, within and outside the Carpathian arch, bordering on the Black Sea...
n squad led by an injured Nadia Comăneci
Nadia Comaneci
Nadia Elena Comăneci is a Romanian gymnast, winner of three Olympic gold medals at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, and the first female gymnast ever to be awarded a perfect score of 10 in an Olympic gymnastic event. She is also the winner of two gold medals at the 1980 Summer...
. 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
Olympic Games
The Olympic Games is a major international event featuring summer and winter sports, in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games have come to be regarded as the world’s foremost sports competition where more than 200 nations participate...
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
Viktor Khlus
Viktor Ivanovych Khlus is a retired Ukrainian professional footballer.He is married to the Olympic champion gymnast Stella Zakharova.-Honours:* Soviet Top League champion: 1980, 1981, 1985.* Soviet Top League runner-up: 1982....
. The couple have a son and a daughter. Zakharova's home country 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...
hosts an annual Stella Zakharova Cup competition in artistic gymnastics
Artistic gymnastics
Artistic gymnastics is a discipline of gymnastics where gymnasts perform short routines on different apparatus, with less time for vaulting . The sport is governed by the Federation Internationale de Gymnastique , which designs the Code of Points and regulates all aspects of international elite...
, 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 http://youtube.com/watch?v=Chu1qrOX3GU. Included in the film are teammates Elena Mukhina
Elena Mukhina
Elena Vyacheslavovna Mukhina , born in Moscow, Russian SFSR, was a former Soviet gymnast who won the All-Around title at the 1978 World Championships at Strasbourg, France...
, Natalia Shaposhnikova
Natalia Shaposhnikova
Natalia Vitalyevna Shaposhnikova , , married name Natalia Sout, was a Soviet gymnast, two-time Olympic Champion, Honoured Master of Sports of the USSR. She was born in Rostov on Don, Russian SFSR. She was known for her risky and original skills along with her expressive choreography, especially on...
and Maria Filatova
Maria Filatova
Maria Evgenievna Filatova is a retired Soviet gymnast who competed at the 1976 and 1980 Olympics.Filatova began competing for the USSR junior team in 1974...
.