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Valeri Liukin

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Valeri Liukin
Liukin as a coach at the 2018 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships
Personal information
Full nameValeri Viktorovich Liukin
Former countries represented Kazakhstan
 Soviet Union
Born (1966-12-17) 17 December 1966 (age 57)
Aktyubinsk, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union
ResidenceParker, Texas, U.S.
Height5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)[1]
DisciplineMen's Artistic Gymnastics
RetiredOctober 6, 1994
Medal record
Representing  Soviet Union
Men's Artistic Gymnastics
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place 1988 Seoul Team
Gold medal – first place 1988 Seoul Horizontal bar
Silver medal – second place 1988 Seoul All-around
Silver medal – second place 1988 Seoul Parallel bars
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1987 Rotterdam Team
Gold medal – first place 1991 Indianapolis Team
Bronze medal – third place 1991 Indianapolis All-around
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1987 Moscow All-Around
Gold medal – first place 1987 Moscow Floor
Gold medal – first place 1987 Moscow Parallel bars
Gold medal – first place 1987 Moscow Horizontal bar
Silver medal – second place 1987 Moscow Rings
Bronze medal – third place 1987 Moscow Vault

Valeri Viktorovich Liukin (Russian: Валерий Викторович Люкин; born 17 December 1966 in Aktyubinsk, Kazakh SSR, Soviet Union) is a Kazakh-American retired artistic gymnast currently working as a gymnastics coach. Representing the former Soviet Union, Liukin was the 1988 Olympic champion in the team competition and individually on the horizontal bar, and Olympic silver medalist in the all-around and the parallel bars.

Liukin was the first man to do a triple back flip on floor and both a layout Tkatchev and a Jaeger with full twist on high bar.[2] He also has one of the most difficult skills in men's artistic gymnastics named after him, the triple back (tucked) somersault.

Liukin moved to the United States in 1992 and became a U.S. citizen in 2000. He is married to Anna Kotchneva, and is the father and coach of 2008 Olympic champion Nastia Liukin. He is co-owner of the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy with longtime friend Yevgeny Marchenko.

On 15 December 2015, it was announced that Liukin had been inducted as part of the 2016 class into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame.[3]

From 16 September 2016 to 2 February 2018, he was the coordinator for the United States women's national gymnastics team, replacing Márta Károlyi.[4][5][6] He coached the Brazilian women's national gymnastics team as of 2018.[7]

Career

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Junior

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Liukin began gymnastics when he was 7 years old. He moved to Moscow to join the Soviet Junior National team,[8] where he made his international debut at the 1983 Friendship Cup.[9]

Senior

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Liukin on a 1987 Soviet stamp

At the 1987 European Championships in Moscow, he won gold medals in the all-around, on the horizontal bar, and in the floor exercise where he was the first gymnast to perform a triple back somersault.[9] He also won the silver medal on the still rings and the bronze on the vault.[10] At the 1987 World Championships in Rotterdam, he won the team competition with the Soviet Union.[11][12] At the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul, South Korea, Liukin won the gold medal in the team competition and was the co-champion on the horizontal bar with fellow Soviet gymnast Vladimir Artemov. Liukin won the silver medal in the all-around and on the parallel bars.[13] At the 1991 World Championships in Indianapolis, he again was a member of the champion Soviet team in the team competition. He won the bronze medal in the all-around behind teammates Grigory Misutin and Vitaly Scherbo.[14]

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Liukin competed for his native Kazakhstan, most notably at the 1993 World Championships and the 1994 Asian Games, but he did not win a medal at either competition.[15][16]

Coaching

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Valeri Liukin spotting for his daughter, Nastia, during the 2008 Summer Olympics

Liukin coached the USA's second consecutive (and different) all around Olympic champion, his daughter, Nastia Liukin, to the 2008 Summer Olympics.[17] In addition, Nastia contributed to Team USA's silver medal finish in the team competition. She also earned silver on uneven bars, silver on balance beam, and bronze in the floor exercise.[18]

Notable gymnasts trained by Liukin include 2010 National Champion and 6-time world medalist Rebecca Bross as well as 2011 junior National champion and 2013 American Cup champion Katelyn Ohashi. Bross placed second in the all-around competition at the World Championships in London 2009 and teammate Ivana Hong placed third in the beam competition. However, Rebecca Bross and Nastia Liukin both failed to qualify for the London 2012 Olympic team. This resulted in Liukin's retirement from international and senior competition. Ohashi was too young to meet the eligibility criteria to compete in the Olympics.

