Whatever Happened to...? GymnasticGreats.com

Latest news

July - December 2011
- An injured shoulder shattered Veronica Wagner's dream of competing at the 2012 Olympics, but in November she learned that she'll attend the Games as a broadcaster for Swedish TV.
- Two of the newest Brevet judges: 2005 World Champion and 2008 Olympian Chellsie Memmel and 2001 Worlds team member Tabitha Yim (link USAG)
- Marina Goryunova, former student of Elvira Saadi who trained alongside Tatiana Groshkova, and was featured prominently in the gymnastics documentary "Are We Going to the Ball?", and interviewed by Larry King as part of the 1990 Goodwill Games coverage on TBS, is now living in the USA. In November she represented her newfound country at the World T&T Championships. Here's her double mini routine, and her tumbling routine. (Thanks Alar!)
- Natalia Laschenova takes latest step in quest for immigration (link: IG)
- Paul Hamm arrested for assault, subsequently terminated from coaching position at OU
- Sarah Shire hired on as Director of Operations at the University of Missouri. She's also pursuing her Master's in Sport Psychology.
- Elise Ray and Chelle Stack being inducted into USAG Hall of Fame
- Catching up with Canadian sensation Yvonne Tousek!
- Li Ning makes a donation to the IOC museum
- Kristin Maloney appointed assisted coach at Iowa
- Hanneke Hoefnagel, member of the Netherlands' 2006 Worlds team, is now a farmer!
- Amy Chow has a shot at London 2012 - as a diver!
- Dominique Moceanu released a paperback series for tweens (IG)
- Catching up with Lu Li
- 1996 Olympic floor champion Ioannis Melissanidis talks of a comeback
- Sang Lan wins lawsuit
- Swiss sensation Ariella Kaeslin retires (link)
- Imagine breaking a piñata, only to have Mary Lou Retton fall out of it....
- Isabelle Severino takes to the FX again! (link)
January - June 2011
- Peter Vidmar resigns as USA's Chef de Mission for London 2012
- Johnny Weir speaks out against Peter Vidmar's appointment as Chef de Mission for London 2012
- Suzanne Harmes announces her retirement (May 2, 2011)
- Sang Lan suing Time Warner, USA Gymnastics
- Peter Vidmar is the USA's Chef de Mission for the 2012 Olympics
- FIG photographer Thomas Schreyer visits China and does a photo shoot with Bi Wenjing and her new baby boy
- Another scandal rocks the Dutch: Verona van de Leur pleads guilty to extortion
- Vanessa Atler is blogging again: From Gymnast to Coach
- Anna Li performs as a stunt double: Honda Civic
- Check out Vanda Hadarean's Inspired by Vanda bootcamp
- Ling Jie marries (photos). She coaches the Hunan gymnastics provincial team, and two of her gymnasts Zeng Siqi and Zhou Jiabei are current national team members.
- Tragedy for Tracee Talavera
- Catching up with Cirque du Soleil's Yulia Korostelyova
- USAG catches up with the Mag 7
- Shannon Miller battling ovarian tumour
August - December 2010
- 2008 Olympian Raj Bhavsar joins new Cirque du Soleil show
- Nadia Comaneci guest stars on Make it or Break it
- Alina Kabaeva graces Russian Vogue
- Current and former U.S. National MAG team members perform at Victoria's Secrets fashion show (link: IG2)
- Mary Lou Retton and family return to West Virginia
- Li Xiaopeng's wedding music video and Beijing reception photos
- Amy Chow marries Jason Ho (link: Video teaser)
April - July 2010
- 2000 U.S. Olympian Brett McClure is taking over as assistant men's coach at Stanford
- 1996 Olympic gold medalist Jaycie Phelps heads home to Indianapolis and opens the Jaycie Phelps Athletics Center
- Rebecca Owen (GBR) sues former coaches
- New video clip of Natalia Laschenova's plight to stay in the USA (link)
- Former Olympians Elena Zamolodchikova and Allana Slater (AUS) are in Melbourne judging at the 2010 Pacific Rim (photo)
- 1996 Olympic darling Kerri Strug marries (People)
- Aunt Joyce interviews 1984 Olympian Kathy Johnson Clark
- 2000 and 2004 U.S. Olympian Morgan Hamm is the new boys coach at M&M Gymnastics, a gym owned by Chellsie Memmel's parents
- Nastia Liukin named new USAG athlete rep
- 2004 Olympian Irina Krasnyanska (UKR) was reportedly a judge at yesterday's Zakharova Cup
January - March 2010
- Several Chinese greats are expected to travel to Wisconsin in June to take part in a collaboration between UW-Madison and the Beijing University of Sport. The aim is to strengthen their English, Science, leadership, and coaching skills. Expected to take part are Sun Xiaojiao, Yang Bo, and former rhythmic gymnast Sui Jianshuang.
- 2004 Olympian Oana Ban marries and honeymoons in Paris!
- 2010 USAG Hall of Fame inductees include Dominique Moceanu, Wendy Bruce, and Kip Simons
- Nastia Liukin and JC Penny team up for Supergirl line of clothes
- Ioana Petrovichi welcomes baby girl March 2010 (link: photos)
- Youtube tribute to Polina Astakhova (d. 2005)
- Shawn Johnson judges Miss America.
- 2000 U.S. Olympian Elise Ray doing commentary for the Big Ten Network. She's also doing personal training, and a little coaching. (Link: Gymnastike)
- Shawn Johnson ran with the torch in January 19th's Vancouver 2010 torch relay.
- Kyle Shewfelt ran with the torch in January 18th's Vancouver 2010 torch relay.
- Shannon Miller speaks candidly about gymnastics, being a new Mom, etc.
- Russian coach Elena Mashinskaia (Novgorod), whose students have included Anna Kovalyova, Oskana Vitkova, Kristin and Eleonora Guroyonova, passed away last week. She suffered from lung cancer that spread to the brain. She is predeceased by her husband, fellow coach Anatoly Chistenko (heart attack).
- 1995 and 1997 Worlds team member Anastasiya Dzundzyak is now performing in Cirque du Soleil's Zaia in Macau
- Former U.S. team member and UCLA gymnast Kim Hamilton Anthony publishes autobiography (Link: IG)
September-December 2009:
- Moscow has launched a new prize to encourage paralympians. It's called the Mukhina prize, named after Elena Mukhina.
- Nikolai Kryokov has decided to retire. He's set to become the new coach of Russia's junior men's team.
- Elena Naimushina has moved back to her hometown of Krasnoyarsk after spending the past 20 years in Riga. She presented the awards at the town's gym meet, the Elena Naimushina Cup.
- After Maria Zasipkina sustained a neck injury while training she was treated in hospital as a member of the national team and continued to receive her stipend. After graduating from the Sports Institute she taught in a dance studio, and is now coaching gymnastics at her original gym.
- Belorussian interview with Larissa Petrik
- Li Shanshan and Xiao Sha have officially retired (link: IG)
- Former British gymnast Amy Bagshaw hoping to publish memoirs
- Dong Fangxiao's husband speaks with New Zealand reporter, admitting she was too young to compete in Sydney. Read Rick's commentary.
- A number of former champions were on hand to watch the gymnastics at the recent 2009 Worlds. Here's a shot of some former greats. From Left to Right: Oksana Chusovitina, Svetlana Boguinskaya, Elena Shevchenko, Svetlana Lebedinskaya, Aleftina Priakhina, and Vera Kolesnikova. Many others were in attendance including Valerie Liukin, Oksana Omelianchik, and more. Thanks DJ!

