Irina Krasnyanskaya:
WHEN Ukraine’s Irina Krasnyanskaya won gold on balance beam at the 2006 world championships, she was also representing a once-glistening national program
that was teetering on calamity. Financial limitations, the departure of many top coaches for
western Europe and North America, and other
factors have also earned Krasnyanskaya an
uneasy distinction as the last Ukrainian gymnast
to win a world title.
nyanskaya. “Even after such a performance I
consider that it’s not necessary to ‘lower your
hands,’” she says. “Ahead are many other com-
petitions, such as the (2012) European champi-
onships. We have a very good youth team, and
we shall hope that everything will turn out for
them. It’s difficult to forecast, but in sports,
everything is possible.”
Despite the lure of work in the west, Kras-
nyanskaya decided to remain in her hometown
of Cherkassy. “After leaving high-level sports it
was difficult to understand and think through
what to do next,” she says. “I wanted to take a
break from everything, and this was easier to do
at home. Relatives and close friends really
helped me with this.” Krasnyanskaya said she
began working in the Cherkassy gym where she
trained during her career, simultaneously earning
her international judging credential.
