Antonina Koshel

Sport: Artistic gymnastics

Born: 20 November 1954

Birthplace: Smolevichi, Minsk Region

Honors:

Honored Master of Sport of the USSR

Medal For Labor Services

Honored Coach of the BSSR

Career highlights:

Gold (team all-round), Summer Games in Munich, 1972

Silver (bars), USSR Championships, 1972

Bronze (individual all-round), USSR Championships, 1972

Silver (individual all-round), USSR Championships, 1973

Bronze (vault), USSR Championships, 1974

Biography:

Antonina Koshel was born in the small town Smolevichi on 20 November 1954. She dreamed of becoming a ballerina and even passed the first two selection rounds at the choreography school at the Opera and Ballet Theater. However, she failed the third round and decided to try herself in gymnastics. For the first few years, the athlete was coached by Vitaly Zitsirman in her hometown and at the age of thirteen was invited to Minsk where she was supervised by professional specialist Viktor Khomutov.

Antonina Koshel first shined at the USSR youth championships in 1970 where she won four gold medals. After that, she was invited to the national team that was training for the Olympic Games in Munich.

In April 1972, on the eve of the last USSR Youth Championships in Moscow, which was a qualifying event for the Olympics, Antonina fell sick and had a fever of 39C. She performed the best she could and placed sixth The head coach of the Soviet gymnastics team, multiple Olympic champion Larisa Latynina decided to include Antonina Koshel in the team of seven athletes to represent the Soviet Union at the Games in Germany. However, only six gymnasts had the right to compete and the coaches were long choosing between Nina Dronova from Georgia and Antonina Koshel from Belarus. As a result, they picked up the Belarusian athlete. Antonina Koshel had a great responsibility because she was the first to hit the carpet in the floor exercise and start the beam routine and was expected to set the right tone for the entire team. The Belarusian athlete did her job well and the Soviet Union won the team event.

In her numerous interviews, Antonina Koshel would note that she was completely exhausted and worn out after the Olympics. At the Spartakiad of the Peoples of the USSR in 1975 she picked up her second victory in the team event and then retired from sport to take up coaching.

Antonina Koshel worked as a state coach in the system of the Sport and Tourism Ministry, served as deputy chairperson of the Belarusian Gymnastics Association, and then as head coach of the national team. Since 2011, she has been in charge of the public association of sport veterans.

 



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