Marina Lobatch

Sport: rhythmic gymnastics.

Born: 

26 June 1970 Smolevichi, Minsk region, BSSR, USSR

Honors:

Merited Master of Sports of the USSR.

The Order of Friendship of Peoples.

Career highlights:

Champion of the XXIV Olympic Games 1988 in Seoul, Republic of Korea (all-around).

World champion in rhythmic gymnastics 1987, Varna, Bulgaria (hoop).

Bronze medalist of the 1987 World Championship, Varna, Bulgaria (jump rope, maces).

Silver medalist of the 1985 World Championship, Valladolid, Spain (jump rope).

European champion of the 1988 in rhythmic gymnastics, Helsinki, Finland (jump rope, ribbons).

Bronze medalist of the 1988 European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship, Helsinki, Finland (maces).

Bronze medalist of the 1986 European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championship, Florence, Italy (jump rope).

Champion of the 1986 Goodwill Games, Moscow, USSR (jump rope, maces).

Silver winner of the 1986 Goodwill Games, Moscow, USSR (all-around, ribbons).

Champion of the 1985, 1987, 1988 USSR Cup

Biography:

Marina Lobatch was born on 26 June, 1970 in the town Smolevichi, Minsk region. When Marina was seven years old, the coach of the junior school of the Olympic reserve came to their school and invited several girls to her classes. This is how the future Olympic champion was introduced to artistic gymnastics for the first time.

Irina Leparskaya who worked under assignment in this school, noticed Marina Lobatch and showed her to the already experienced trainer Galina Krylenko. Marina started travelling from her native town to Minsk to train there, and at the age of 10 she finally moved to the capital. Since that time the athlete began her journey to serious competition and great victories.

After the performance at the Spartakiada of the Peoples of the USSR, 12-year-old Marina Lobatch was invited to be a part of the national team USSR. In 1985, 1987 and 1988, the girl won the USSR Cup. In 1984-1989 she also took first place at the world championships in separate disciplines. And in 1986, Lobatch became the silver medalist of the Goodwill Games.

In 1980, rhythmic gymnastics was included in the Olympic Games program, and Soviet and foreign gymnasts got a new goal to achieve.

However, the first try for challenging medals in rhythmic gymnastics was held without the participation of the USSR. In response to a boycott of the 1980 Olympics, the Soviet national team ignored the XXXIII Summer Olympics in 1984 which were held in Los Angeles. The Canadian Lori Fung became the first ever Olympic champion in rhythmic gymnastics in the world.

At the XXIV Summer Olympics, which were held in Seoul in 1988, the team of the Soviet Union went as a whole, despite the fact that some countries also boycotted these games. Soviet gymnasts, as well as Belarusian Marina Lobatch, had the chance to demonstrate their programs at such a high level event for the first time. The gymnast from Smolevichi performed all the programs without any mistakes, and recieved the maximum 40 points from the judges and won the first gold medal in rhythmic gymnastics in the history of the Soviet Union.

Almost immediately after the Olympics, Marina Lobatch retired from sports career. The Olympic champion even tried a career change and entered the Russian Institute of Theatrical Art to get some acting skills. However, after a several years break from gymnastics she returned to the sport, however, as a coach.

Now Marina Lobatch is a famous coach and judge in rhythmic gymnastics. In 2004, a school for children that was named after was opened in Minsk. In addition, an international tournament for the prizes of Marina Lobatch for juniors is annually held in Belarus.