Venera Zaripova

— Gymnast —

Full name

Venera Zinurovna Zaripova

Country represented

Soviet Union

Born

April 5, 1966 (age 50)
Tashkömür, Kyrgyz SSR

Hometown

Tashkent, Uzbek SSR

Residence

Eilat, Israel

Discipline

Rhythmic gymnastics

Head coach(es)

Irina Viner

Former coach(es)

Olga Tulubaeva

Retired

1987

Medal record

Representing Soviet Union
Rhythmic Gymnastics
USSR Championships
	1981 Kiev	Clubs
	1982 Tallinn	Rope
	1983 Astrakhan	Freehands
	1986 Vilnius	Hoop
	1981 Kiev	All-around
	1981 Kiev	Rope
	1982 Tallinn	Hoop
	1983 Astrakhan	All-around
	1983 Astrakhan	Hoop
	1981 Kiev	Ribbon
	1983 Astrakhan	Ribbon
	1983 Astrakhan	Ball

Venera Zinurovna Zaripova (Russian: Венера Зинуровна Зарипова; born 5 April 1966 in Tashkömür, Kyrgyz SSR, USSR) is a former individual Soviet rhythmic gymnast. She is a two-time all-around silver medalist and 4-time gold medalist in the USSR Championships.

Venera was the 5th and last child of a Tatar family. Her mother was a housewife, his father worked as a miner. Soon after, the family moved to Uchkuduk, Uzbekistan. At 5 years old Zaripova started ballet, then began gymnastics. Her first coach in rhythmic gymnastics was Olga Tulubaeva. To pursue gymnastics, Venera had to drop out of the music school.

At 9 years of age, she met with then head coach of Uzbek rhythmic gymnastics Irina Viner, Zaripova would soon be under Viner's tutelage and would become her first successful rhythmic gymnastics student. In 1978, Venera relocated to Tashkent and began training with the sport under Viner's class.

At age 14, she became a member the USSR team. Venera won the all-around silver at the 1981 USSR Championships beating Irina Deriugina who took the bronze medal. She won another all-around silver at the 1983 USSR Championships behind Dalia Kutkaitė. Zaripova made the Soviet team with (Galina Beloglazova and Dalia Kutkaitė) who competed at the 1983 World Championships, Zaripova finished 13th in all-around after a drop out of carpet from her hoop, she qualified to 2 apparatus finals finishing 4th in ribbon and 7th in clubs. In 1984, Zaripova began to struggle with injury, she competed in her last USSR Championships in 1986 and won the gold in hoop.

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