In the early 1990s, Oksana
Skaldina almost single-handedly raised the difficulty level of
rhythmic gymnastics to unbelievable new heights. A tempestuous
performer with an even more stormy personality, Skaldina's life
and gymnastics are surely the definition of "risk."
Born to an engineer and a
kindergarten inspector on May 24, 1972, Skaldina was introduced
to the sport at the age of 4 1/2. She was not originally
considered rhythmic gymnastics material, however, being of
"average physical qualities." But the Kiev, Ukraine
native was already competing by age 6, under the tutelage of
Ludmilla Koval, and was destined for success -- and a heavy dose
of disappointment.
Skaldina got her big break at the
1988 European Cup, where she placed fifth in the all-around and
won the ball title. She would share in the Soviet silver-medal
finish at the 1989 World Championships, and also claim the
all-around bronze and three golds (rope, hoop, ribbon). After a
hugely successful season in 1990, where she earned first place at
the Intervision Cup, Goodwill Games, USSR National Championships,
and World Cup, as well as third place at the European
Championships, coach Albina Derjugina declared, "Her time
has come."
Skaldina and veteran teammate
Alexandra Timochenko spent most of 1991 trading titles, but when
all was said and done it was the prima donnaesque blonde who
perched atop the podium. With four passionate, difficulty-filled
exercises, Skaldina won the overall title at the World
Championships, but then found herself frustrated in event finals
while Timochenko exacted revenge. The exhausted Skaldina planned
to retire after her victory but ultimately decided against it;
after all, gymnastics was the only life she knew.
She persevered, continuing to up
the risk ante while maturing as a performer. Never an elegant
gymnast, Skaldina knew her strengths -- strong dance technique,
superb ability to make extremely difficult apparatus skills look
elementary, and an eye-catching, fiery persona -- and filled her
exercises with them. Her work demanded high scores simply because
she so rarely made mistakes. Skaldina, who was said to look at
her scores only after she heard the reaction of the audience,
performed many memorable routines. Most notable are her fast and
spunky 1989 ribbon, energetic and exciting 1991 hoop to In
the Hall of the Mountain King (complete with unique foot
tosses), and emotional 1992 ball. But many fans remember her more
for her expressive face, which never failed to tell the story of
what was happening inside.
A few sub-par international
finishes in early 1992 hurt Skaldina's reputation, and the
Unified Team began to publicly question her fitness. After Oksana
Kostina's win at both the 1992 CIS Nationals and European
Championships, many speculated that she would replace Skaldina in
the Olympics. The reigning World Champion then saw a television
program in which she was harshly criticized. Devastated, she
tried to abandon the National Training Center. Co-coach Irina
Derjugina eventually convinced her to come back, but, according
to Skaldina, the federation was so worried she would leave again
that they confiscated her money and personal belongings and
chaperoned her every move.
Despite solid performances (she
counted a few small mistakes) and the highest level of difficulty
in the Barcelona Olympic Games, Skaldina was awarded an
anti-climactic bronze medal behind Timochenko and local favorite Carolina
Pascual. The results of this competition are still hotly
disputed, and Skaldina's infamous unsportsmanlike behavior at the
awards ceremony (she refused to acknowledge and shake the hand of
Pascual on the podium) has become legendary. In a recent
interview Skaldina explained, "Winning the bronze medal
instead of the gold seemed like a catastrophe to me, a collapse
of all my hopes and plans."
So shattered was the usually
willful Ukrainian that she felt on the edge of a nervous
breakdown and even entertained thoughts of suicide. Although the
Derjuginas wanted Skaldina to remain in the Ukraine, she accepted
a coaching position in Moscow precisely because it would be
viewed as a "betrayal." There she married boyfriend
Dmitry Svatkovsky, one of the athletes on the CIS silver
medal-winning 1992 pentathlon team. A few years later their
daughter, Dasha, was born.
Skaldina still coaches in Russia,
even though she believes that the results of competitions are
corrupt. She enjoys her work in gymnastics and would, by her own
admission, choose career over family. Always a study in
contradictions, Oksana Skaldina explains her work and herself
best when she understates, "I am a person with a complicated
character."
| Skaldina was born on May
24, 1972. |
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© 1999-2002. This page was created on August
8th, 1999.
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