Liukin was the International Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2004. He was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2005.[19]

On 16 September 2016, he was named the coordinator for the United States women's national gymnastics team, replacing the retiring Márta Károlyi.[4] On February 2, 2018, Liukin resigned from this role amid the USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal.[20][21][22]

Controversies

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Several gymnasts trained by Liukin, including Megan Marenghi, Katelyn Ohashi and Vanessa Atler, have come forward and accused Liukin of repeatedly shaming them about their weight even as young adolescents, leading several of them to develop eating disorders and depression.[23] In 2022, Liukin was under investigation by the United States Center for SafeSport for allegedly verbally and psychologically abusing athletes and pressuring them to train or compete with broken bones or while ill.[24][25][26]

Personal life

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He married Anna Kotchneva, a 1987 World Champion rhythmic gymnast, while still competing himself. Their daughter, Nastia Liukin, was born in Moscow in 1989. In 1992, Liukin moved to the United States and began a coaching career. Liukin originally settled in New Orleans, but later moved to Plano, Texas.[27]

Liukin owns and runs three World Olympic Gymnastics Academy (WOGA) locations with business partner Yevgeny Marchenko.[2]

He had a small cameo in the film Stick It as the spotter in his daughter's uneven bars routine.[28]

References

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  1. ^ Hairopoulos, Kate (15 August 2008). "Parents' support, coaching and great DNA helped make gymnast Nastia Liukin an Olympian". The Dallas Morning News. Retrieved 5 September 2008.
  2. ^ a b "Valeri Viktorovich Liukin bio". Premier Management Group Sports. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  3. ^ USA Gymnastics announces 2016 USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame Class. usagym.org (15 December 2015)
  4. ^ a b "USA Gymnastics names Liukin as women's national team coordinator". USA Gymnastics. Retrieved 16 September 2016.
  5. ^ Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Valery Lyukin". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020.
  6. ^ Craig Bohnert (16 September 2016). "Valeri Liukin Selected To Succeed Martha Karolyi As USA Gymnastics Women's National Team Coordinator". Team USA. Archived from the original on 18 September 2016.
  7. ^ "The names are familiar but the uniforms are different for longtime staples of US program". USA Today.
  8. ^ "Gymnast of the Week: Valeri Liukin". FloGymnastics. FloSports. 2 March 2011. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  9. ^ a b "Valery Lyukin (URS/KAZ)". Gymn Forum. 13 March 2004. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  10. ^ "1987 European Championships Men's Results" (PDF). European Gymnastics. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  11. ^ "1987 World Gymnastics Championships Rotterdam, Holland October 19-25, 1987" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  12. ^ "1987 World Championships Men's Team Results, by Gymnast URS/CHN/GDR/BUL". Gymn Forum. 20 February 2004. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  13. ^ "Olympic lookback: The height of Soviet might, Seoul 1988". International Gymnastics Federation. 8 January 2021. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  14. ^ "1991 World Gymnastics Championships Indianapolis, Indiana, United States September 6-15, 1991" (PDF). USA Gymnastics. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  15. ^ "Scherbo Wins All-Around Title". The Los Angeles Times. 16 April 1993. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  16. ^ "広島アジア大会 － 1994年" [Hiroshima Asian Games – 1994 Men's Results]. Gymnastics Japan (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 9 August 2014. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  17. ^ Zaccardi, Nick (27 July 2011). "One Year Out: Bross could become U.S.' third straight golden gymnast". Sports Illustrated. Archived from the original on 17 January 2012. Retrieved 26 July 2012.
  18. ^ "USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame Inductee Nastia Liukin". USA Gymnastics. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
  19. ^ "Valery Liukin (USSR)". The International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. Retrieved 25 July 2012.
  20. ^ "Valeri Liukin steps down as U.S. women's gymnastics team coordinator". ESPN. 2 February 2018.
  21. ^ "Valeri Liukin resigning from role with U.S. women's gymnastics team". USA Today. 2 February 2018.
  22. ^ "U.S. Women's Gymnastics Coordinator Valeri Liukin Suddenly Resigns". Deadspin. 2 February 2018.
  23. ^ "USA Gymnastics coordinator Valeri Liukin's gym not immune to criticism for abuse". IndyStar. 11 February 2018.
  24. ^ "Valeri Liukin to coach Team USA while under SafeSport investigation for abuse". 14 March 2022.
  25. ^ "Valeri Liukin, front-runner for top USA Gymnastics post, is being investigated for alleged verbal and mental abuse". 3 March 2022.
  26. ^ "What The Hell Is USAG Even Doing?". Defector. 16 March 2022.
  27. ^ Garcia, Marlen (15 June 2008). "Liukin looks to add gold to family's mantel". USA Today. Archived from the original on 19 June 2008. Retrieved 16 June 2008.
  28. ^ Meyers, Dvora (28 April 2021). "How 'Stick It' Stuck It: An Oral History of the Best Gymnastics Movie of All Time". Vice. Retrieved 10 June 2024.
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