| Elena Shevchenko | |
|---|---|
 Shevchenko at the 1986 Goodwill Games | |
|
Full name |
Elena Nikolayevna Shevchenko |
|
Country represented |
|
|
Born |
October 7, 1971 (age 42) |
|
Years on National Team |
1985-1989 |
|
Club |
CSKA Moscow |
|
Current status |
Retired |
Elena Nikolayevna Shevchenko (Russian: Елена Николаевна Шевченко, born October 7 in Moscow) is a retired Soviet gymnast. She represented the USSR at the 1986 Goodwill Games and the 1988 Olympics.
Career
Shevchenko made her international debut at the 1985 Druzhba meet, placing third overall. The next year, Shevchenko began competing the senior international circuit with incredible results. She contributed to her team's 1986 Goodwill Games win, and amongst a tougher field won the 1986 USSR Spartakiade and medaled on three events (gold on floor and silver on bars and beam) at that year's USSR Cup.
Shevchenko's 1986 results boded well for a spot on the 1987 World Championships team. Indeed, reknown Soviet gymnast Larisa Petrik predicted great things for Shevchenko in Rotterdam, "Elena's feel for rhythm, which very rarely lets her down, helps her achieve tremendous emotional expressiveness. And this, combined with her high level of technique is quite sufficient, I believe, for her to win the sympathy of the spectators and the judges at the forthcoming world championships in Holland," she told the Russian press. Sadly, injury preventing Shevchenko from competing to potential in 1987 and she was not named to the World team.
1988 was a comeback year for Shevchenko, highlighted by her win at the European Cup and subsequent placement on the Olympic team. She reflected on these meets, telling IG that these meets were "good and interesting, and I enjoyed them. I just had a great desire for success, and did not want all of my hard work to be wasted. I am very thankful to fate." She performed well in Seoul, contributing to her team's gold medal. She pressed on after the Olympics, but not for too long. She competed at the 1989 Australian Grand Prix, retiring soon thereafter. She currently lives in Moscow, and has spent time coaching at the CSKA gymnastics club. Her gymnasts, among them Svetlana Feofanova, showed good results.
She retired from competitions in 1989 and since then works as a gymnastics coach and referee; in particular, she worked as a judge at the 2001 World Championships. She married speed skater Vladislav Olenin, and in 1999 gave birth to a son during a stay in England.
Medal Count
| Year | Event | TF | AA | VT | UB | BB | FX |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Druzhba | 3rd | |||||
| USSR Championships | 15 | ||||||
| 1986 | USSR Cup | 6 | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | ||
| USSR Spartakiade | 1st | ||||||
| Moscow Goodwill Games | 1st | 2nd | |||||
| 1987 | USSR Championships | 8 | |||||
| USSR Cup | 8 | 3rd | |||||
| 1988 | USSR Championships | 1st | 3rd | ||||
| USSR Cup | 4 | ||||||
| European Cup | 1st | 2nd | 2nd | 1st | 1st | ||
| Hungarian International | 1st | 2nd | 4 | 1st | 2nd | ||
| Kosice International | 2nd | ||||||
| Seoul Olympic Games | 1st | ||||||
| 1989 | Australian Grand Prix | 1st | 2nd |