Yulia Kut (URS)
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Photo used with the expressed
permission of OEFC
1986 Druzhba
(Junior Friendship Cup): 2nd AA
1986 USSR vs GDR (Juniors): 6th AA
1987 Moscow News
1987 Chunchi Cup: 2nd AA, 34d V, 3rd UB, 3rd BB, 3rd FX
1987 Druzhba (Junior Friendship Cup)
1987 USA vs USSR: 1st T, 5th AA (tie)
1987 Tokyo Cup
1988 Junior European Championships: 6th AA, 4th UB, 2nd FX
1988 Chunichi: 4th AA
1988 Toyko Cup
1988 USSR vs GDR (Juniors) - AA - Gold
1988 USSR vs FRG (Juniors): 1st T
1989 Moscow News: 2nd
AA, 1st UB, 2nd BB
1989 World Sports Fair
1989 USSR Cup: 4th AA, 1st UB, 2nd BB, 1st FX
1990 USSR Cup: 5th AA (tie)
1990 US Olympic Cup
1990 Dutch Open: 1st AA, 1st V, 3rd UB, 2nd BB, 2nd FX
Yulia Kut is perhaps one of the most talented Soviet athletes never to have made
a European, World, or Olympic team. Time again, this talented athlete found
herself in the position of team alternate.
As
was the case for so many Eastern bloc gymnasts, the Junior Friendship Tournament
(Druzhba) served as Kut's introduction to the international gymnastics scene.
She performed well at her first major meet, placing second overall behind
Svetlana Boguinskaia and ahead of Natalia Laschenova. That same year, Kut
participated in the Daily Mirror USSR Display in London, England. The Soviets
typically used these tours to showcase their top stars and most promising
juniors. Kut's inclusion in this tour speaks to the promise she showed early on
in her career.
Although
technically still a junior through 1988, over the next two years Kut found
herself competing in many senior competitions: Moscow News, Chunichi Cups, Tokyo
Cups, etc. While warming up for the 1987 USA-USSR dual meet, Kut displayed some
awesome innovation: a Tkachev on the LOW bar! Indeed, the Soviets often trained
far more difficult skills during training than what they competed during
competition.
Kut's
"alternate streak" began in 1989, when she was named the reserve to
the Soviet's European Championship team and continued into the fall, where she
was the official reserve on the 1989 World Team. Nevertheless, 1989 was a good
year for Kut. She competed in the 1989 Moscow News, placing second overall and
on beam, as well as winning bars. She also returned to Japan for the third year
in a row, this time competing in the World Sports Fair. Unfortunately, a
familiar fate would befall Kut at the 1990 Europeans - she was again named the
alternate. Kut pressed on however, proving supreme at the 1990 Dutch Open (1st AA, 1st V, 3rd
UB, 2nd BB, 2nd FX) and competing at the 1990 US Olympic Cup (sort of like a USA
vs the World meet). Interestingly, one often sees Kut's family name spelled
"Kutj" or "Kuty." This discrepancy originated in Holland,
where the term "kut" is a derogatory term for a female part of the
body.
It's
unclear when Kut retired from gymnastics. It appears that 1990 marked the end of
her competitive career, but she definitely pressed on past this time for she
was included in the 1991 USSR Display in Birmingham, England. When she did retire, she
had rather severe back problems (apparently unrelated to
gymnastics though). Her coach, Svetlana Degteva (mother of UCLA gymnast Lena
Degteva), moved to Canada and through fund raisers and donations was able to
collect enough money to fly Kut to Canada for a much needed back operation. The
surgery helped tremendously and Kut was able to return home to Lvov, Ukraine. Kut apparently took up ballroom dancing in later years.
Kut was born on February 4, 1974
Many thanks to Tatiana Lysenko for updating me about Kut's life.
. This page was created on March 23, 2000.
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