The history of Russian rhythmic gymnastics in recent years is rich in outstanding champions, outwardly easily defeating all their rivals. Many fans believe that Alina Kabaeva laid the foundation for golden times, in 2000 and 2004 she won bronze and gold medal Olympics. However, almost everyone forgets that already in 2004 Kabaeva was surpassed. Natalia Lavrova at the Games in Athens became the first two-time rhythmic gymnastics in the history Olympic champion. And at the age of 25, she tragically died in a nightmarish car accident ...

Fracture is a good omen

Natalia started gymnastics in Penza at the age of five. The girl was very lucky with the coach, and the mentor Olga Stebeneva - with the student. They enjoyed working with each other, Natalia literally absorbed knowledge and progressed very quickly. The idyll was broken when the Mentor went on maternity leave. At some point, Natalya even wanted to quit everything, but her love for sports still forced the girl to continue going to training. In 1998, when the young gymnast was only 14 years old, she was attracted to the national team. It took a year to prove its worth, but Natasha managed to do it. In 1999, she went with the team to the World Championships and won her first big title. Before the Games in Sydney, there were no questions about getting into the squad. The athlete was firmly at the base. Natalya, after her very first performances as part of the national team, received the nickname "goldfish" from journalists. When she performed, the team in group exercises always took only first place. Moreover, a good omen, oddly enough, was when something happened to the athlete herself. Coach Tatyana Vasilyeva said that in 1999 the girl got a mace in the nose. After the conquest of gold, this was jokingly considered a good omen. But then there was no time for jokes: at the Olympics in Sydney, Natalya performed with a broken toe, before the World Championships in New Orleans, she twisted her leg, and before the Games in Athens, a tape hit the athlete in the eye. Needless to say, Russia won all these starts.

First double in history

In the four years that have passed between Olympic Games in Australia and Greece, the composition of the Russian team has changed almost completely. Only Natalya remained in the updated team. And she was the leader of the team: both as a champion who won many titles, and as a strong-willed person, kind, sympathetic and reliable. Girls who just came to the team could always turn to her for advice or help - Natasha did not refuse. August 4 - on her 20th birthday, Lavrova flew to the Olympics in Athens - for a second gold medal and a laurel wreath, which was given to the champions. The Russian team performed flawlessly in the group all-around, and Natalya became the first ever two-time Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics. Considering how young the sport is, it's an outstanding achievement. Even in 2018, such athletes can be counted on the fingers. Having won the second gold of the Games at the age of 20, Natalya ended her career as an athlete and switched to coaching. In that field, the talented girl also succeeded rapidly: she became the coach of the center Olympic training and head coach of the Dynamo sports club. Pupils with pleasure went to training with Natalya Alexandrovna. With her talents and desire, she could very well raise an Olympic champion herself ...

But everything was cut short in an instant.

There was no chance to survive

On April 23, Natalya in her hometown was supposed to open a rhythmic gymnastics tournament at the Burtasy Sports Palace. But she was not destined to get there. Natalia was taken to Penza by her younger sister, 23-year-old Olga. She recently got married and was pregnant. And the more tragic are the circumstances of the accident that occurred at about 10 am on the intercity highway. Olga lost control on a slippery road, the Lada swerved into the oncoming lane, and a Mazda crashed into the passenger side, where Natalya was sitting, at full speed. The girls had no chance to survive after the collision. Rescuers arrived at the scene of the incident and rescued two lifeless bodies from the burning car. Natalia was only 25 years old. A street was named after Natalia in Penza. A youth tournament named after her is also held in her hometown. But the person cannot be returned. She would have turned 34 in 2018.

"If something happens to her, then the team will be lucky ...". So on October 16, 2004, our correspondent Vladislav Blagobrazov began an article in the “Unknown Star” column about Natalya Lavrova.

It just so happens that the age of the gymnast-“artist” is short-lived. Twenty-something and you're off the mat, veteran. Therefore, participation in two or more Olympics is akin to a feat.

In 2004, Natalia Lavrova became the world's first two-time Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics.

A pupil of the Penza school, whose portrait adorns the Honor Board on the main street of the city, received the title of “goldfish” from journalists - after Lavrova was included in the main team, our team never lost in group exercises. Moreover, the "mascot" of our heroine manifested itself in a very peculiar way. We can say that she sacrificed herself for the common success. Team coach Tatyana Vasilyeva says:

- Before the 1999 World Championships, at one of the training sessions, one of the girls threw a mace, and it hit Natasha in the nose. Thank God there was no fracture. We were very worried, but in Japan we performed superbly and became world champions. Since then, paradoxically, if something happened to Lavrova, then we won. In Sydney, Natasha competed with a broken big toe, at the World Championships in New Orleans before the final, she twisted her leg, and, finally, before the Athens Games, she got a tape in her eye. We are all already laughing: “This is for victory!”. Natasha herself had her own talisman:

- When I was little, my mother gave me a teddy bear, and since then he has been with me at all competitions. I believe that he helps me. In rhythmic gymnastics, many have mascots - soft toys. Fans give us them instead of flowers, and very often we bring a whole bag of "animals" from some tournament.

