Natalia Lashchenova

Natalia Laschenova
Born	(1973-09-16) September 16, 1973 (age 51)
Gymnastics career
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Country represented	Soviet Union
Club	Dynamo Riga
Medal record Representing  Soviet Union Olympic Games 1988 Seoul Team World Championships 1989 Stuttgart Team 1989 Stuttgart All-Around

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.

Early career

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

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

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

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 Mason, Ohio.^[4]

Competitive history

Year	Event	Team	AA	VT	UB	BB	FX
Junior
1985	Riga International
1986	Belgian Gym Masters
	Junior Friendship Tournament
	Moscow News		4
	Riga International
	Riga-Rostock Dual Meet
	USSR Spartikade
Senior
1987	Kraft International		8
	Riga International
	USA-USSR Dual Meet
	USSR Championships		5
1988	DTB Cup		4	4	5
	European Cup
	Golden Sands International
	Hungarian International
	Kosice Cup
	USA-USSR Dual Meet		7
	USSR Cup		3
	Olympic Games		5
1989	Chunichi Cup
	DTB Cup
	Joachim Blume Memorial
	Konica Cup
	Moscow News		5
	Tokyo Cup
	USSR Championships
	USSR Cup		9
	World Championships			4
1990	DTB Cup			5	5		4
	Gander Memorial
	Moscow News
	Swiss Cup
	USA-USSR Dual Meet
1991	University Games		5
	World Sports Fair		5		5		8

^[5]

See also

• List of select Jewish gymnasts

References

1. "Natālija Laščonova". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
2. "Whatever happened to Natalia Laschenova?". GymnasticGreats.com. Archived from the original on 11 November 2010. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
3. "The Games of 24th Olympiad- Women's". GymnasticsResults. Archived from the original on 12 July 2016. Retrieved 29 March 2010.
4. Miller, Tim. "Government paperwork keeping gymnast, family from national honors, citizenship". April 25, 2010. Retrieved 25 April 2010.
5. "Natalia Laschenova (USSR)". Gymn Forum. 5 January 2022. Retrieved 26 July 2022.