DOB: January, 19 1979
Height: 164 cm
Weight: 47 kg
Start discipline: 1984
First international event: 1986
Club: Trade Union
Head coach: Boris Pilkin
Assistant coach: Anna Pilina
Major achievements:
2004 ATHENS Olympic Games 2nd place/all around (38.211 points)
2004 ATHENS Olympic Games 3rd place/team (113.235 points)
2004 ATHENS Olympic Games 8th place/uneven bars (8.925 points)
2004 AMSTERDAM Continental Championships/Games 4th place/all around (36.848 points)
2004 AMSTERDAM Continental Championships/Games 3rd place/balance beam (9.325 points)
2004 AMSTERDAM Continental Championships/Games 7th place/floor exercise (9.112 points)
2004 AMSTERDAM Continental Championships/Games 3rd place/team (110.423 points)
2004 AMSTERDAM Continental Championships/Games 1st place/uneven bars (9.662 points)
2003 ANAHEIM World Championships 1st place/all around (38.124 points)
2003 ANAHEIM World Championships 6th place/team (108.985 points)
2003 STUTTGART World Cup/Series 3rd place/balance beam (9.225 points)
2003 STUTTGART World Cup/Series 2nd place/floor exercise (9.187 points)
2003 STUTTGART World Cup/Series 3rd place/uneven bar (9.425 points)
2003 STUTTGART World Cup/Series 3rd place/vault (9.268 points)
2003 PARIS World Cup/Series Qualification round 16 place/balance beam (8.225 points)
2003 PARIS World Cup/Series 5th place/floor exercise (9.150 points)
2003 PARIS World Cup/Series 1st place/uneven bar (9.550 points)
2003 THESSALONIKI World Cup/Series QR 9th place/balance beam (8.950 points)
2003 THESSALONIKI World Cup/Series 2 place/floor exercise (9.250 points)
2003 THESSALONIKI World Cup/Series 1st place/uneven bar (9.700 points)
2003 THESSALONIKI World Cup/Series QR 9 place/vault (9.050 points)
2002 DEBRECEN World Championships 4th place/balance beam (9.125 points)
2002 DEBRECEN World Championships 7th place/uneven bar (7.387 points)
2002 PATRAS Continental Championships/Games 1st place/all around (37.592 points)
2002 PATRAS Continental Championships/Games 2nd place/balance beam (9.262 points)
2002 PATRAS Continental Championships/Games 5th place/floor exercise (9.075 points)
2002 PATRAS Continental Champiionships/Games 1st place/team (111.833 points)
2002 PATRAS Continental Championships/Games 1st place/uneven bar (9.550 points)
2001 GHENT World Championships 1st place/all around (37.617 points)
2001 GHENT World Championships 3rd lace/floor exercise (9.375 points)
2001 GHENT World Championships 2nd place/team (109.023 points)
2001 GHENT World Championships 1st place/uneven bar (9.437 points)
2001 GHENT World Championships 1st place/vault (9.412 points)
2000 PARIS Continental Championships/Games 1st place/all around (38.749 points)
2000 PARIS Continental Championships/Games 1st place/balance beam (9.837 points)
2000 PARIS Continental Championships/Games 1st place/team (115.760 points)
2000 PARIS Continental Championships/Games 1st place/uneven bar (9.837 points)
2000 SYDNEY Olympic Games 10 place/all around (37.929 points)
2000 SYDNEY Olympic Games QR 12 place/balance beam (9.662 points)
2000 SYDNEY Olympic Games 2nd place/floor exercise (9.812 points)
2000 SYDNEY Olympic Games 2nd place/team (154.403 points)
2000 SYDNEY Olympic Games 1st place/uneven bar (9.862 points)
1999 TIANJIN World Championships 12 place/all around (37.611 points)
1999 TIANJIN World Championships 3rd place/floor exercise (9.787 points)
1999 TIANJIN World Championships 2nd place/team (153.209 points)
1999 TIANJIN World Championships 1st place/uneven bar (9.837 points)
1998 SABAE World Cup/Series Final 4th place/balance beam (9.512 points)
1998 SABAE World Cup/Series Final 4th place/floor exercise (9.162 points)
1998 SABAE World Cup/Series Final 2nd place/uneven bar (9.825 points)
1998 SABAE World Cup/Series Final 5th place/vault (9.343 points)
1997 LAUSANNE World Championships 1st place/all around (38.636 points)
1997 LAUSANNE World Championships 2nd place/balance beam (9.787 points)
1997 LAUSANNE World Championships 2nd place/floor exercise (9.800 points)
1997 LAUSANNE World Championships 2nd place/team (153.197 points)
1997 LAUSANNE World Championships 1st place/uneven bar (9.875 points)
1997 LAUSANNE World Championships 8th place/vault (4.537 points)
1996 SAN JUAN World Championships 1st place/uneven bar (9.787 points)
1996 SAN JUAN World Championships 5th place/vault (9.637 points)
1996 ATLANTA Olympic Games 15 place/all around (38.455 points)
1996 ATLANTA Olympic Games 2nd place/team (388.404 points)
