Yelena Lvovna Shushunova was a Soviet Russian gymnast.
19 Facts About Yelena Shushunova
2.
Yelena Shushunova was renowned for pioneering complex skills as well as for her explosive and dynamic tumbling and high consistency.
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Yelena Shushunova was born and grew up in Leningrad and began gymnastics when she was approximately six or seven years old.
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Yelena Shushunova began competing as a junior gymnast in 1981.
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Yelena Shushunova was named as a member of the Soviet national gymnastics team in 1984, but was unable to compete at the 1984 Summer Olympics as the Soviet Union boycotted the Olympics.
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Yelena Shushunova won three gold medals in the event finals on vault, floor exercise, and uneven bars.
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Yelena Shushunova took first on vault, third on beam, and second on floor.
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In 1987, Yelena Shushunova lost the European title to Romanian Daniela Silivas due to a fall on a double layout dismount from the uneven bars.
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Yelena Shushunova continued to show increased difficulty on all apparatus by competing a double layout dismount on the uneven bars, a layout Thomas salto on floor, and a full in dismount on beam.
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Yelena Shushunova lost the world title to Romanian Aurelia Dobre, finishing in second place.
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Yelena Shushunova earned a bronze medal on the uneven bars.
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Yelena Shushunova earned silver on balance beam and tied with Daniela Silivas for gold on floor exercise.
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In 1988, Yelena Shushunova competed at the Summer Olympics in Seoul.
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Yelena Shushunova scored three perfect scores of 10 in optional events and won the individual all-around and team event titles.
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Yelena Shushunova won silver on balance beam and bronze on uneven bars.
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Yelena Shushunova fell on a double twisting Yurchenko on vault and failed to medal.
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Yelena Shushunova retired from competition two months after the 1988 Olympics and later returned to her home city of Saint Petersburg, where she worked for the city's sports committee.
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Yelena Shushunova helped to organise the gymnastics events of the 1994 Goodwill Games and 1998 European Championships, both of which were held in Saint Petersburg.
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Yelena Shushunova died from complications of pneumonia on 16 August 2018.