Наталья Годунко: Путь украинской гимнастки к вершинам спорта

Ukrainian rhythmic gymnast

Natalia Oleksandrivna Godunko (Наталія Олександрівна Годунко; Наталья Александровна Годунко, born 5 December 1984) is a Ukrainian former rhythmic gymnast. She is the 2001 team all around world champion, 2005 European ribbon champion and the 2004 Grand Prix Final all around champion.

Godunko was born in Kyiv, in the Ukrainian SSR of the Soviet Union (in present day Ukraine). Godunko online auctioned her Team All Around gold medal won in the 2001 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships to support the Ukrainian army who at the time was fighting a war in Donbass.

Godunko started training in rhythmic gymnastics in 1990 at age six. She trained in Kyiv under the mother/daughter coaching team of Albina and Irina Deriugina. Her coaches did not notice her for a while—she was not tall with long legs, which was preferred by the Deriugins School—but her speed and technique with apparatus and on elements eventually attracted their attention. In 1998, Godunko became a member of the Ukrainian national team and competed as a junior at the World Youth Games in Moscow, placing sixth.

As a senior, Godunko competed as part of the Ukrainian group for several years, as well as occasionally competing in individual events with little success. With the Ukrainian group, she won the 2001 World Championship team all around and the five ribbons gold medal at the 2002 World Championships. She was the third ranked gymnast in Ukraine for a while. She began her breakthrough at the 2002 Ukrainian Nationals, winning bronze in all round and all gold medals in the finals. In 2003, she competed in ball at her first Grand Prix, the Deriugina Cup, and then competed in hoop and ribbon at the Holon Grand Prix and in ribbon at the Berlin Grand Prix. She won the bronze all around medal at the 2003 Grand Prix Final in Innsbruck, Austria. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Godunko qualified in fourth with a score of 102.750. In the final, she scored: ribbon 26.125, clubs 26.375, ball 25.800, hoop 25.500, and finished fifth overall behind Kazakh gymnast Aliya Yussupova. She won the 2004 Grand Prix Final in all around and won two more gold medals in ball and ribbon. In 2005, Godunko was a rival to Anna Bessonova for the position of Ukraine's top gymnast. In front of a home audience, Godunko won the Deriugina Cup title. She was the only Ukrainian to win a gold medal, in ribbon, at the 2005 European Championships. At the 2005 World Championships, Godunko won team silver and ribbon bronze. In 2006, Godunko won gold in rope, silver in ribbon and bronze in clubs at the Mie World Cup. She won bronze in hoop at the Benidorm World Cup. At the Berlin Grand Prix she won bronzes in ball, clubs and ribbon. In 2007, she won team silver at the European Championships, as well as ball silver and rope bronze at the Summer Universiade. At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Godunko finished seventh in the all around finals with an overall score of 68.850 points. She briefly returned to competition in 2010, competing at the 2010 World Championships where she finished 18th all around.

Year Apparatus Music title 2010 Hoop Smooth Criminal music from Encore! by David Garrett Rope Hot Fuji music from The Fast and the Furious: Tokyo Drift by Brian Tyler Ball Palladio music from Escala by Escala Ribbon "Grand Guignol" from Mar dulce by Bajofondo 2008 Hoop Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky Rope Gopak (Ukrainian traditional) Clubs "L'estate" (Summer) 3. Presto music from The Four Seasons Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8, RV 315 by Vivaldi Ribbon Tsiganochka / Gypsy Girl (traditional folk) 2007 Hoop Night on Bald Mountain by Modest Mussorgsky Rope Act 1 finale Death of Giselle, Love Scene music from Giselle by Adolphe Adam Clubs Better Have Some Ky / Dazzle Me / You Can Save Her music from Déjà Vu by Harry Gregson Williams Ribbon Beirut Taxi music from Syriana by Alexandre Desplat 2006 Ball (second) Santa Maria (Del Buen Ayre) by Gotan project Ball (first) Attack music from Pearl Harbor by Hans Zimmer Rope Act 1 finale Death of Giselle, Love Scene music from Giselle by Adolphe Adam Clubs Gopak (Ukrainian traditional) Ribbon Night Borders / Camel Race / Main Theme music from The Mummy by Jerry Goldsmith 2005 Ball Taped Evidence / Cat and Mouse music from Paparazzi by Brian Tyler Rope La Goutte D'Or by Saint Germain Clubs Gopak (Ukrainian traditional) Ribbon Bumble Bee Boogie by Robert Wells 2004 Hoop Suite No. 2: Entrance of the Merchants – Dance of a Roman Courtesan – General Dance music from Spartacus Suite by Aram Khachaturian Ball Technologicque Park by Orbital Clubs Tetsujin music from The Matrix Revolutions by Juno Reactor and Don Davis Ribbon Bumble Bee Boogie by Robert Wells 2003 Hoop Session / Zion / Mona Lisa Overdrive music from The Matrix Reloaded by Linkin Park / Fluke / Don Davis & Juno Reactor Ball Ruby Rap / The Diva Dance music from The Fifth Element by Éric Serra Clubs Movement X music from Mythodea by Vangelis Ribbon Bumble Bee Boogie by Robert Wells 2002 Hoop Revisiting The Race, The Race music from The Skulls by Randy Edelman Rope Sing! Sing! Sing! (Part 1) / Sing! Sing! Sing! (Part 2) by Bob Fosse Clubs Movement X music from Mythodea by Vangelis Ball Heat Miser by Massive Attack

Year Competition Description Location Music Apparatus Score Final Score Qualifying 2008 Olympics Beijing All around 68.850 69.400 Night On Bald Mountain by Modest Moussorgsky Hoop 17.500 17.375 Hopak – Ukrainian Folk Rope 16.700 17.500 "L'estate" (Summer) 3. Presto by Vivaldi Clubs 17.525 17.650 Tsiganochka / Gypsy Girl Ribbon 17.125 16.875
Year Competition Description Location Music Apparatus Score Final Score Qualifying 2004 Olympics Athens All around 103.800 102.750 Technologicque Park by Orbital Ball 25.800 25.900 Spartacus Suite by Aram Khachaturian Hoop 25.500 25.975 Tetsujin music from Matrix Revolutions by Juno Reactor & Don Davis Clubs 26.375 26.075 Bumble Bee Boogie by Robert Wells Ribbon 26.125 24.800