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Former rhythmic gymnasts:
Carmen Acedo (ESP) Jana Batyrchina (RUS) Galina Beloglazova (URS) Magdalena Brzeska (GER) Joanna Bodak (POL) Jessica Davis (USA) Tatiana Druchinina (URS) Adriana Dunavska (BUL) Lori Fung (CAN) Olga Gontar (BLR) Diliana Gueorguieva (BUL) Maria Guigova (BUL) Lilia Ignatova (BUL)	Elizabeth Koleva (BUL) Dalia Kutkaite (URS) Tamara Levinson (USA) Natalia Lipkovskay (RUS) Maria Isabel Lloret (ESP) Marina Lobatch (URS) Mila Marinova (BUL/USA) Camille Martens (CAN) Lenka Oulehlova (CZE) Bianka Panova (BUL) Carolina Pascual (ESP) Yevgenia Pavlina (BLR) Maria Petrova (BUL)	Diana Popova (BUL) Iliana Raeva (BUL) Anelia Ralenkova (BUL) Milena Reljin (YUG) Stella Salapatyska (BUL) Yekaterina Serebrianskaya (UKR) Andrea Sinko (HUN) Oksana Skaldina (URS) Alexandra Timochenko (URS) Sally Ward (USA) Amina Zaripova (URS/ RUS)