Elena Piskun

Elena Piskun
— Gymnast —
Full name	Yelena Mikhaylovna Piskun
Nickname(s)	Lena
Country represented	Belarus
Born	(1978-02-02) February 2, 1978 Minsk, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union
Hometown	Bobruisk, Belarus
Height	5 ft 0 in (1.52 m)
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Level	Senior international elite
Head coach(es)	Valery Kolodinsky
Medal record Representing  Belarus World Championships 1993 Birmingham Vault 1996 San Juan Uneven Bars European Championships 1994 Stockholm Vault 1996 Birmingham Balance Beam European Team Championships 1997 Paris Team

Elena (or Yelena) Mikhaylovna "Lena" Piskun (Belarusian: Алена Піскун; Russian: Елена Михайловна "Лена" Пискун; born February 2, 1978)^[1] is a Belarusian former artistic gymnast who won two World Championship gold medals in the 1990s and competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics.

Personal life

Piskun was born in Minsk, Belarus, in 1978.^[1] Her father works in a tire factory, and her mother is a bookkeeper. She has a younger brother, Viktor.^[2] She is 5 feet 0 inches (1.52 m) tall.^[1] She lives in the United States.

Career

Piskun started gymnastics at the age of six and was coached by Valery Kolodinsky during her career. The gym in her hometown of Bobruisk was small, so she traveled to Minsk to train before major competitions.^[2]

At the 1993 World Championships in Birmingham, England, Piskun won the gold medal on vault.^[3] In April 1994, she competed at the Individual World Championships in Brisbane, Australia, and finished fifth on vault with a score of 9.725 and fifth on floor exercise with a score of 9.675. At the World Championship Team Finals in Dortmund, Germany, in November, Piskun helped the Belarus team to a sixth-place finish.^[4] At the 1995 World Championships in Sabae, Japan, she was 10th in the all-around with a score of 38.53.^[5]

Piskun finished third on balance beam and eighth on floor exercise at the 1996 European Championships.^[2] In April, she competed at the World Championships in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and won a gold medal on uneven bars with a score of 9.787.^[6] At that year's Summer Olympics, Piskun helped Belarus finish sixth in the team competition, and she was also 12th in the individual all-around with a score of 38.649.^[1] At the 1997 World Championships in Lausanne, Switzerland, she finished 30th in the all-around with a score of 35.474.^[7]

Piskun coaches at NorthWind Gymnastics in Alpharetta, Georgia.

References