Oksana Omelianchik
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2008-06-30T17:53:41Z
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{{Infobox Gymnast
|gymnastname= Oksana Omelianchik
|image=
|imagesize=
|caption=
|fullname= Oksana Alexandrovna Omelianchik
|nickname=
|country= {{URS}}
|formercountry=
|birthdate= January 2, 1970 or December 31, 1969 (disputed)
|birthplace= Ulan-Ude, USSR
|hometown=
|height=
|discipline=Women's artistic gymnastics
|level=Senior international
|natlteam=
|club=
|gym=Round Lake national training center; Spartak Kiev
|collegeteam=
|headcoach=Valentina Panchenko, Valery Tupitsy, Galina Perskaya
|assistcoach=
|formercoach=
|choreographer=
|music=
|eponymousskills=
|retired= 1989
|medaltemplates= <!-- see [[Template:MedalRelatedTemplates]] -->
{{MedalWorldChampionships}}
{{MedalGold|[[1985 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1985 Montreal]]|Al-around}}
{{MedalGold|[[1985 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1985 Montreal]]|Team}}
{{MedalGold|[[1985 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1985 Montreal]]|Floor exercise}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1987 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1987 Rotterdam]]|Team}}
{{MedalEuropeanChampionships}}
{{MedalGold|1985 Helsinki |Balance beam}}
{{MedalSilver|1985 Helsinki |Floor exercise}}
{{MedalBronze|1985 Helsinki |All-around}}
{{MedalBronze|1985 Helsinki |Uneven bars}}
}}
'''Oksana Alexandrovna Omelianchik''' ([[Russian language|Russian]]:Оксана Александровна Омельянчик; alternative transliterations: '''Oksana Alieksandrovna Omiel'jantchik; Oksana Omeliantchik;''' is a retired Soviet [[gymnast]] and the all-around gold medalist of the [[1985 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1985 World Gymnastics Championships]].
==Early life and career==
Omelianchik was born on [[January 2]], [[1970]] or [[December 31]], [[1969]] in [[Ulan-Ude]], [[USSR]]). She was originally a [[figure skater]], and participated in her first skating meet at the age of 6. She began gymnastics on the recommendation of her skating choreographer, who believed she had potential in the sport.<ref>[http://www.gymn-forum.net/Articles/SP-Oksan.html "Oksana and gymnastics"] Valentina Pozhilova,''Sport in the USSR,'' July 1986</ref> She trained at the [[Spartak]] club in [[Kiev]], where her coaches included Valentina Panchenko, Valery Tupitsy and Galina Perskaya.<ref>[http://www.gymn-forum.net/bios/women/omelianchik.html Biography and list of competitive results at Gymn-Forum]</ref>
By 1983, Omelianchik was competing internationally for the USSR. At that year's Junior Friendship Tournament (Druzhba), an important meet for junior gymnasts, she earned gold medals on the [[floor exercise]] and [[uneven bars]] and placed fourth in the all-around competition. At her first USSR Championships in 1983, she placed fifth in the all-around. The next year, she competed in both the junior and senior USSR Championships, winning the all-around silver medal at the former and finishing fourth at the latter, and was selected as the alternate for the Soviet team at the [[1984]] [[Alternate_Olympics_-_Gymnastics#Friendship_Games_1984|Friendship Games]] (also known as 'Olomouc', after the city in which the competition was held).<ref>[http://www.gymn-forum.net/bios/women/omelianchik.html Biography and list of competitive results at Gymn-Forum]</ref>
==Senior career==
In [[1985]], Omelianchik won the Soviet National Championships, beating the future Olympic champion [[Elena Shushunova]]. She also competed at the European Championships for the first time, winning the [[balance beam]] title showing a triple twist dismount. She also won a bronze medal in the all-around behind Shushunova and East German [[Maxi Gnauck]], silver on the [[floor exercise]] and bronze on the [[uneven bars]].<ref>[http://www.gymn-forum.net/bios/women/omelianchik.html Biography and list of competitive results at Gymn-Forum]</ref>
