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Liubov Charkashyna
Liubov Charkashyna
	Charkashyna at the 2012 Grand Prix Vorarlberg
Personal information
Full name	Liubov Viktorovna Charkashyna
Nickname(s)	Lyuba
Born	December 23, 1987 (age 37); Brest, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union
Residence	Minsk, Belarus
Height	173 cm (5 ft 8 in)
Gymnastics career
Discipline	Rhythmic gymnastics
Country represented	Belarus
Years on national team	2002-2012
Level	Senior International Elite
Head coach(es)	Irina Leparskaya
Assistant coach(es)	Galina Zolotnickaya
Retired	2012
World ranking	9 (2012 Season) ; 3 (2011 Season)
Rhythmic gymnastics
Representing Belarus
Olympic Games
World Championships
European Championships
European Team Championships
Grand Prix Final
Summer Universiade

Liubov Viktorovna Charkashyna (Belarusian: Любоў Віктараўна Чаркашына; Russian: Любовь Викторовна Черкашина, born December 23, 1987) is a retired Belarusian individual rhythmic gymnast. She is the 2012 Olympic all-around bronze medalist, and the 2011 European ball and clubs champion.^[3]

Competitive career

Charkashyna started training in rhythmic gymnastics at a relatively late age, when she was nine years old.^[4] She made her senior international debut in 2003. She had a successful 2007 season, winning bronze in ribbon at the Grand Prix Final in Innsbruck, Austria.

Charkashyna competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics and placed 15th in qualifications. She did not advance to the top 10 finals round.^[5]

At the 2010 Grand Prix final in Berlin, Charkashyna won the silver medal in hoop and bronze medal in rope and ribbon final. 2011 marked her breakthrough season. She won the bronze all-around medal at the World Cup in Corbeil-Essonnes, as well as bronze in the all-around, ball and hoop at the 2011 World Cup series in Tashkent. On May 29, at the 2011 European Championships in Minsk, she became the only Belarusian senior gymnast to win two individual gold medals at one European Championship, winning the ball final and the clubs final against reigning World and Olympic champion, Evgenia Kanaeva. Charkashyna also won the bronze medal in the hoop finals.

Charkashyna was the bronze medalist in All-around at the 2011 Summer Universiade. At the 2011 World Championships held in Montpellier, France, she finished fourth in All-around and won bronze in the ball apparatus.

In the 2012 season, Charkashyna won gold in the individual ribbon finals at the World Cup in Tashkent, as well as silver (hoop) and bronze (ball). She placed fourth in All-around at the 2012 European Championships behind Aliya Garayeva. At the 2012 World Cup series held in Minsk, Belarus, she won the bronze medal in the All-around ahead of Russian gymnast Alexandra Merkulova who finished fourth.

At the 2012 Olympics, Charkashyna placed fifth in the qualifications with a score of 110.450. In the finals, she was able to edge out rival Aliya Garayeva for the bronze medal. After her final ribbon routine, she kissed the carpet. As soon as the overall scores appeared, she shed tears of joy when she saw that she had won the bronze medal with a total score of 111.700. Charkashyna said on winning her first Olympic medal: "I'm happy, very happy for my country and my coach and for rhythmic gymnastics in Belarus. I think it's a valuation of my hard work and my school in Belaraus. I don't think this medal is my medal, it's for the whole of Belarus."^{[citation needed]}

Charkashyna retired from competition at the end of the 2012 season.

Later career

Charkashyna worked as a rhythmic gymnastics coach and judge.^[6] In 2013, she became an RSW brand ambassador.^[7] That same year, after the World Championships held in Kyiv, Ukraine, Charkashyna was elected as the rhythmic gymnastics representative on the FIG Athletes' Commission.^[8] Charkashyna held this position from 2014 to 2017. She then became the FIG Athletes' Commission president, for the term of 2017 to 2020.^[9] In 2019, Charkashyna commented on sexual abuse in gymnastics, saying that abuse is horrible, but she believes the problem is not widespread and some cases are "an opportunity to earn money."^[10]

Personal life

Charkashyna is married to a former Belarusian football player, Victor Molashko.^[11]

On January 16, 2018, Charkashyna gave birth to baby girl, Vera.

Routine music information

Year	Apparatus	Music title ^[12]
2012	Hoop	Primavera Porteña by Astor Piazzolla
	Ball	Frozen in time by Secret Garden
	Clubs	Caravan by Raimond Pauls
	Ribbon	Love Story by Francis Lai
	Gala	Gorod by Elena Vaenga
2011	Hoop	Mission Impossible by Maxime Rodriguez
	Ball	Naprasnie Slova by Alexander Malinin, instrumental version arranged especially for routine
	Clubs	Green Hornet music from Kill Bill by Al Hirt
	Ribbon	?
	Gala	La Monture by Julie Zenatti
2010	Hoop	Sunrise, Sunset by Roby Lakatos
	Ball	Embrace music from Breathe by Nicholas Gunn
	Rope	Belarus folk
	Ribbon	?
2009	Hoop	Sunrise, Sunset by Roby Lakatos
	Ball	Embrace music from Breathe by Nicholas Gunn
	Rope	Tango by Konstantin Meladze
	Ribbon	Weary Sun by Jerzy Peterburgski
2008	Hoop	Leelos Tune by Maksim
	Rope	Felicia music from Tango Forever by Luis Bravo
	Clubs	Czardas (Monti, Czardas Pr Violon & Piano) from Classic Meets Cuba by Klazz Brothers & Cuba Percussion
	Ribbon	Tsyganochka
2007	Hoop	Against The Wind by Keiko Matsui
	Rope	Felicia music Tango Forever by Luis Bravo
	Clubs	Lo Que Vendra by Astor Piazzolla
	Ribbon	?
2006	Rope	Chappa by Didulya
	Ball	No Stop City by New Tango Orquesta
	Clubs	Batwannis Beek by REG Project
	Ribbon	?
2005	Rope	Chappa by Didulya
	Ball	Czardas (remix) by Vittorio Monti
	Clubs	Batwannis Beek by REM Project
	Ribbon	Croatian Rhapsody by Maksim Mrvica
2004	Hoop	Ov Haiots Ashkhar by Ara Ghevorkian
	Ball	Czardas (remix) by Vittorio Monti
	Clubs	Batwannis Beek by REM Project
	Ribbon	Winter by Bond
2003	Hoop	Vive el Verano by Paulina Rubio
	Ball	Czardas (remix) by Vittorio Monti
	Clubs	Batwannis Beek by REM Project
	Ribbon	?

Detailed Olympic results

Year	Competition description	Location	Music	Apparatus	Score-final	Score-qualifying
2012	Olympics	London		All-around	111.700	110.450
			Love Story by Francis Lai	Ribbon	28.075	26.550
			Frozen in time by Secret Garden	Ball	28.000	28.400
			Primavera Porteña by Astor Piazzolla	Hoop	28.100	28.050
			Caravan by Raimond Pauls	Clubs	27.525	27.450