Yelena Shushunova

• Born: May 23, 1969
• Birthplace: Leningrad, Soviet Union (now St. Petersburg, Russia)
• Died: August 16, 2018
• Place of death: Saint Petersburg, Russia

Sport: Gymnastics

Early Life

One of the most successful Soviet gymnasts of the 1980s, Yelena Lvovna Shushunova, was born in Leningrad, Soviet Union, (now St. Petersburg, Russia) in 1969. Her family lived in a small apartment in the city, but despite her modest beginnings, Yelena became one of the most ambitious and talented young gymnasts in her country. By the age of seven, Shushunova was already enrolled in gymnastics classes and had begun the journey toward an Olympic medal.

Shushunova excelled quickly in gymnastics. Before long, she worked her way into more advanced classes, with girls older than she. When she finally entered the competitive circuit, Shushunova became known for her tumbling and vaulting abilities and eventually was praised for her signature move on the floor exercise.

The Road to Excellence

One of the first international competitions to bring Shushunova to global attention was the 1982 Junior European Gymnastics Championships, where she earned a gold medal. This win, and a series of successful competitions throughout the Soviet Union, helped the fledgling gymnast gain respect throughout the sport. Her competitive successes eventually gained her a position on the Soviet Union’s 1984 Olympic team.

Acceptance to the team occurred in what many believed to be Shushunova’s competitive prime. Unfortunately for Shushunova, the Soviet Union boycotted the 1984 Games, which took place in Los Angeles, California. The boycott was the Soviet Union’s response to a U.S. boycott of the 1980 Summer Games, which were held in Moscow. Some critics thought the Olympic boycott signaled the end of Shushunova’s burgeoning career. The physical stresses that an intense sport like gymnastics put on an athlete’s body oftentimes means that an athlete’s career is short-lived; most experts believed that another four years of growth and maturity would make Shushunova an ineffective competitor against much younger opponents, and that the 1984 Olympics were her last chance at success.

The Emerging Champion

Like many of her teammates from the Soviet Union, Shushunova was emotionally affected by her country’s boycott. She was also disconcerted by those critical of her ability. She went on to compete in her country’s alternative to the Olympics, the Friendship Games. The gymnastics portion of the competition was held in Olomouc, Czechoslovakia (now in Czech Republic). Although she did not take the top prize, Shushunova made a good showing and placed third overall.

Determined to succeed in her sport, Shushunova trained hard and proved to be a worthy competitor. In the 1985 European Championships, Shushunova had a shaky start but eventually took gold medals in the vault, uneven bars, and floor exercise, while her team took gold in the all-around event. Despite her great showing, her uneasy start at the European Championships meant that Shushunova scored less than her teammates, Irina Baraksanova and Olga Mostepanova, during the early rounds of the competition. As a result, Shushunova did not qualify to represent her team at the 1985 World Gymnastics Championships.

However, recognizing that Shushunova provided the team its best chance of winning, the Soviet coaches made a last minute switch and added Shushunova to the roster for the World Gymnastics Championships. Shushunova and her best friend Oksana Omelianchik were asked to replace Irina Baraksanova and Olga Mostepanova at the competition. At the 1985 World Gymnastics Championships, Shushunova won gold medals in the vault and all-around, a silver medal in the floor exercise, and a bronze medal on the balance beam.

Continuing the Story

Shushunova performed well at the 1986 World Cup competition but suffered an embarrassing defeat at the 1987 European Championships, in Moscow, to an up-and-coming Romanian rival, Daniela Silivas. Shushunova managed to take the bronze medal in the all-around event, but her team lost the World Gymnastics Championships to the Romanians. Despite her mix of successes and failures, Shushunova was still thought to be her team’s best chance to win at the 1988 Olympics.

Leading up to the Olympic Games that year, Shushunova and Silivas were almost evenly matched and were each other’s most intense rivals. At the Olympics, the Soviet team defeated the Romanians in the team competition, while Silivas and Shushunova competed head-to-head in close battles for the individual prizes. Both athletes received perfect tens for various events. However, in the end, Shushunova defeated Silivas on the vault apparatus, becoming the Olympic all-around champion.

Shushunova continued on to the finals, winning a silver medal on the balance beam and a bronze medal on the uneven bars. The intense pressures of her rivalry with Silivas had gotten to Shushunova in the finals competition. After the 1988 Games, Shushunova’s career began to wind down quickly. She intended to continue her career after the Olympic Games but retired only a few months following the competition.

Summary

After her retirement, Yelena Shushunova enrolled in school, hoping to become a coach. Before she could finish her schooling, Shushunova experienced a car accident. She was not injured but, coincidentally, she fell in love with the mechanic who was fixing her vehicle after the accident. She married the mechanic and gave birth to her only son, Mikhail, during the early 1990’s. Shushunova settled in St. Petersburg, working for the local sports committee.

Although never as popular as other Russian gymnasts nor as recognized as her rival, Daniela Silivas, Shushunova dominated women’s gymnastics for a brief moment in the 1980s. Her style was not as artistic or traditionally feminine as some other competitors. Instead, her strength, in both body and attitude, gained her attention. Despite her quick exit from the profession after the 1988 Olympics, Shushunova was not forgotten. In 2004, she was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, and the following year she was inducted into the International Jewish Sports Hall of Fame. Two skills—one floor and one uneven bars—have been named after her

Shushunova died on August 16, 2018, of pneumonia, at just forty-nine years old.

Bibliography

Khromov, Yuri G., and Russell W. Ramsey. Ten Soviet Sports Stars. Boston: Branden, 1990.

Meyers, Dvoda. "1988 Olympic Gymnastics Champion Yelena Shushunova Dies at 49." Deadspin, 16 Aug. 2018, deadspin.com/1988-olympic-gymnastics-champion-yelena-shushunova-dies-1828398369. Accessed 28 Nov. 2018.

Normile, Dwight. “Hall of Famous.” International Gymnast 46, nos. 6/7 (June/July, 2004): 55.

"Olympic Champion Yelena Shushunova Passes Away at 49." Olympic Channel, 17 Aug. 2018, www.olympicchannel.com/stories/news/detail/olympic-champion-yelena-shushunova-passes-away-at-49/. Accessed 28 Nov. 2018.

"Yelena Shushunova." International Gymnastics Hall of Fame, www.ighof.com/inductees/2004‗Yelena‗Shushunova.php. Accessed 28 Nov. 2018.