History of Oksana Chusovitina in Timeline

"Oksana Aleksandrovna Chusovitina is a renowned Uzbekistani artistic gymnast known for her exceptional longevity in the sport. Her career has spanned over three decades, and she holds the record for most Olympic appearances by a gymnast, having competed in eight Olympic Games. Chusovitina's remarkable consistency and dedication have earned her numerous accolades, including multiple World Championship medals."

June 1975: Birth

Oksana Aleksandrovna Chusovitina was born in June 1975.

1982: Beginning Gymnastics

Chusovitina began gymnastics in 1982.

1988: USSR Junior Nationals

In 1988, Chusovitina won the USSR Junior Nationals.

1988: USSR National Championships

In 1988, Chusovitina won the all-around title at the USSR National Championships in the junior division.

1989: International Debut

Chusovitina began competing at the international level in 1989.

1990: Goodwill Games and World Sports Fair

Chusovitina won the vault gold medalist at the 1990 Goodwill Games and nearly swept the 1990 World Sports Fair in Japan, winning the all-around and every event except the uneven bars.

1991: World Artistic Gymnastics Championships

In 1991 Chusovitina won the floor exercise at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and placed second on the vault.

1992: Competing for Uzbekistan

After the 1992 Olympics, Chusovitina began competing for Uzbekistan and continued training with Uzbekistan head coach Svetlana Kuznetsova.

1992: Olympics and World Championships

Chusovitina competed at the Olympics with the Unified Team in 1992, shared in the team gold medal and placed seventh in the floor final. She also won her second World Championships vault medal, a bronze.

1992: Unified Team at the Olympics

Chusovitina competed at the Olympics with the Unified Team in 1992.

1993: Representing Uzbekistan

Chusovitina represented Uzbekistan from 1993 to 2006.

1994: Asian Games and Goodwill Games

Chusovitina competed in the 1994 Asian Games and Goodwill Games.

1994: Meeting Bakhodir Kurbanov

Chusovitina first met her husband, Bakhodir Kurbanov, at the 1994 Asian Games in Hiroshima.

1994: Goodwill Games Mixed Pairs Silver Medal

In 1994, Chusovitina, alongside Yevgeny Shabayev, Aleksei Voropayev, and Elena Grosheva, secured the silver medal in the Mixed Pairs competition at the Goodwill Games.

1996: Olympics

Chusovitina competed for Uzbekistan at the 1996 Olympics.

1996: Uzbekistan at the Olympics

Chusovitina competed for Uzbekistan at the 1996 Olympics.

1997: Marriage

In late 1997 Chusovitina married Uzbek Olympic wrestler Bakhodir Kurbanov.

1998: Asian Games

Chusovitina competed at the 1998 Asian Games.

November 1999: Birth of Alisher

Chusovitina's son, Alisher, was born in November 1999.

2000: Olympics

Chusovitina competed for Uzbekistan at the 2000 Olympics.

2000: Uzbekistan at the Olympics

Chusovitina competed for Uzbekistan at the 2000 Olympics.

2001: Goodwill Games

Chusovitina competed at the 2001 Goodwill Games.

2001: International Gymnastics Federation (FIG)'s Athletes' Commission

In 2001, Chusovitina was named as the first WAG representative to the International Gymnastics Federation (FIG)'s Athletes' Commission.

2002: Asian Games

Chusovitina competed at the 2002 Asian Games.

2002: Alisher's Diagnosis and Move to Germany

In 2002, Chusovitina's son, Alisher, was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL). Seeking advanced medical treatment for their son, Chusovitina and her husband moved to Germany.

2003: Competing for Germany and World Championships

Uzbekistan released Chusovitina to compete for Germany in 2003. From 2003 to 2006 she trained in Germany but continued to compete for Uzbekistan. In 2003, Chusovitina won the gold medal on the vault at that year's world championships in Anaheim.

2004: Olympics

Chusovitina competed for Uzbekistan at the 2004 Olympics.

2004: Uzbekistan at the Olympics

Chusovitina competed for Uzbekistan at the 2004 Olympics.

2005: World Championships

Chusovitina competed in the 2005 World Championships representing Uzbekistan.

2006: End of Representation for Uzbekistan

Chusovitina stopped representing Uzbekistan in 2006.

2006: Training in Germany but Competing for Uzbekistan

From 2003 to 2006 Chusovitina trained in Germany but continued to compete for Uzbekistan.

