Lilia Podkopayeva

Lilia Oleksandrivna Podkopayeva (Ukrainian: Лілія Олександрівна Подкопаєва; born 15 August 1978) is a Ukrainian former artistic gymnast. She is the 1995 world all-around champion, and the 1996 Olympic all-around and floor exercise champion. Often thought of as a complete athlete, Podkopayeva was known for combining power, style, and balletic grace.^[3]

Lilia Podkopayeva
Podkopayeva in 2021
Personal information
Full name	Lilia Alexandrivna Podkopayeva
Nickname(s)	LilyPod, Golden Lily (in Ukraine)
Born	(1978-08-15) 15 August 1978 (age 46) Donetsk, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Height	1.49 m (4 ft 11 in)
Weight	42 kg (93 lb)
Spouse	Tymofiy Nahornyi ​ ​ (m. 2004; div. 2009)​
Gymnastics career
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Country represented	Ukraine
Level	Senior International Elite
Club	Dynamo
Head coach(es)	Lilia Puhachova (Choreographer),[1] Halyna Lozynska[2][1]
Eponymous skills	Vault round-off, back-handspring with 1/2 turn on - piked salto forward with 1/2 turn off Floor double front salto, also with 1/2 twist out
Retired	1997
Medal record Representing  Ukraine Women's artistic gymnastics Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 2 1 0 World Championships 2 3 0 Goodwill Games 2 0 2 European Championships 4 1 4 European Team Championships 0 0 1 European Cup Final 2 2 2 Total 12 7 9 Olympic Games 1996 Atlanta All-Around 1996 Atlanta Floor Exercise 1996 Atlanta Balance Beam World Championships 1995 Sabae All-Around 1995 Sabae Vault 1994 Brisbane Balance Beam 1995 Sabae Balance Beam 1995 Sabae Uneven Bars Goodwill Games 1994 St Petersburg Mixed Team 1994 St Petersburg Vault 1994 St Petersburg Team 1994 St Petersburg Floor Exercise European Championships 1994 Stockholm Floor Exercise 1996 Birmingham All-Around 1996 Birmingham Uneven Bars 1996 Birmingham Floor Exercise 1994 Stockholm Balance Beam 1994 Stockholm Team 1994 Stockholm Vault 1996 Birmingham Team 1996 Birmingham Vault European Team Championships 1997 Paris Team European Cup Final 1995 Rome Uneven Bars 1995 Rome Balance Beam 1993 Brussels Vault 1995 Rome Vault 1993 Brussels Balance Beam 1995 Rome Floor

Gymnastics career

1993–95

In March 1993, Lilia won her only National All Around Title in Ukraine. In April 1993, Podkopayeva competed at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Birmingham, England. She qualified for the vault final, but crashed on her first attempt and finished last with a score of 8.893.^[4]

At the 1994 World Championships in Brisbane, Australia, she placed sixth in the all-around with a score of 38.942. In event finals, she placed eighth on vault, scoring 9.424; fifth on uneven bars, scoring 9.350; and second on balance beam, scoring 9.737.^[5] In November 1994, at the World Team Championships in Dortmund, Germany, she contributed an all-around score of 38.099 toward the Ukrainian team's fifth-place finish.^[6]

The following year, Podkopayeva competed at the 1995 World Championships in Sabae, Japan. She helped Ukraine place fifth and qualify a full team to the 1996 Olympics. Podkopayeva then won the all-around final with a score of 39.248. In event finals, she placed first on vault (9.781), second on uneven bars (9.837), second on balance beam (9.837), and seventh on floor (9.087).^[7]

1996

At the beginning of the year, Podkopayeva was seriously injured when she fell from the beam in practice, fracturing two ribs.^[8] However, in May, she competed at the European Championships in Birmingham, where she helped the Ukrainian team place third and won the individual all-around with a score of 39.205. In event finals, she placed third on balance beam (9.756), first on uneven bars (9.825), and first on floor (9.862).^[9]

Atlanta Olympics

In July, Podkopayeva competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, Georgia. In the team final, she contributed a combined compulsory and optional score of 78.061 toward the Ukrainian team's fifth-place finish. She then won the all-around final with a score of 39.255. In event finals, she placed fifth on uneven bars (9.787), second on balance beam (9.825), and first on floor (9.887).^[10] She was the fourth gymnast to win the Olympic all-around title as the reigning world champion, and the first gymnast to win the all-around without winning a team medal. She was also the last female gymnast to win the all-around title and an event-final gold medal until Simone Biles did this in 2016.

