Svetlana Grozdova
Encyclopedia
Svetlana Khristoforovna Grozdova is a retired Soviet
Russian
gymnast.
She started training in gymnastics at age 8 and was coached by Russian gymnastics coach Ruslan Lavrov in a gym in Rostov-on-Don. A member of the Soviet Union
's 1976 Olympics
Gold medal-winning gymnastics team alongside Maria Filatova
, Nellie Kim
, Elvira Saadi
, Ludmilla Tourischeva
and Olga Korbut
.
In 1974 and 1976, she was the Moscow News All Around champion. She was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor
in 1976. In 1980 she left the world of competitive gymnastics and took up sports acrobatics and was competing in it by the mid 1980s.
Her best event was the balance beam. Despite not winning any Olympic medals in this event, she was a pro at wowing the crowds at USSR gymnastics exhibitions around the world with her tremendous flexibility and mesmerising balance on her hands. She had an unusually flexible, rubber-like spine which allowed her to perform walkovers along the 4" (10 cm) width of the balance beam, and to do a split handstand at the very end of the beam and touching the beam with her foot behind her head.
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....
Russian
Russians
The Russian people are an East Slavic ethnic group native to Russia, speaking the Russian language and primarily living in Russia and neighboring countries....
gymnast.
She started training in gymnastics at age 8 and was coached by Russian gymnastics coach Ruslan Lavrov in a gym in Rostov-on-Don. A member of 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....
's 1976 Olympics
1976 Summer Olympics
The 1976 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXI Olympiad, was an international multi-sport event celebrated in Montreal, Quebec, Canada, in 1976. Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12, 1970, at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam, over the bids of Moscow and...
Gold medal-winning gymnastics team alongside 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...
, Nellie Kim
Nellie Kim
Nellie Vladimirovna Kim is a retired Soviet gymnast who won three gold medals and a silver medal at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal, and two gold medals at the 1980 Summer Olympics...
, Elvira Saadi
Elvira Saadi
Elvira Saadi is a retired artistic gymnast from the former Soviet Union who is now an elite gymnastics coach in Canada....
, Ludmilla Tourischeva
Ludmilla Tourischeva
Ludmilla Ivanovna Tourischeva is a former Russian gymnast and a nine-time Olympic medalist for the Soviet Union.Tourischeva began gymnastics in 1965 and began competing for the Soviet team as early as in 1967...
and Olga Korbut
Olga Korbut
Olga Valentinovna Korbut , also known as the Sparrow from Minsk, is a Belarusian, Soviet-born gymnast who won four gold medals and two silver medals at the Summer Olympics, in which she competed in 1972 and 1976 for the USSR team....
.
In 1974 and 1976, she was the Moscow News All Around champion. She was awarded the Order of the Badge of Honor
Order of the Badge of Honor
The Order of the Badge of Honour was a civilian award of the Soviet Union.It was instituted on 25 November 1935 and conferred on citizens of the USSR for outstanding achievements in production, scientific research and social, cultural and other forms of social activity, for promotion of economic,...
in 1976. In 1980 she left the world of competitive gymnastics and took up sports acrobatics and was competing in it by the mid 1980s.
Her best event was the balance beam. Despite not winning any Olympic medals in this event, she was a pro at wowing the crowds at USSR gymnastics exhibitions around the world with her tremendous flexibility and mesmerising balance on her hands. She had an unusually flexible, rubber-like spine which allowed her to perform walkovers along the 4" (10 cm) width of the balance beam, and to do a split handstand at the very end of the beam and touching the beam with her foot behind her head.
Achievements (non-Olympic)
| Year | Event | AA | Team | VT | UB | BB | FX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1974 | USSR Championships | 1st | 3rd | ||||
| Moscow News | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 2nd | |||
| 1976 | USSR Championships | 1st | 2nd | 3rd | |||
| Moscow News | 1st | 1st | 3rd |