Viktoria Karpenko
Full nameViktoria Karpenko
Nickname(s)Vika
Country represented Bulgaria
Former countries represented Ukraine
Born (1981-03-15) March 15, 1981
Kherson, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
LevelSenior International
Years on national team1995-2000
ClubKherson Dynamo
GymKoncha-Zaspa, Kyiv, Ukraine
Former coach(es)Oleh Ostapenko
Music1999-2000: The Saint by Orbital
Eponymous skillsInvert giant,full pirouette to ellgrip (uneven bars),clear hip circle,half turn to ellgrip (uneven bars)
Retired2008
Medal record
World Championships
Silver medal – second place1999 TianjinAll-around
Bronze medal – third place1999 TianjinTeam
European Championships
Silver medal – second place1998 St. PetersburgUneven bars
Silver medal – second place2000 ParisTeam
Silver medal – second place2000 ParisUneven bars
Silver medal – second place2000 ParisFloor exercise
Bronze medal – third place1998 St. PetersburgTeam
Bronze medal – third place2000 ParisAll-around
European Team Championships
Bronze medal – third place1997 ParisTeam

Viktoria Karpenko (Ukrainian: Вікторія Карпенко, born on March 15, 1981, in Kherson, Ukrainian SSR) is a World Championships silver medalist and 2000 Olympian in artistic gymnastics. She began gymnastics at the age of four and went on to become the Ukrainian National Champion in 1996.[1]

Career

Karpenko made her world debut at the 1995 World Championships in Sabae, Japan with strong performances; however, she was overshadowed by veteran gymnasts and did not medal. Shortly after, she injured her hamstring and was unable to compete in the 1996 Olympic Games. The following year, she broke a finger during training and was forced to watch the 1997 World Championships from the stands.

In March 1998 she surprised coaches by winning the American Cup against U.S. hopefuls Vanessa Atler and Kristen Maloney. In April she placed second in the uneven bars final behind five-time world uneven bars champion Svetlana Khorkina at the European Championships. At the 1999 World Championships, Karpenko performed with ease and placed second in the all-around competition.[2]

Things were looking great for Karpenko in early 2000, as she won preliminaries at the European Championships in Paris. Ending up third in the all-around, she also grabbed a silver on the uneven bars, and tied for another second-place finish on floor exercise in event finals. Despite these accomplishments, Karpenko is known for her performance at the 2000 Olympic Games, where she did not earn a medal. A favorite for the all-around title, Karpenko was in first place going into the final rotation. As she finished her first pass on floor, she stubbed her toe, tripped, and fell out of bounds. She subsequently received a score of 8.725 and dropped to 12th place.[3]

Karpenko moved to Bulgaria in June 2002, where the country's Artistic Gymnastics Federation covered the costs for the treatment of her injury,[4] and had two short-lived comebacks in both 2003 and 2006, competing for Bulgaria. Marred by injury, she never retained her form or individual results. Her final competition was at the 2007 European Championships, where she placed 18th in the all-around.

In March 2012, China forfeited the 1999 World Championship team bronze medals to Ukraine, who placed fourth. It was discovered in 2008 that China falsified the age of team member Dong Fangxiao, therefore nullifying her results from this competition as well as the 2000 Olympics. Karpenko and her teammates received the bronze medal.

Competitive history

Year Event Team AA VT UB BB FX
1995 International Junior Championships63rd place, bronze medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Sabae World Championships5
1996 Bluewater International1st place, gold medalist(s)
Birmingham European Championships3rd place, bronze medalist(s)441st place, gold medalist(s)
Kiev International1st place, gold medalist(s)
Trophee Massilia3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Ukraine Cup2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Wild Rose Invitational1st place, gold medalist(s)
1997 Chunichi Cup1st place, gold medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Gander Memorial4
Hungarian International1st place, gold medalist(s)
Ukrainian National Championships3rd place, bronze medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)
1998 Visa American Cup1st place, gold medalist(s)
Chunichi Cup1st place, gold medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)51st place, gold medalist(s)
Copa Gimnastica2nd place, silver medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Saint Petersburg European Championships43rd place, bronze medalist(s)
FRA-UKR-ESP Tri-Meet1st place, gold medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)
French International6
3-on-3 International1st place, gold medalist(s)
Ukrainian National Championships1st place, gold medalist(s)
1999 Visa American Cup4
DTB Cup2nd place, silver medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)
French International83rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Gander Memorial5
Glasgow Grand Prix83rd place, bronze medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Samboo International757
3-on-3 International1st place, gold medalist(s)
UKR Cup2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Ukrainian National Championships1st place, gold medalist(s)
Palma de Mallorca Summer Universiade2nd place, silver medalist(s)53rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Zurich Grand Prix1st place, gold medalist(s)1st place, gold medalist(s)9
Tianjin World Championships3rd place, bronze medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)75
2000 Cottbus Cup51st place, gold medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)6
DTB Cup3rd place, bronze medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)5
Paris European Championships2nd place, silver medalist(s)3rd place, bronze medalist(s)52nd place, silver medalist(s)42nd place, silver medalist(s)
Swiss Cup2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Glasgow World Cup Final745
Sydney Olympic Games6114
2003 Bulgarian National Championships2nd place, silver medalist(s)
BUL Cup1st place, gold medalist(s)
Gander Memorial10
GRE-BUL-HUN Tri-Meet3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Siska International3rd place, bronze medalist(s)2nd place, silver medalist(s)
Varna International3rd place, bronze medalist(s)
Anaheim World Championships19
2007
Amsterdam European Championships18

[5]

See also

References

  1. ↑ GymBox Bio Archived October 24, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
  2. ↑ IG Interview
  3. ↑ 2000 Olympic All Around Results
  4. ↑ Guncheva, Eleonora (26 July 2003). "Космополитизацията на българския спорт". capital.bg. Retrieved 29 July 2021.
  5. ↑ "Viktoria Karpenko (UKR/BUL)". Gymn Forum. 19 May 2007. Retrieved 31 July 2022.
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