2006: German Citizenship and World Championships

In 2006, Chusovitina obtained German citizenship. Her first competition for Germany was the 2006 World Championships, where she won a bronze medal on the vault and placed ninth in the all-around.

July 2007: German National Championships and European Championships

In July 2007, Chusovitina won the all-around title at the 2007 German National Championships. At her first European Championships, she placed second on the vault.

2008: World Championships and European Championships

At the 2007 World Championships in Stuttgart, Chusovitina helped the German squad to a 10th-place finish in the preliminary round, which qualified them to send a full team to the 2008 Olympics in Beijing. At the 2008 Women's European Championships in Clermont-Ferrand, France, Chusovitina competed on three events, helping the German team to a seventh-place finish in the team finals. In the vault event final, she defeated reigning European champion Carlotta Giovannini to win the gold medal.

2008: Olympics

At the 2008 Olympics, the German team placed 12th in the qualifying round of competition. Chusovitina qualified to the individual all-around final, where she placed ninth overall. She also qualified in fourth place for the vault final. In the vault final, she won the silver medal with a score of 15.575.

2008: Germany at the Olympics

Chusovitina competed for Germany at the 2008 Olympics.

April 2009: Announcement to Retire

In April 2009 Chusovitina announced that she would not continue competing in gymnastics after the 2009 World Gymnastics Championships in October.

2010: Return to Competition

Chusovitina returned to compete in some competitions in 2010, including the 2010 Houston National Invitational.

2011: European Championships and World Championships

Chusovitina won the silver medal on vault at the 2011 European Championships and the 2011 World Championships.

2012: Summer Olympics and Retirement

Chusovitina competed at the 2012 Summer Olympics for Germany. The games were a remarkable sixth Olympics for Chusovitina, who qualified for the vault final where she placed in fifth behind her German teammate, Janine Berger. Afterward Chusovitina declared she would retire as a gymnast and concentrate on coaching.

2012: Germany at the Olympics

Chusovitina competed for Germany at the 2012 Olympics.

2012: London 2012 Summer Olympics

Chusovitina had considered competing in the London 2012 Summer Olympics, but decided against it.

2012: European Championships

Chusovitina won the silver medal on vault at the 2012 European Championships.

2012: Initial Retirement Announcement

In 2012, Chusovitina announced her retirement from gymnastics.

April 2016: Olympic Qualifier in Rio de Janeiro

In April 2016, Chusovitina secured an individual spot for Uzbekistan at the Rio Olympics at a qualifying event held in Rio de Janeiro.

2016: Uzbekistan at the Olympics

Chusovitina competed for Uzbekistan at the 2016 Olympics.

2016: Return to Competition for Uzbekistan

Chusovitina switched back to competing for Uzbekistan and competed in the 2016 Olympics.

2018: Return to All-Around Competition

After focusing solely on vault for a number of years, Chusovitina decided to return to all-around competition in 2018.

2019: World Artistic Gymnastics Championships and Qualification for Tokyo

Chusovitina participated in the 2019 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships to qualify for the Tokyo Olympics. Despite experiencing falls during her routines, her performance was strong enough to secure an Olympic berth.

2020: Olympics

Chusovitina competed for Uzbekistan at the 2020 Olympics.

2020: Uzbekistan at the Olympics

Chusovitina competed for Uzbekistan at the 2020 Olympics.

2020: Flag Bearer Selection and Replacement

Chusovitina was chosen as Uzbekistan's flag bearer for the 2020 Summer Olympics opening ceremony. However, she was replaced shortly before the ceremony.

2020: Postponement of Retirement

Despite stating she would retire after the 2020 Olympics, Chusovitina revealed her plan to continue training for the 2022 Asian Games, which were later postponed indefinitely due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

2020: Planned Competition in Tokyo Olympics

Following the 2016 Olympics, Chusovitina shared her intention to compete in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.

July 2021: Tokyo Olympics and Failure to Qualify for Vault Finals

On July 25, 2021, during her final day of competition in Tokyo, Chusovitina was unable to qualify for the vault finals.

2022: Gold Medal Wins and Goal for 2024 Olympics

In 2022, Chusovitina achieved gold medals at the Doha World Cup Event and the Uzbekistan National Championships. In response to the postponement of the Asian Games, Chusovitina expressed her aim to continue training for the 2024 Olympics in Paris.