1997

Podkopayeva originally intended to continue competing after the 1996 Olympics, and she was named to the Ukrainian team for the 1997 World Championships. However, injuries forced her to sit out the competition and, later, to retire.^[11]

Eponymous skills

Podkopayeva has two eponymous skills listed in the Code of Points.^[12]

Apparatus	Name	Description	Difficulty[a]
Vault	Podkopayeva	Round-off flic-flac with 1⁄2 turn (180°) on - piked salto forward with 1⁄2 turn (180°) off	4.2
Floor exercise	Podkopayeva	Double salto forward tucked with 1⁄2 turn (180°)	F (0.6)

1. Valid for the 2025–2028 Code of Points

Post-retirement

In 2002, Podkopayeva started the Golden Lilia International Sports Festival, an exhibition featuring artistic and rhythmic gymnasts, acrobats, and dancers. She said, "It's important to us to show outstanding people and brightest talent so that the next generation can follow the best of the best."^[13]

In December 2004, she married a Ukrainian businessman Tymofiy Nahornyi. They have two children: Vadym, adopted in Ukraine in July 2006, and Karolina, born in November 2006. The couple divorced in 2009.^[14]

In 2005, Podkopayeva became a United Nations goodwill ambassador on HIV/AIDS in Ukraine.^[15] She is also an Ambassador of the Council of Europe for Sport, Tolerance, and Fair Play.^[16]

In 2007, she won Ukraine's Dancing With the Stars with partner Sergiy Kostetskyi. The next year, she represented Ukraine in the Eurovision Dance Contest. Along with partner Kyrylo Khytrov, she placed third in the competition.^[17]

In 2014, Podkopayeva did a gala event in Mexico, using similar choreography to the floor routine she performed in Atlanta, as well as doing back handsprings and round-offs.^[18]

In 2019, Podkopayeva joined the coaching staff at Marcus Jewish Community Center of Atlanta's Perimeter Gymnastics.^[19]

See also

• List of Olympic female gymnasts for Ukraine

References

1. Alesia Batsman. Podkopayeva: For me Donetsk was, is and will be Ukraine (Подкопаева: Для меня Донецк был, есть и будет Украиной). Gordon.ua. 25 October 2018
2. Olena Sadovnyk. Subtle matters of gymnastics (Тонкі матерії гімнастики). Olimpiyska Arena #10-2016.
3. Lilia Podkopayeva, Class of 2008, International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. 2008. Archived from the original on 2014-06-26. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
4. "Lilia Podkopayeva".
5. "1994 World Championships". Gymnastics Results. 2011. Archived from the original on 12 February 2019. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
6. "1994 Teams World Championships Women's artistic gymnastics". Gymnastics Results. 2005. Archived from the original on 27 March 2010. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
7. "1995 World Championships". Gymnastics Results. 2011. Archived from the original on 22 April 2009. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
8. "TWISTER AFTER HER COMPETITION FELL AWAY, UKRAINE'S LILIA PODKOPAYEVA TOUCHED DOWN WITH THE GOLD IN THE ALL-AROUND". Sports Illustrated. 26 July 1996.
9. "1996 European Championships". Gymnastics Results. 2006. Archived from the original on 1 February 2014. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
10. "Games of the 26th Olympiad Artistic Gymnastics". Gymnastics Results. 2009. Archived from the original on 29 June 2009. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
11. Houghton, Andrew (11 August 2016). "Golden Memories: Twisters Coach remembers Atlanta Games". www.daily-tribune.com. Cartersville, GA.
12. "Women's Artistic Gymnastics – 2025-2028 Code of Points" (PDF). International Gymnastics Federation. 22 April 2024. Retrieved 12 January 2025.
13. "Podkopayeva Pulls Off 'Golden Lilia' Extravaganza". International Gymnast Magazine Online. International Gymnast Magazine. 28 October 2008. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
14. Natalia Dvali (29 January 2009). "Olympic Champion Lilia Podkopaeva Filed for Divorce". Gordon Boulevard Newspaper Archives. Retrieved 17 September 2017.
15. "High-Profile Event to Promote Healthy Lifestyle in Donetsk region". United Nations in Ukraine. United Nations. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
16. "United Nations Goodwill Ambassadors". United Nations in Ukraine. United Nations. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
17. Amanda Turner (28 October 2008). "Podkopayeva Pulls Off 'Golden Lilia' Extravaganza". International Gymnast Magazine Online. International Gymnast Magazine. Retrieved 23 July 2014.
18. "Mexico's Gala of Gymnastics Stars performers announced". The Gymternet. October 20, 2014.
19. "Gymnastics program hires Olympic gold medalist as new coach -". 21 February 2019.

External links

Media related to Liliia Podkopaieva at Wikimedia Commons

• Lilia Podkopayeva at the International Gymnastics Federation
• Lilia Podkopayeva at the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame
• Lilia Podkopayeva at Olympics.com
• Lilia Podkopayeva at Olympedia