At the end of 2004, having fulfilled her historic mission, Natalya said big sport"Goodbye!". And she became the coach of the Russian national team. April 23 and this career was interrupted - in a terrible car accident in the Penza region ...

GYMNASTS WHOSE LIFE IS ENDED BY A TRAGIC ACCIDENT

On April 23, two-time Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics Natalya Lavrova died in a car accident in the Penza region. The car the gymnast was driving was driven by her pregnant sister, who also died from her injuries.

The tragedy occurred on April 23 at 10 am (Moscow time) on the Penza-Shemysheyka highway, along which Lavrova and her sister were driving. Their VAZ-2114 collided with a Mazda, whose driver was not seriously injured.

On August 16, 2005, Yanina Zatuliveter, the owner of 25 gold and six silver medals of championships and World Cups in group exercises, died on the Don federal highway near Voronezh. The car, in which the gymnast was traveling with two other passengers, collided with a bus. At that time she was 33 years old.

On October 20, 2009, the bronze medalist of the World Championship in all-around Yuri Ryazanov died. He was returning after a triumph at the world championship from Moscow to his native Vladimir and unexpectedly drove into the oncoming lane. His Chevrolet Lacetti crashed into an Audi and the 22-year-old athlete died from his injuries.

PRIVATE BUSSINESS

Natalia LAVROVA

Honored Master of Sports, member of the Russian national rhythmic gymnastics team since 1999,

Club "Dynamo" - MGFSO.

Olympic champion 2000, 2004,

Natalia Lavrova was the first two-time Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics. In 2000, at the Olympic Games in Sydney (Australia), a Russian woman won a gold medal in rhythmic gymnastics competitions in group exercises. In 2004, in Athens, Natalia again achieved the championship in group exercises. On the this moment only Elena Posevina, who won Olympic gold in Athens and Beijing, could repeat her success.

Multiple World and European Champion,

Awarded with the Order of Friendship.

http://www.sovsport.ru/news/text-item/382650

She began to play sports at the age of 5, the first coach was Olga Stebeneva.

Studied in Penza high school No. 75. Graduated from the Penza State Pedagogical University. V.G. Belinsky.

Member of the Russian national rhythmic gymnastics team since 1998. Coach - Tatyana Vasilyeva. In 1999, at the World Championships, she took 1st place in group exercises.

September 30, 2000 at the Olympic Games in Sydney (Australia) won a gold medal in rhythmic gymnastics competitions in group exercises. In 2004 in Athens, Natalia again won a gold medal, becoming the first two-time Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics.

Multiple winner international competitions Grand Prix series in group exercises.

She was the head coach of the Dynamo sports club in rhythmic gymnastics, as well as the coach of the Olympic training center in rhythmic gymnastics.

On April 23, 2010, at the age of 25, she died in a car accident near Penza on the Penza-Shemysheika highway, along with her younger sister, 23-year-old Olga. The accident occurred at 10:00 Moscow time, the champion's sister was driving the VAZ-2114. The car in which Lavrova was traveling skidded into the oncoming lane, where he crashed into a Mazda car. From the impact, Lavrova's car was thrown off the road, after which the car caught fire. Sister Lavrova also died at the scene of an accident, the driver of a foreign car was not seriously injured.

Natalya and Olga were buried together on the Walk of Fame at the New Western Cemetery in Penza.

On April 26, 2010, the Penza authorities announced that a monument to the deceased first two-time Olympic champion would be erected in the regional center, and it was also decided to organize a rhythmic gymnastics tournament in memory of Natalia Lavrova. It is likely that the competition will receive international status.

Awards

• Order of Honor - For a great contribution to the development physical education and sports, high sports achivments at the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad 2004 in Athens
• Order of Friendship - For a great contribution to the development of physical culture and sports and high sports achievements at the Games of the XXVII Olympiad 2000 in Sydney

In the Penza region find out the reasons. The accident happened on the morning of April 23rd. "Lada", in which Natalia Lavrova and her sister were driving, collided with a foreign car. Both women died at the scene from their injuries.

The impact was so strong that the car in which Natalya Lavrova was traveling caught fire and was thrown off the roadway. The traffic police inspectors say that neither the gymnast herself nor her sister, who was driving, had a chance of salvation. The bodies of the dead were pulled out of the blazing car before firefighters arrived.

The circumstances of the traffic accident are yet to be ascertained. It is now reliably known that the accident in which Natalya Lavrova, a two-time Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics, and her sister died, occurred at about 10 am on the 3rd kilometer of the Penza-Shemysheyka road.

A VAZ-2114 car collided with a foreign car. Its driver, according to the traffic police, was not seriously injured. Vitaly Ivanov, Senior Inspector for the Traffic Police Department of the Internal Affairs Directorate for the Penza Region, tells in more detail: "According to the preliminary version, the VAZ-2114 car turned around, and the driver of the Mazda car crashed into the side part."

