Elena Piskun Explained

Elena Piskun
Fullname:Yelena Mikhaylovna Piskun
Nickname:Lena
Birth Date:2 February 1978
Birth Place:Minsk, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union
Hometown:Bobruisk, Belarus
Height:5inchesft0inchesin (ftin)
Discipline:WAG
Level:Senior international elite
Headcoach:Valery Kolodinsky
Show-Medals:yes

Elena (or Yelena) Mikhaylovna "Lena" Piskun (Belarusian: Алена Піскун; Russian: Елена Михайловна "Лена" Пискун pronounced as /ru/; born 2 February 1978)[1] is a Belarusian former artistic gymnast who won two World Championship gold medals in the 1990s and competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Personal life

Piskun was born in Minsk, Belarus, in 1978.[1] Her father worked in a tire factory, and her mother was a bookkeeper. She has a younger brother, Viktor.[2] She is 5inchesft0inchesin (ftin) tall.[1] She currently lives in the United States.

Career

Piskun started gymnastics at the age of six and was coached by Valery Kolodinsky during her career. The gym in her hometown of Bobruisk was small, so she traveled to Minsk to train before major competitions.[2]

At the 1993 World Championships in Birmingham, England, Piskun won the gold medal on vault.[3] In April 1994, she competed at the Individual World Championships in Brisbane, Australia, and finished fifth on vault with a score of 9.725 and fifth on floor exercise with a score of 9.675. At the World Championship Team Finals in Dortmund, Germany, in November, Piskun helped the Belarus team to a sixth-place finish.[4] At the 1995 World Championships in Sabae, Japan, she was 10th in the all-around with a score of 38.53.[5]

Piskun finished third on balance beam and eighth on floor exercise at the 1996 European Championships.[2] In April, she competed at the World Championships in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and won a gold medal on uneven bars with a score of 9.787.[6] At that year's Olympic Games in Atlanta, Piskun helped Belarus finish sixth in the team competition, and she was also 12th in the individual all-around with a score of 38.649.[1] At the 1997 World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland, she finished 30th in the all-around with a score of 35.474.[7]

Piskun owns and coaches at Infinity Gymnastics in Alpharetta, Georgia.

Competition History

YearEventTFAAVTUBBBFX
1991Cottbus International
1992Chunichi Cup5
Tokyo Cup6 4
Medico Cup5
CIS Cup15
1993American Cup
International Mixed Pairs
Hungarian International4
European Cup14
French International4
USA-BLR-UKR Meet6
Soapberry World Challenge
Swiss Cup
Gander Memorial
World Championships
Chunichi Cup
1994DTB Cup4
American Cup
Birmingham Classic6
World Championships10 5 5
European Championships5125 45
USA-BLR-CHN Tri-Meet
Goodwill Games8
International Mixed Pairs
Swiss Cup7
Team World Championships6
1995Cottbus Cup7 8 4
DTB Cup6
European Cup4 48
Hapoel Games
Ostrava International6
Varna Golden Sands International
Gander Memorial
World Championships8 10
Pre-Olympics
1996Cottbus International6 5
DTB Cup5
Gander Memorial
Swiss Cup44
World Championships
European Championships411 6 8
Australia Cup
Catania Cup
French International5 4
Grand Prix of Rome
ITA-BLR-ROM-RUS Meet4
Olympic Games612
1997Cottbus International
BLR-CHN-SUI Tri Meet11
European Gymnastics Masters
World Championships30
[8] [9]

Notes and References

  1. https://web.archive.org/web/20200418090602/https://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/pi/lena-piskun-1.html "Lena Piskun"
  2. Gutman, Dan (1998). Gymnastics. Penguin.
  3. http://usagym.org/pages/pressbox/history/worlds_results_artistic.html "Men's and Women's World Championships Results"
  4. http://usagym.org/PDFs/Results/worlds_artistic_results_1994.pdf "1994 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships"
  5. http://usagym.org/PDFs/Results/worlds_artistic_results_1995.pdf "31st World Championships ‐ Artistic Gymnastics"
  6. http://usagym.org/PDFs/Results/worlds_artistic_results_1996.pdf "1996 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships"
  7. http://usagym.org/PDFs/Results/worlds_artistic_results_1997.pdf "33rd World Championships Artistic Gymnastics"
  8. https://themedalcount.com/elena-piskun/
  9. https://www.gymn-forum.net/bios/women/piskun.html