Oksana Skaldina

Oksana Skaldina
Skaldina (right) at the 1991 World Championships
Personal information
Country represented	Ukraine
Former countries represented	Unified Team  Soviet Union
Born	(1972-05-24) 24 May 1972 (age 44) Zaporizhia, Ukrainian SSR, USSR
Residence	Moscow
Discipline	Rhythmic gymnastics
Level	Honoured Master of Sport
Club	Deriugins School
Head coach(es)	Irina Deryugina Albina Deryugina
Former coach(es)	Lyudmila Kovalik
Medal record Rhythmic Gymnastics Olympic Games Representing  Unified Team 1992 Barcelona All-around Representing  Ukraine European Championships 1992 Stuttgart Rope 1992 Stuttgart Hoop 1992 Stuttgart Clubs Representing  Soviet Union World Championships 1989 Sarajevo Rope 1989 Sarajevo Hoop 1989 Sarajevo Ribbon 1989 Sarajevo Team 1991 Athens All-around 1991 Athens Team 1991 Athens Ball 1989 Sarajevo All-around 1991 Athens Rope 1991 Athens Hoop World Cup Final 1990 Brussels All-around 1990 Brussels Rope 1990 Brussels Hoop 1990 Brussels Ball European Championships 1990 Göteborg Rope 1990 Göteborg Hoop 1990 Göteborg Ball 1990 Göteborg Ribbon 1990 Göteborg Team 1990 Göteborg All-around European Cup Final 1988 Hanover Hoop 1991 Brussels Clubs 1988 Hanover Ball 1988 Hanover Ribbon 1991 Brussels All-around 1991 Brussels Ball Goodwill Games 1990 Seattle All-around 1990 Seattle Rope 1990 Seattle Ball 1990 Seattle Ribbon 1990 Seattle Hoop

Oksana Valentinovna Skaldina (Ukrainian: Оксана Валентинівна Скалдіна; Russian: Оксана Валентиновна Скалдина) is a retired individual rhythmic gymnast and current coach. She is the 1992 Olympic bronze medalist and 1991 all-around world champion.

Skaldina was born on 24 May 1972 in Zaporizhia, Ukrainian SSR, to an engineer and a kindergarten inspector.

Skaldina started training in gymnastics at the age of 5 with Lyudmila Kovalik. When she moved to Kiev, she began training at the Deryugins School with Albina and Irina Deriugina.

Skaldina's breakthrough came at the 1988 European Cup, where she placed fifth in the all-around and won the ball title. She shared in the Soviet silver-medal finish behind Bulgaria at the 1989 World Championships, and also claimed the all-around bronze and three golds (rope, hoop, ribbon). In 1990, she placed first at the Intervision Cup, Goodwill Games, USSR National Championships and World Cup, third at the European Championships, and became the 1991 World All-around champion.

Following the break-up of the Soviet Union, Skaldina and her teammate Olexandra Tymoshenko, both coached by the Deryuginas, competed for Ukraine at the 1992 European Championships in Stuttgart. Skaldina placed fifth in the all-around and won three apparatus gold medals. At the 1992 Summer Olympics, the ex-USSR countries qualified as one Unified Team based on their results as the Soviet team the previous year. Although Russia's Oxana Kostina had a better competitive season, Skaldina was named to the Olympic team along with compatriot Timoshenko. (As individual athletes not competing in team sports in Barcelona, they both competed under the Ukrainian flag.) In Barcelona, Timoshenko won the gold medal while Skaldina settled for bronze behind Spain's Carolina Pascual. In tears, she refused to acknowledge Pascual and shake her hand during the medal ceremony, resulting in boos from the Spanish audience. She retired after the competition.