1996 ATLANTA Olympic Games 1st place/uneven bar (9.850 points)
1995 SABAE World Championships 2nd place/all around (39.130 points)
1995 SABAE World Championships 4th place/team (384.689 points)
1995 SABAE World Championships 1st place/uneven bar (9.900 points)
1995 SABAE World Championships 5th place/vault (9.618 points)
1994 DORTMUND World Championships 3rd place/team (194.546 points)
1994 BRISBANE World Championships 8th place/floor exercise (8.487 points)
1994 BRISBANE World Championships 2nd place/uneven bar (9.875 points)
1994 BRISBANE World Championships 2nd place/vault (9.800 points)
Svetlana Khorkina is Russia's most successful female gymnast since the break-up of the Soviet Union.
At 1.65 m (5'5"), she was unusually tall for her sport. Known for her long, elegant lines, she was discouraged from gymnastics because of her height, but with the help of her lifelong coach Boris Pilkin, she created new moves to accommodate her height and exploit her strengths. She has an unprecedented 6 moves named after her in the Artistic Gymnastics Code of Points, more than any other gymnast. Her best apparatus was the uneven bars, where she put her long legs and graceful lines to good use. Khorkina has received some criticism however for her lack of difficulty on floor, vault and beam and for poor form.
Since 1993 when she first competed at the Junior Europeans, Svetlana Khorkina has built a STAR status and has wrapped up an enviable medal collection during two Olympic, seven World and five European Championships. For instance, at the World championships in Ghent (28th November-4th December 2001)- Khorkina was the most successful competitor out of 440 participants (men and women). She won 3 Gold medals (All-around, Uneven Bars and Vault), 1 silver medal (Team event) and 1 bronze medal (on Floor).
In total, she earned 2 Olympic gold (uneven bars 1996-2000), four silver (adding all around silver in 2004) and one bronze (team 2004), as well as an utmost 20 medals during World Championships, including 9 golds (3x all around, 5x u-bars, 1x vault).
The only title that she missed was the Olympic all-around title in Sydney 2000. Her dramatic fall on HER apparatus, the U-bars, during the All-around competition in Sydney was explained by many people, by the misfortunate wrong setting of the vault, her previous apparatus in this event.
Even then Svetlana was in the focus of the attention more than anyone. Two days later, she came back as 'the real Khorkina' and won her second Olympic title on U-bars after having generously given away her place in the vault final to her younger team- mate Elena Zamolodchikova. (The latter not only won the title on Vault, but also the one on floor, leaving into second position no one else but Khorkina!). Her phenomenal routine on the uneven bars will remain in the history of gymnastics as innovative composition and style of performance, ahead of her time. No one can explain how the 164cm tall Khorkina can manage such fluent execution, of such an extraordinary routine. Her coach, Boris Pilkin dreams up incredible combinations for her to perform on bars, so she is always changing her routine.
Why is she unique on the bars? It seems that she "feels" the apparatus more than anybody in the world for all the times. She has a feel for continuous rhythm when performing on the bars and extremely elegant style of performance. Her performances on the bars seem fluent and effortless. Some people say she is "like a cat" on this apparatus. At the same time she performs skills of extreme difficulty, constantly changing her routine and adding new original elements. Her routine on bars is based on a very efficient combination of elements with turn around the longitudinal axes with flying elements. There no "spare" moments in her routine, each one of her swings ends with an element, which is not the case with the majority of the gymnasts.
She has a very strong personality and sense of humour and speaks her mind freely. A daughter of an 'ordinary family' (as she describes it), from the unknown Russian town of Belgorod, gracious as a ballerina, moody as a film star, careful as a team captain, charming as a woman, Khorkina is all that the sport of gymnastics has always needed. Her input to world gymnastics is equal to the greatest so far.
Svetlana was elected member of the FIG Athlete Commission for the 2005-2008 Olympic Cycle.
