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Oksana Kostina

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Oksana Kostina
Personal information
Country represented Russia
Former countries represented Soviet Union
Born(1972-04-15)15 April 1972
Irkutsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Died11 February 1993(1993-02-11) (aged 20)
Moscow, Russia
DisciplineRhythmic gymnastics
Assistant coach(es)Olga Buyanova
Medal record
Representing  Russia
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1992 Brussels All-around
Gold medal – first place 1992 Brussels Rope
Gold medal – first place 1992 Brussels Hoop
Gold medal – first place 1992 Brussels Ball
Gold medal – first place 1992 Brussels Clubs
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1992 Stuttgart Hoop
Gold medal – first place 1992 Stuttgart Ball
Gold medal – first place 1992 Stuttgart Clubs
Bronze medal – third place 1992 Stuttgart All-around
Bronze medal – third place 1992 Stuttgart Team
Representing  Soviet Union
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1989 Sarajevo Team
Gold medal – first place 1991 Athens Team
Silver medal – second place 1989 Sarajevo Ball
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1990 Gothenburg Team
Gold medal – first place 1990 Gothenburg Hoop
Goodwill Games
Silver medal – second place 1990 Seattle Ball
Bronze medal – third place 1990 Seattle All-around
Bronze medal – third place 1990 Seattle Rope

Oksana Alexandrovna Kostina (Russian: Оксана Александровна Костина; 15 April 1972 – 11 February 1993) was a Russian individual rhythmic gymnast. She was the 1992 World All-around champion and 1992 European All-around bronze medalist.

Career

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For years, Kostina remained in the shadow of two Ukrainian gymnasts, Oksana Skaldina and Olexandra Tymoshenko. Though she won the all-around bronze medal at the 1992 European Championships, she was not selected for the Olympic Games in Barcelona. Kostina and her coach, Olga Buyanova, frustrated by what they felt was the Unified Team's favoritism toward Skaldina, traveled to Barcelona and Kostina trained with the British team for a short time before she was ordered home.[1]

Kostina at the 1992 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships

In the absence of the two Ukrainian gymnasts, Kostina won the All-around gold medal, as well as gold medals in rope, hoop, ball and clubs at the 1992 World Championships in Brussels. She became Russia's first World Champion as an independent country. Her goal was to compete at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta.

Death

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Kostina died in a car crash on 11 February 1993 in Moscow, a few weeks shy of her 21st birthday. She was engaged to Eduard Zenovka, a fellow athlete and Pentathlon bronze-medalist at the Olympic Games in Barcelona. A lorry that was driving in the opposite direction crashed head-on into their vehicle. Both athletes were seriously injured and needed surgery in hospital. Sixteen hours later, Kostina died from injuries sustained at the car crash. The police investigation revealed that Zenovka, who was driving the car, was heavily intoxicated at the time of the accident.[2]

Achievements

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Kostina was one of the few gymnasts to win gold medals in all of the apparatus in a single World Championship, along with Bianka Panova, Ekaterina Serebrianskaya and Evgenia Kanaeva.

References

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