Natalia Vasiliyevna Laschenova (Russian: Наталья Васильевна Лащенова) (born September 16, 1973 in Jelgava, Latvian SSR, Soviet Union)[1] is a retired Soviet gymnast. Laschenova competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics and the 1989 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships. Laschenova is best known for her difficult skills, deceptive power, strong technique and highly expressive dance.
| Natalia Laschenova | |||||||||||||||||||||
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| Country represented |  Soviet Union | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | September 16, 1973 | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Discipline | Women's artistic gymnastics | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Dynamo Riga | ||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early career edit
Laschenova had started gymnastics at the age of 6, reaching the international gymnastics scene at age 12 with her first competition, the 1985 Riga International. Laschenova did well, placing 2nd in the all around, 2nd on vault and 1st on balance beam. Laschenova continued to compete internationally at the 1986 Belgian Gym Masters, 1986 Moscow News and 1987 US vs USSR.[2]
1988-1989 edit
Laschenova competed at the 1988 Summer Olympics, contributing to a team gold medal for the Soviet Union and placing 5th in the all around.[3] The following year she competed at the 1989 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, where she won a silver medal in the all around along with a gold medal with the team.
Post 1989 edit
Laschenova was hampered in 1990 by an injury. After the breakup of the Soviet Union, Latvia did not compete with most of the former Soviet states as the Unified Team meaning that Laschenova would be unable to make the 1992 Summer Olympics. She retired in 1991.[3]
Recent news edit
In 2010 it was reported that Laschenova and her family were facing deportation from the United States, where she now lives in Marysville, Ohio and coaches in Hilliard, Ohio.[4]
Competitive history edit
| Year | Event | Team | AA | VT | UB | BB | FX |
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| Junior | |||||||
| 1985 | Riga International |  |
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| 1986 | Belgian Gym Masters | |
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| Junior Friendship Tournament | |
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| Moscow News | 4 | |
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| Riga International | |
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| Riga-Rostock Dual Meet | |
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| USSR Spartikade | |
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| Senior | |||||||
| 1987 | Kraft International | 8 | |
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| Riga International | |
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| USA-USSR Dual Meet | |
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| USSR Championships | 5 | ||||||
| 1988 | DTB Cup | 4 | 4 | 5 |
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| European Cup | |
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| Golden Sands International | |
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| Hungarian International | |
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| Kosice Cup | |
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| USA-USSR Dual Meet | |
7 | |||||
| USSR Cup | 3 | ||||||
| Olympic Games | |
5 | |||||
| 1989 | Chunichi Cup | |
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| DTB Cup | |
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| Joachim Blume Memorial | |
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| Konica Cup | |
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| Moscow News | 5 | ||||||
| Tokyo Cup | |
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| USSR Championships | |
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| USSR Cup | 9 | ||||||
| World Championships | |
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4 | ||||
| 1990 | DTB Cup | |
5 | 5 | |
4 | |
| Gander Memorial | |
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| Moscow News | |
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| Swiss Cup | |
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| USA-USSR Dual Meet | |
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| 1991 | University Games | |
5 | |
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| World Sports Fair | 5 | |
5 | 8 | |||
See also edit
References edit
- ^ "Natālija Laščonova". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
- ^ "Whatever happened to Natalia Laschenova?". GymnasticGreats.com. Archived from the original on 11 November 2010. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
- ^ a b "The Games of 24th Olympiad- Women's". GymnasticsResults. Archived from the original on 12 July 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
- ^ Miller, Tim. "Government paperwork keeping gymnast, family from national honors, citizenship". April 25, 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
- ^ "Natalia Laschenova (USSR)". Gymn Forum. 5 January 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.