Omelianchik was a member of the first place Soviet team at the 1985 [[World Gymnastics Championships]] in [[Montreal]], but struggled in the team competition and did not qualify for the all-around final. However, Soviet team officials decided to pull [[Olga Mostepanova]] and [[Irina Baraksanova]], who had both qualified for the finals, and substitute Omelianchik and her teammate Shushunova. The decision proved to be sound; the two Soviet gymnasts tied for the all-around gold and became Worlds Co-Champions. In the event finals, Omelianchik won the floor gold medal with her "Birdie" exercise, which would become her most well-known routine.<ref>[http://www.gymn-forum.net/Articles/MN-85Worlds.html "They Gave It Their All"] Yevgeny Lanfang, ''Moscow News'' No. 47, 1985</ref><ref>[http://www.gymnpics.com/gymnasticgreats/wag/omelianchik.htm "Whatever happened to Oksana Omelianchik?"] Gymnastics Greats, 2002</ref>
Omelianchik continued to compete for the Soviet team after the World Championships, placing third in the all-around at the [[1986]] [[Goodwill Games]] and third all around at the World Cup in Beijing. She also won the balance beam title and placed second on uneven bars and vault and third on floor exercise. The following year at the World Championships the Soviet team lost the title to a dominant team from Romania. Omelianchik debuted her new vault which introduced the half on technique in the roundoff family of vaults. She also showcased a new floor routine to ''Ballet Russe'' and a new triple full to a tuck front rebound, but suffered an uncharacteristic fall in the team competition. She placed fifth all around and failed to qualify for any event finals.<ref>
[http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,968467,00.html "Sprite Fight"] Jill Smolowe, ''Time,'' September 19 1988</ref>
Despite maintaining consistent results within the top the 7 in the USSR Cup and USSR Championships for years, she was not selected for the [[1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Olympics]]. She was named as an alternate to the team and traveled with them to Seoul, but was not called upon to compete. Her final competition was the 1989 USSR Cup, where she placed 2nd in the all-around.<ref>[http://www.gymnpics.com/gymnasticgreats/wag/omelianchik.htm "Whatever happened to Oksana Omelianchik?"] Gymnastics Greats, 2002</ref>
==Post-retirement==
Omelianchik remains heavily involved in gymnastics as a choreographer, coach and judge. She heads the women's technical committee for the Ukrainian Gymnastics Federation and choreographs routines for many of Ukraine's top gymnnasts, including [[Alina Kozich]] and [[Olga Roshupkina]].<ref>[http://www.gymnpics.com/gymnasticgreats/wag/omelianchik.htm "Whatever happened to Oksana Omelianchik?"] Gymnastics Greats, 2002</ref> <ref>[http://www.intlgymnast.com/spotlight/kozich.html "In Our Spotlight: Alina Kozich"] ''International Gymnast,'' June/July 2004</ref>
In a poll in ''Inside Gymnastics'' magazine, she was chosen as one of the "Top Ten All-Around Gymnasts of All Time."<ref>[http://www.insidegymnastics.com/news/article.asp?article=speaktopten "Top 10 gymnasts of all time".] ''Inside Gymnastics'' </ref>
==Skills==
Omelianchik was noted for her innovative skills, clean execution and energetic, inspired presentation. She is also the originator of two skills, which are named after her in the ''[[Code of Points (artistic gymnastics)|Code of Points]].''
