Larisa Latynina

Larisa Latynina
— Gymnast —
Latynina in 2010
Personal information
Full name	Larisa Semyonovna Latynina
Country represented	Soviet Union
Born	(1934-12-27) 27 December 1934 (age 82) Kherson, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Height	161 cm (5 ft 3 in)
Weight	52 kg (115 lb)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior international
Gym	Round Lake national training center; Burevestnik Kyiv
Retired	1966
Medal record Representing  Soviet Union International gymnastics championships and games Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 9 5 4 World Championships 9 4 1 European Championships 7 6 1 Total 25 15 6 Olympic Games 1956 Melbourne Team 1956 Melbourne All-Around 1956 Melbourne Vault 1956 Melbourne Floor Exercise 1960 Rome Team 1960 Rome All-Around 1960 Rome Floor Exercise 1964 Tokyo Team 1964 Tokyo Floor Exercise 1956 Melbourne Uneven Bars 1960 Rome Uneven Bars 1960 Rome Balance Beam 1964 Tokyo All-Around 1964 Tokyo Vault 1956 Melbourne Team, apparatus 1960 Rome Vault 1964 Tokyo Uneven Bars 1964 Tokyo Balance Beam World Championships 1954 Rome Team 1958 Moscow Team 1958 Moscow All-Around 1958 Moscow Vault 1958 Moscow Uneven Bars 1958 Moscow Balance Beam 1962 Prague Team 1962 Prague All-Around 1962 Prague Floor Exercise 1958 Moscow Floor Exercise 1962 Prague Vault 1962 Prague Balance Beam 1966 Dortmund Team 1962 Prague Uneven bars European Championships 1957 Bucharest All-Around 1957 Bucharest Vault 1957 Bucharest Uneven Bars 1957 Bucharest Balance Beam 1957 Bucharest Floor Exercise 1961 Leipzig All-Around 1961 Leipzig Floor Exercise 1961 Leipzig Uneven Bars 1961 Leipzig Balance Beam 1965 Sofia All-Around 1965 Sofia Uneven Bars 1965 Sofia Balance Beam 1965 Sofia Floor Exercise 1965 Sofia Vault

Larisa Semyonovna Latynina (Ukrainian: Лариса Семенівна Латиніна, Russian: Лари́са Семёновна Латы́нина; born 27 December 1934) is a former Soviet gymnast. Between 1956 and 1964 she won 14 individual Olympic medals and four team medals. She holds the record for the most Olympic gold medals by a gymnast, male or female, with 9. Her total of 18 Olympic medals was a record for 48 years (Michael Phelps; 31 July 2012). She held the record for individual event medals with 14 for 52 years (Michael Phelps; August 11, 2016). She is credited with helping to establish the Soviet Union as a dominant force in gymnastics.

She was born as Larisa Semyonovna Diriy in Soviet Ukraine. Her father, Semyon Andreyevich Diriy, left the family when she was 11 months old, and she was raised by her illiterate mother, Polina, who worked as a cleaner during the day, and as a watchman during the night. Her father was killed at the Battle of Stalingrad, where he served as a machine gun operator. She first practiced ballet, but turned to gymnastics after her choreographer moved out of Kherson. She graduated from high school in 1953, and moved to Kiev. She attended the Lenin Polytechnic Institute, and continued her training at the Burevestnik Voluntary Sports Society. At the age of 19, she debuted internationally at the 1954 Rome World Championships, winning the gold medal in the team competition.

At the 1956 Summer Olympics, she competed with Ágnes Keleti of Hungary to become the most successful gymnast of the Olympics. Latynina beat Keleti in the all-around event, and the Soviet team also won the team event. In the event finals, Latynina won gold medals on the floor (shared with Keleti) and vault, a silver medal on the uneven bars, and a bronze medal in the now discontinued team event with portable apparatus. Keleti also won six medals: four golds and two silvers.