Natalia Lavrova hurried to Penza. There, in the central sports complex, competitions were held. It was no longer Natalya herself, but her pupils who took their first steps in big-time sports.

My sports career Natalia Lavrova started at the age of 5. After Olympic gold in group exercises in Sydney in 2000 and in Athens in 2004, when Natalya became the first two-time Olympic champion in Russia, the already accomplished athlete moves to coaching at the Olympic training center in rhythmic gymnastics.

In parallel, Natalia becomes the head coach in this sport in the Dynamo society. Alina Kabaeva, who won two Olympiads together with Natalia Lavrova, recalls the strong sports character and wonderful human qualities of her teammate.

“She was a wonderful girl, open, and whenever there were problems, you could consult with her,” recalls Alina Kabaeva, deputy chairman of the State Duma Committee on Youth Affairs. “For sports, this is a loss. She was a great coach and a great gymnast.”

The head coach of the national rhythmic gymnastics team wipes away tears. Shows photos of Natalia's performances and says that only two days ago the team leaders decided to involve her as a mentor in the direct training of Russian athletes in group exercises.

"She was like the unofficial captain of the team," says Main coach Russian team in rhythmic gymnastics in group exercises Valentina Ivanitskaya. “She had a strong character, so strong that the team obeyed her.”

Started doing gymnastics at the age of 5, even before his Olympic victories, Natalia Lavrova has repeatedly become the champion of the world and Europe. The outstanding athlete and only novice coach was only 25 years old.

The history of Russian rhythmic gymnastics in recent years is rich in outstanding champions, outwardly easily defeating all their rivals. Many fans believe that Alina Kabaeva laid the foundation for golden times, in 2000 and 2004 she won the bronze and gold medals of the Olympics. However, almost everyone forgets that already in 2004 Kabaeva was surpassed.

Natalia Lavrova at the Games in Athens became the first two-time Olympic champion in the history of rhythmic gymnastics.

And at the age of 25, she tragically died in a nightmarish car accident ...

Fracture is a good sign

Natalia started gymnastics in Penza at the age of five. The girl was very lucky with the coach, and the mentor Olga Stebeneva - with the student. They enjoyed working with each other, Natalia literally absorbed knowledge and progressed very quickly. The idyll was broken when the Mentor went on maternity leave. At some point, Natalya even wanted to quit everything, but her love for sports still forced the girl to continue going to training.

In 1998, when the young gymnast was only 14 years old, she was attracted to the national team. It took a year to prove its worth, but Natasha managed to do it. In 1999, she went with the team to the World Championships and won her first big title. Before the Games in Sydney, there were no questions about getting into the squad. The athlete was firmly at the base.

Natalya, after her very first performances as part of the national team, received the nickname "goldfish" from journalists. When she performed, the team in group exercises always took only first place. Moreover, a good omen, oddly enough, was when something happened to the athlete herself. Coach Tatyana Vasilyeva said that in 1999 the girl got a mace in the nose. After the conquest of gold, this was jokingly considered a good omen. But then there was no time for jokes: at the Olympics in Sydney, Natalya performed with a broken toe, before the World Championships in New Orleans, she twisted her leg, and before the Games in Athens, a tape hit the athlete in the eye. Needless to say, Russia won all these starts.

First double in history

In the four years that have passed between the Olympic Games in Australia and Greece, the composition of the Russian team has changed almost completely. Only Natalya remained in the updated team. And she was the leader of the team: both as a champion who won many titles, and as a strong-willed person, kind, sympathetic and reliable. Girls who just came to the team could always turn to her for advice or help - Natasha did not refuse.

August 4 - on her 20th birthday, Lavrova flew to the Olympics in Athens - for a second gold medal and a laurel wreath, which was given to the champions. The Russian team performed flawlessly in the group all-around, and Natalya became the first ever two-time Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics. Considering how young the sport is, it's an outstanding achievement. Even in 2018, such athletes can be counted on the fingers.

Having won the second gold of the Games at the age of 20, Natalya ended her career as an athlete and switched to coaching. In that field, the talented girl also succeeded rapidly: she became the coach of the Olympic training center and the head coach of the Dynamo sports club. Pupils with pleasure went to training with Natalya Alexandrovna. With her talents and desire, she could very well raise an Olympic champion herself ...

But everything was cut short in an instant.

There was no chance to survive

On April 23, Natalya in her hometown was supposed to open a rhythmic gymnastics tournament at the Burtasy Sports Palace. But she was not destined to get there.

Natalia was taken to Penza by her younger sister, 23-year-old Olga. She recently got married and was pregnant. And the more tragic are the circumstances of the accident that occurred at about 10 am on the intercity highway. Olga lost control on a slippery road, the Lada swerved into the oncoming lane, and a Mazda crashed into the passenger side, where Natalya was sitting, at full speed. The girls had no chance to survive after the collision. Rescuers arrived at the scene of the incident and rescued two lifeless bodies from the burning car.

Natalia was only 25 years old.

A street was named after Natalia in Penza. A youth tournament named after her is also held in her hometown. But the person cannot be returned. She would have turned 34 in 2018.