'''[[Floor exercise]]:''' Omelianchik was one of the pioneers of back-to-back tumbling, a series of skills in which a gymnast completes one full tumbling run from one end of the FX mat to the other, rebounds, and performs another complete tumbling run in the opposite direction without stopping.<ref>[http://www.gymnpics.com/gymnasticgreats/wag/omelianchik.htm "Whatever happened to Oksana Omelianchik?"] Gymnastics Greats, 2002</ref>
'''Vault:''' On vault, "the Omelianchik" is a round-off half-on front pike.<ref>[http://www.shanfan.com/code/vault.html Breakdown of vaults in the 2005-2006 ''Code of Points'' at Shanfan.com]</ref>
'''[[Balance beam]]:''' Omelianchik's namesake skill is a back handspring-3/4 turn to handstand, which was rated as a 'D' in the 2005-2006 ''Code''.<ref>[http://www.shanfan.com/code/beam.html Breakdown of beam elements in the 2005-2006 ''Code of Points'' at Shanfan.com]</ref>
==Achievements==
{| border=1 cellpadding=1 cellspacing=2 style="border-collapse: collapse; text-align:center; font-size: 95%;"
|-
! align=center|Year
! align=center|Event
! width=30px|AA
! width=30px|Team
! width=30px|[[Gymnastics vault|VT]]
! width=30px|[[Gymnastics uneven bars|UB]]
! width=30px|[[Gymnastics balance beam|BB]]
! width=30px|[[Gymnastics floor|FX]]
|-
|rowspan="1"|'''1984'''||align=left|USSR Championships||||||||||||bgcolor=CC9966|3rd
|-
|rowspan="3"|'''1985'''||align=left|[[1985 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|World Championships]]||bgcolor=gold|1st||bgcolor=gold|1st||||||||bgcolor=gold|1st
|-
|align=left|European Championships||bgcolor=CC9966|3rd||||||bgcolor=CC9966|3rd||bgcolor=gold|1st||bgcolor=silver|2nd
|-
|align=left|USSR Championships||bgcolor=gold|1st||||||||bgcolor=silver|2nd||bgcolor=silver|2nd
|-
|rowspan="3"|'''1986'''||align=left|World Cup||bgcolor=CC9966|3rd||||bgcolor=silver|2nd||bgcolor=silver|2nd||bgcolor=gold|1st||bgcolor=CC9966|3rd
|-
|align=left|[[Goodwill Games]]||bgcolor=CC9966|3rd||bgcolor=gold|1st||||||||bgcolor=silver|2nd
|-
|align=left|USSR Championships||||||||bgcolor=silver|2nd||||
|-
|rowspan="3"|'''1987'''||align=left|[[1987 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|World Championships]]||||bgcolor=silver|2nd||||||||
|-
|align=left|USSR Cup||bgcolor=CC9966|3rd||||||||||
|-
|align=left|USSR Championships||||||||||||bgcolor=CC9966|3rd
|-
|rowspan="1"|'''1988'''||align=left|USSR Championships||||||||||bgcolor=CC9966|3rd||bgcolor=silver|2nd
|-
|rowspan="1"|'''1989'''||align=left|USSR Championships||||||||||||bgcolor=silver|2nd
|}
==References==
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==External links and sources==
*{{fig|id=4899|name=Oksana Omelianchik}}
*[http://www.gymnpics.com/gymnasticgreats/wag/omelianchik.htm Whatever happened to Oksana Omelianchik?]
*[http://www.gymn-forum.net/bios/women/omelianchik.html List of competition results at Gymn Forum]
*[http://gymnnetwork.castledell.com/87worlds/1987TFOmeliantchikV.wmv Video of Oksana Omelianchik performing Omelianchik vault] - [[1987 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1987 Worlds]], team optionals
*[http://www.shanfan.com/animations/01ac/ku01acv1.gif Animation of a gymnast performing Omelianchik vault]
{{NavigationWorldChampionsArtisticGymnasticsWomenTC}}
{{NavigationWorldChampionsArtisticGymnasticsWomenAA}}
[[Category:1969 births|Omelianchik, Oksana]]
[[Category:Living people|Omelianchik, Oksana]]
[[Category:Artistic gymnasts|Omelianchik, Oksana]]
[[Category:Soviet gymnasts|Omelianchik, Oksana]]
[[Category:Originators of elements in artistic gymnastics|Omelianchik, Oksana]]
[[Category:World champion gymnasts|Omelianchik, Oksana]]
[[Category:Medalists at World Gymnastics Championships|Omelianchik, Oksana]]
[[Category:Originators of elements in artistic gymnastics|Omelianchik, Oksana]]
[[es:Oksana Omelianchik]]