Yelena Lvovna Shushunova

Renowned for excelling in complex gymnastics skills, Yelena Lvovna Shushunova was an artistic gymnast from the Soviet Union. She was well known for her explosive and dynamic skills and was among those five female gymnasts who have won all-around titles at all top competitions, including Olympic Games, World Championships and European / Continental Championships.

Yelena took up the sport when she was just six or seven years old. She made her junior career debut in 1981 and soon started earning medals. She joined the Soviet national gymnastics team in 1984. She was one of those ten female artistic gymnasts who won medals in every event of the World Championships.

Here are some of her major career achievements:

• Inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame in 2005
• Inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2004
• At the 1988 Seoul Olympics, Yelena scored three perfect 10s in optional events, won gold medals in all-around and team events, a silver medal in balance beam and a bronze medal in the uneven bars.
• Yelena bagged two gold medals, three silver medals and a bronze medal at the 1987 World Championships in the vault, floor exercise, team, all-around, balance beam and uneven bars, respectively.
• Clinched four gold medals in all-around, vault, uneven bars and floor exercise and a bronze medal in balance beam at the 1986 World Cup Final
• At the 1986 Goodwill Games, she earned gold medals in team, vault, uneven bars and floor exercise events and silver medals in all-around and balance beam events.
• Bagged four gold medals and a bronze in 1985 and a gold medal and a bronze in 1987 at the European Women’s Gymnastics Championships
• At her first Artistic Gymnastics World Championships in 1985, she won gold medals in all-around, vault and team events, silver in the floor exercise and a bronze in balance beam event.
• Won a gold medal in the team event and a bronze medal in all-around events at the 1984 Friendship Games