Ukraine's Podkopayeva, Three Others Enter International Gymnastics Hall Of Fame

OKLAHOMA CITY, USA -- More than a decade later, the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta remain a bit of a blur for Lilia Podkopayeva of Ukraine.

Lilia Podkopayeva at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta
The 29-year-old remembers standing atop the medal podium, receiving the women's all-around gymnastics gold medal, and listening to her nation's anthem. Then came a meeting she laughs about today.

Following the medal ceremony, "I met the president of the United States, Bill Clinton, and he shook my hand," Podkopayeva said before being inducted on Saturday into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. "He said, 'very good job' and 'congratulations.' But at that time, I didn't understand any words in English!"

Podkopayeva joined Olympic champions Shuji Tsurumi of Japan, Stoyan Deltchev of Bulgaria and Ma Yanhong of China as the gymnastic hall's 2008 inductees, raising the total number of gymnasts in the hall to 64. Ludwig Schweizer of Germany received the hall's International Order of Merit.

When she won the gold medal in Atlanta, Podkopayeva became only the fourth woman in 24 years to win a gold medal in the world championships one year and an Olympic gold the next. She also held the European all-around title at the time, giving her a triple crown of sorts rarely seen in the sport.

"It's always hard to get on top, but it's most hard to stay on top," she said. "It's so hard to explain why."

Bart Conner of the United States, himself a member of the gymnastics hall and also its president, noted that during the era in which Podkopayeva competed, she faced numerous talented opponents, including Shannon Miller and Dominique Moceanu of the U.S., Mo Huilan of China and Svetlana Chorkina of Russia.

"What I liked about her is she is one of the most complete gymnasts," Conner said of Podkopayeva. "Sometimes gymnasts are good in one or two areas, and then they may have a couple of weaknesses that they just hope to get by on. But she was a very balanced gymnast.

"She came up under that Soviet training system and she had ... power, artistry and technique. That's why she was the ideal gymnast. She had the complete package."

In the all-around in Atlanta, Podkopayeva's stunning floor routine earned a score of 9.887 and easily clinched the four-event competition. Gina Gogean of Romania won the silver and two other Romanians, Simona Amanar and Lavinia Milosovici, tied for the bronze.

Also in Atlanta, Podkopayeva won a gold in floor exercise and a silver in balance beam, finishing behind Miller, who is a member of the gymnastics hall.

Podkopayeva said she distinctly recalls the partisan crowds in Atlanta that made the competition more difficult for non-U.S. gymnasts.

"I understand, everybody cheers for their athletes," she said. "That is normal. For me, it was a hard time (competing), but I did it. ... It was very hard, but at the same time, I was very happy, because I always dreamed about winning the Olympic gold medal."

Podkopayeva now is married with two children and lives in Kiev, Ukraine. She serves as the Ukranian United Nations Goodwill Ambassador for HIV/AIDS and is her homeland's Ambassador of Sport to the Council of Europe. She is also a well-known television personality in Ukraine and recently won that nation's version of the TV show "Dancing With the Stars."

Tsurumi, 70, was a member of the legendary Japanese teams that dominated gymnastics in the 1960s. He won team Olympic gold medals in 1960 and 1964, and individually, he won the all-around silver medal in the 1964 Olympics and the 1966 world championships. He later coached Japan's teams that won team gold in the 1972 Olympics.

Deltchev, 48, is the first person from Bulgaria to be inducted into the gymnastics hall. He won the 1979 European all-around title and a gold medal in the 1980 Olympics on high bar. He is known for an eponymous release move he invented on high bar. He now operates a gymnastics academy in the United States.

The 43-year-old Ma was China's first world champion, male or female, in gymnastics, winning gold on uneven bars during the 1979 world championships. During the 1984 Olympics, she tied for the gold medal on uneven bars with a dismount so difficult it is no longer seen. She now is a restaurateur and journalist in Beijing, which will host the Olympics later this year.

Schweizer was honored for his work in standardizing gymnastics equipment during the past 25 years.

Source: International Herald Tribune