Viktoria Karpenko

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Viktoria Karpenko
Full nameViktoria Karpenko
Nickname(s)Vika
Country represented Bulgaria
Former countries represented Ukraine
Born (1981-03-15) March 15, 1981 (age 40)
Kherson, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
LevelSenior International
Years on national team1995-2000
ClubKherson Dynamo
GymKoncha-Zaspa, Kyiv, Ukraine
Former coach(es)Oleh Ostapenko
Music1999-2000: The Saint by Orbital
Eponymous skillsInvert giant,full pirouette to ellgrip (uneven bars),clear hip circle,half turn to ellgrip (uneven bars)
Retired2008
Medal record
World Championships
Silver medal – second place 1999 Tianjin All-around
Bronze medal – third place 1999 Tianjin Team
European Championships
Silver medal – second place 1998 St. Petersburg Uneven bars
Silver medal – second place 2000 Paris Team
Silver medal – second place 2000 Paris Uneven bars
Silver medal – second place 2000 Paris Floor exercise
Bronze medal – third place 1998 St. Petersburg Team
Bronze medal – third place 2000 Paris All-around
European Team Championships
Bronze medal – third place 1997 Paris Team

Viktoria Karpenko (Ukrainian: Вікторія Карпенко, born on March 15, 1981 in Kherson, Ukrainian SSR) is a World Championships silver medalist and 2000 Olympian in artistic gymnastics. She began gymnastics at the age of four and went on to become the Ukrainian National Champion in 1996.[1]

Competitive history[]

Karpenko made her world debut at the 1995 World Championships in Sabae, Japan with strong performances; however, she was overshadowed by veteran gymnasts and did not medal. Shortly after, she injured her hamstring and was unable to compete in the 1996 Olympic Games. The following year, she broke a finger during training and was forced to watch the 1997 World Championships from the stands.

In March 1998 she surprised coaches by winning the American Cup against U.S. hopefuls Vanessa Atler and Kristen Maloney. In April she placed second in the uneven bars final behind five-time world uneven bars champion Svetlana Khorkina at the European Championships. At the 1999 World Championships, Karpenko performed with ease and placed second in the all-around competition.[2]

Things were looking great for Karpenko in early 2000, as she won preliminaries at the European Championships in Paris. Ending up third in the all-around, she also grabbed a silver on the uneven bars, and tied for another second-place finish on floor exercise in event finals. Despite these accomplishments, Karpenko is known for her performance at the 2000 Olympic Games, where she did not earn a medal. A favorite for the all-around title, Karpenko was in first place going into the final rotation. As she finished her first pass on floor, she stubbed her toe, tripped, and fell out of bounds. She subsequently received a score of 8.725 and dropped to 12th place.[3]

Karpenko moved to Bulgaria in June 2002, where the country's Artistic Gymnastics Federation covered the costs for the treatment of her injury,[4] and had two short-lived comebacks in both 2003 and 2006, competing for Bulgaria. Marred by injury, she never retained her form or individual results.

In March 2012, China forfeited the 1999 World Championship team bronze medals to Ukraine, who placed fourth. It was discovered in 2008 that China falsified the age of team member Dong Fangxiao, therefore nullifying her results from this competition as well as the 2000 Olympics. Karpenko and her teammates received the bronze medal.

See also[]

  • List of Olympic female gymnasts for Ukraine

References[]

  1. ^ GymBox Bio Archived October 24, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ^ IG Interview
  3. ^ 2000 Olympic All Around Results
  4. ^ Guncheva, Eleonora (26 July 2003). "Космополитизацията на българския спорт". capital.bg. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
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