Elena Mukhina

Elena Mukhina
Елена Мухина
Elena Mukhina
Personal information
Full nameElena Vyacheslavovna Mukhina
Alternative name(s)Elena Muchina
Yelena Muchina
Yelena Mukhina
Country represented Soviet Union
Born(1960-06-01)1 June 1960
Moscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Died22 December 2006(2006-12-22) (aged 46)
Moscow, Russia
HometownMoscow, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
LevelSenior International Elite
Years on national team3
ClubCSKA Moscow
Head coach(es)Mikhail Klimenko [ru]
Eponymous skillsMukhina salto (floor exercise), Mukhina hecht (uneven bars), Mukhina flip (uneven bars)
Medal record
Representing  Soviet Union
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1978 Strasbourg Team
Gold medal – first place 1978 Strasbourg All-Around
Gold medal – first place 1978 Strasbourg Floor Exercise
Silver medal – second place 1978 Strasbourg Uneven Bars
Silver medal – second place 1978 Strasbourg Balance Beam
World Cup Final
Gold medal – first place 1977 Oviedo Uneven Bars
Gold medal – first place 1977 Oviedo Balance Beam
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1977 Prague Balance Beam
Gold medal – first place 1977 Prague Floor Exercise
Gold medal – first place 1977 Prague Uneven Bars
Gold medal – first place 1979 Copenhagen Uneven Bars
Silver medal – second place 1977 Prague All-Around
Silver medal – second place 1979 Copenhagen Floor Exercise
Bronze medal – third place 1977 Prague Vault

Elena Vyacheslavovna Mukhina (Russian: Елена Вячеславовна Мухина; first name sometimes rendered "Yelena", last name sometimes rendered "Muchina"; 1 June 1960 – 22 December 2006) was a Soviet gymnast who won the all-around title at the 1978 World Championships in Strasbourg, France. Her career was on the rise, and she was widely touted as the next great gymnastics star until 1979, when she broke a leg and missed several competitions. The rushed recovery from that injury, combined with pressure to master a dangerous and difficult tumbling move (the Thomas salto) caused her to break her neck two weeks before the opening of the 1980 Summer Olympics, leaving her permanently quadriplegic.