Galima Akhmetkareevna Shugurova (russian: Галима Ахметкареевна Шугурова;

Tatar The Tatars ()Tatar
in the Collins English Dictionary is an umbrella term for different

: Галима Әхмәтгәрәй кызы Шөгурова; born 8 November 1953 in Omsk) is a retired

rhythmic gymnast Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform on a floor with an apparatus: hoop, ball, clubs, ribbon. The sport combines elements of gymnastics, dance and calisthenics; gymnasts must be strong, flexible, agile, dexterous and co ...

who competed for the

Soviet Union The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a List of former transcontinental countries#Since 1700, transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, ...

. She is the 1973 World All-around champion and two time (1969, 1977)

World In its most general sense, the term "world" refers to the totality of entities, to the whole of reality or to everything that is. The nature of the world has been conceptualized differently in different fields. Some conceptions see the worl ...

All-around silver medalist. She is the first All-around winner of the European Championships.

Personal life

Shugurova was born to a

Siberian Tatar Siberia ( ; rus, Сибирь, r=Sibir', p=sʲɪˈbʲirʲ, a=Ru-Сибирь.ogg) is an extensive geographical region, constituting all of North Asia, from the Ural Mountains in the west to the Pacific Ocean in the east. It has been a part of ...

family in the city of Omsk, in western Siberia. She studied history at the Omsk Pedagogical Institute. Shugurova graduated from the Omsk Institute of Physical Training in 1975.

Career

Shugurova was introduced to rhythmic gymnastics when she was eight years old. Initially, she was more attracted to

figure skating Figure skating is a sport in which individuals, pairs, or groups perform on figure skates on ice. It was the first winter sport to be included in the Olympic Games, when contested at the 1908 Olympics in London. The Olympic disciplines are m ...

and choreography classes. Shugurova debuted on the world stage as a 15-year-old in

Varna, Bulgaria Varna ( bg, Варна, ) is the third-largest city in Bulgaria and the largest city and seaside resort on the Bulgarian Black Sea Coast and in the Northern Bulgaria region. Situated strategically in the Gulf of Varna, the city has been a m ...

at the 1969 World Championships, winning gold medals in rope and ball. At 15, she made her first appearance at the USSR championships, placing second in the all-around. The following year she won a bronze medal in the USSR Cup competition and was also successful in international competitions in the former

Yugoslavia Yugoslavia (; sh-Latn-Cyrl, separator=" / ", Jugoslavija, Југославија ; sl, Jugoslavija ; mk, Југославија ;; rup, Iugoslavia; hu, Jugoszlávia; rue, label=Pannonian Rusyn, Югославия, translit=Juhoslavija ...

, where the journalists voted her the "most engaging" gymnast. At the 1973 World Championships in

Rotterdam Rotterdam ( , , , lit. ''The Dam on the River Rotte'') is the second largest city and municipality in the Netherlands. It is in the province of South Holland, part of the North Sea mouth of the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta, via the ''"Ne ...

Netherlands ) , anthem = ( en, "William of Nassau") , image_map = , map_caption = , subdivision_type = Sovereign state , subdivision_name = Kingdom of the Netherlands , established_title = Before independence , established_date = Spanish Netherl ...

, Shurugova shared the world crown in the all-around with

Bulgaria Bulgaria (; bg, България, Bǎlgariya), officially the Republic of Bulgaria,, ) is a country in Southeast Europe. It is situated on the eastern flank of the Balkans, and is bordered by Romania to the north, Serbia and North Macedo ...

Maria Gigova Maria Gigova ( bg, Мария Гигова; born 24 April 1947) is a Bulgarian rhythmic gymnast. She is a three-time (1969, 1971, 1973) World All-around champion. Biography She was the first gymnast to become a triple world champion in rhyth ...

. She also won gold medals in ribbon, ball and clubs. Both of the ribbon routines at this Championship were to the same music – a piece from Georges Bizet's ballet ''" Carmen"''. Shurugova is considered as one of the great gymnasts that revolutionized the sport of rhythmic gymnastics in the Soviet Union. She was the third Soviet rhythmic gymnast to become world all-around champion—after Ludmila Savinkova (1963) and Elena Karpuchina (1967)—and the first ever European all-around champion in 1978.

Influence

Shugurova helped create a new rhythmic gymnastics element called the "Shugurova" which consists of tipping or spinning a rolling hoop with the feet during a leap.

Achievements

* First ever winner of the European Championships in 1978.

References

External links

*
Image from Ukraine RG
{{DEFAULTSORT:Shugurova, Galima 1953 births Living people Russian rhythmic gymnasts Sportspeople from Omsk Soviet rhythmic gymnasts Siberian Tatar people Tatar sportspeople Medalists at the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Championships