Világbajnok tornásznő. Diák. Rosztov-na-Donuban lakik és tanul. 19 éves. Első ízben került az év tíz legjobbja közé. Az északi Norilszkban született, ahol fél éven át uralkodik a sarki éjszaka. 10 éves volt, amikor első edzőjének javaslatára Rosztovba, Vlagyiszlav Rasztorockij híres iskolájába került. Ehhez az intézményhez kapcsolódik Ljudmila Turiscseva és Natalja Saposnyikova olimpiai bajnoknő sportdicsősége is. És Jurcsenko méltó utód. A budapesti világbajnokságon aranyérmet nyert összetettben.

Natalia was the first to perform a Korbut loop on beam, the first to do a layout mount on beam, and was the first female to perform the round-off entry vault.  She is married to former Soviet soccer star Viktor Sklyarov and has a daughter, Olga.  Natalia currently lives and coaches in Allentown, PA. 

The daring new skills Yurchenko developed with Rastorotsky included not only the revolutionary Yurchenko vault, but also a sideways back dive to back hip circle on the balance beam (called the Yurchenko loop), as well as a Tkatchev-Deltchev release combination on uneven bars. With an international career that spanned nearly a decade, Yurchenko represented more than one era in gymnastics; she was one of the last gymnasts to perform on the uneven bars both a '70s-style beat and a giant swing in the same routine.

Following her global wins in '82 and '83, Yurchenko continued to compete through '86. Due to the '84 boycott by the USSR, she never competed at the Olympics. (She finished first with her team, first on vault and fifth all-around at the '84 Alternate Games.) Her final appearance at a world championship meet came in Montreal in '85, where she and her Soviet squad shared the team gold.

Following her retirement, Yurchenko married former Olympic soccer star Igor Sklyarov. They have a daughter, Olga. Today, Yurchenko coaches at the Lehigh Valley Sports Academy in Allentown, Pa.

Read more about Yurchenko in the June 1987 and October 1997 issues of International Gymnast Magazine and also in an upcoming issue of International Gymnast Magazine.

© Copyright International GYMNAST Magazine (November 2003)

Medal Total

World Championships:  3 Gold
World Cup:  3 Gold, 1 Silver

 

Népsport, 1993. November 6.

Original element:

Vault: "Yurchenko"

"I don't think young gymnasts know who I am," says Yurchenko today. "They know my name from the vault, but not me as a gymnast."

( International GYMNAST Magazine, November 2003)

Gymnastics > Biography > Yurchenko > Pictures