Shkurikhina Darya Valeryevna (born October 3, 1990, Kazan) is a Russian gymnast who specialized in group exercises in rhythmic gymnastics. She is a 2008 Olympic champion, a 2007 World champion, and a two-time European champion (2006, 2008). She holds the title of Honored Master of Sport of Russia. A graduate of the Faculty of Physical Culture and Sport at Lobachevsky University, she lived in Nizhny Novgorod for a long time.[1][3]

Sports career

Darya began practicing rhythmic gymnastics at the age of five in Kazan. Her first significant mentor was the coach Lyaysan Savitskaya, who worked at an Olympic reserve school: according to the gymnast herself, it was Savitskaya who instilled in her a love for the sport.[4]

In 2005, at the age of fifteen, Shkurikhina joined Russia's national team and moved to the training base in Novogorsk.[4] At the 2006 European Championships she made her debut in the all-around, finishing sixth, but in the same year she became European champion in the 5 ribbons and 3 hoops + 2 pairs of clubs exercises. In 2006, Shkurikhina was honored at a meeting held by Governor of Nizhny Novgorod Region Valery Shantsev, among the women of Nizhny Novgorod who had won the tournament; the same meeting discussed the construction of a specialized rhythmic gymnastics center in Nizhny Novgorod.[5][3][4] In 2007 she won gold at the World Championships in three events at once: the all-around, 5 ropes, and 3 hoops + 2 pairs of clubs.[3]

In 2008, Shkurikhina won the European Championships in the all-around and in the 3 hoops + 2 pairs of clubs exercise, and then competed with the group team at the Olympic Games in Beijing, where the team won the gold medal.[3] Immediately after the award ceremony, the athlete underwent doping control; no violations were found.[4] In the same year, Shkurikhina was awarded the title of Honored Master of Sport in rhythmic gymnastics (group) and received the Order of Friendship.[3]

She ended her sporting career in 2008 at the age of eighteen: after a grueling Olympic season and disagreements with the national team's management over an immediate resumption of training, she left the team together with several other gymnasts.[4]

Life after sports

After ending her career, Shkurikhina returned to Nizhny Novgorod and enrolled at Lobachevsky University in the Faculty of Physical Culture and Sports.[1][4] She competed for the Dynamo society (Nizhny Novgorod) and MGFSO (Moscow).[3] She later received an offer from coach Ekaterina Sirotina to try her hand at mentoring young gymnasts at a training camp in Kazan.[4]

Sources

  1. nn.aif.ru — In 2006, after winning the European Championship, Shkurikhina was honored at a meeting held by Nizhny Novgorod Region Governor Valery Shantsev, among the women athletes of Nizhny Novgorod
  1. unn.ru — Shkurikhina Darya Valeryevna — Lobachevsky University (archive)
  2. dynamo.su — Shkurikhina Darya Valeryevna (archive)
  3. infosport.ru — SHKURIKHINA Darya Valeryevna — Russian Athletes — Sporting Russia (archive)
  4. new.sc-rg.ru — Gymnast Shkurikhina Darya Valeryevna / All About Gymnastics