View source for Valeri Liukin

{{Use dmy dates|date=July 2016}}
{{Infobox gymnast
|name= Valeri Liukin
|image=1987 CPA 5826b.jpeg
|imagesize=240px
|caption=Liukin on a 1987 Soviet stamp
|fullname= Valeri Viktorovich Liukin
|altname=
|nickname=
|country=
|formercountry= {{KAZ}} <br /> {{URS}}
|birth_date= {{birth date and age|df=yes|1966|12|17}}
|birth_place= [[Aqtöbe|Aktyubinsk]], [[Kazakh SSR]], [[Soviet Union]]
|hometown=
|residence= [[Parker, Texas]]
|height= {{height|ft=5|in=4}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/spt/olympics/nastia/stories/080308dnsponastia.41c367e.html |title=Parents' support, coaching and great DNA helped make gymnast Nastia Liukin an Olympian |date=15 August 2008 |publisher=[[The Dallas Morning News]] |accessdate=5 September 2008 |last=Hairopoulos |first=Kate }}</ref>
|discipline= Men's Artistic Gymnastics
|level=
|natlteam=
|club=
|gym=
|formercoach=
|choreographer=
|eponymousskills=
|retired= 1993
|show-medals=yes
|medaltemplates= <!-- see [[Template:MedalRelatedTemplates]] -->
{{MedalSport|[[Artistic Gymnastics|Men's Artistic Gymnastics]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[1988 Summer Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Seoul]]|[[Gymnastics at the 1988 Summer Olympics|Team]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Seoul]]|[[Gymnastics at the 1988 Summer Olympics|Horizontal bar]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Seoul]]|[[Gymnastics at the 1988 Summer Olympics|All-around]]}}
{{MedalSilver|[[1988 Summer Olympics|1988 Seoul]]|[[Gymnastics at the 1988 Summer Olympics|Parallel bars]]}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|World Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold|[[1987 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1987 Rotterdam]]|Team}}
{{MedalGold|[[1991 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1991 Indianapolis]]|Team}}
{{MedalBronze|[[1991 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|1991 Indianapolis]]|All-around}}
{{MedalCompetition|[[European Men's Artistic Gymnastics Championships|European Championships]]}}
{{MedalGold|1987 Moscow|All-Around}}
{{MedalGold|1987 Moscow|Floor}}
{{MedalGold|1987 Moscow|Parallel bars}}
{{MedalGold|1987 Moscow|Horizontal bar}}
{{MedalSilver|1987 Moscow|Rings}}
{{MedalBronze|1987 Moscow|Vault}}
}}
'''Valeri Viktorovich Liukin''' ({{lang-ru|Валерий Викторович Люкин}}, born 17 December 1966) is a Kazakh-American retired [[artistic gymnast]] and a current gymnastics coach. As a competitor for the former [[Soviet Union]], Liukin is the 1988 Olympic champion in the team competition and individually on the [[horizontal bar]], and Olympic silver medalist in the all-around and the parallel bars. Following the 2016 Olympic Games, he succeeded [[Márta Károlyi]] as the coordinator for the U.S. Women's gymnastics team.<ref name=sr>[http://www.sports-reference.com/olympics/athletes/ly/valery-lyukin-1.html Valery Lyukin]. sports-reference.com</ref><ref>http://www.teamusa.org/News/2016/September/16/Valeri-Liukin-Selected-To-Succeed-Martha-Karolyi-As-USA-Gymnastics-Womens-National-Team-Coordinator</ref>

Liukin is the first man to do a triple back flip on floor and both a layout [[Tkatchev]] and a [[Jaeger (uneven bars)|Jaeger]] with full twist on [[high bar]].<ref name="PMG Sports">{{cite web|title=Valeri Viktorovich Liukin bio|url=http://pmgsports.com/valeriliukin|publisher=Premier Management Group Sports|accessdate=26 July 2012}}</ref>

He moved to the United States in 1992 and became a U.S. citizen in 2000. He is married to [[Anna Kotchneva]] and is the father and coach of [[2008 Summer Olympics|2008 Olympic champion]] [[Nastia Liukin]]. He is co-owner of the [[World Olympic Gymnastics Academy]] with longtime friend [[Yevgeny Marchenko]].

On 15 December 2015, it was announced that Liukin had been inducted as a 2016 class of the [[USA Gymnastics]] Hall of Fame.<ref>[https://usagym.org/pages/post.html?PostID=17740&prog= USA Gymnastics announces 2016 USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame Class]. usagym.org (15 December 2015)</ref>

On 16 September 2016, he was named the coordinator for the [[United States women's national gymnastics team]], replacing the retiring [[Márta Károlyi]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://usagym.org/pages/post.html?PostID=19235&prog=h|title=USA Gymnastics names Liukin as women's national team coordinator|website=USA Gymnastics|access-date=2016-09-16}}</ref>

==Career==

===Junior===
Liukin began gymnastics when he was 7 years old. He moved to [[Moscow]] to join the Soviet Junior National team, where he made his world debut at the 1985 Friendship Cup. Coached by Eduard Yarov, Liukin was a member of the Soviet Union National Team until the 1991 dissolution of the Soviet Union.

===Senior===
At the 1987 European Championships in Moscow, he won gold medals in the all-around, on the [[horizontal bar]], and in the floor exercise where he was the first gymnast to perform a triple back somersault. He won the silver medal on the still rings and the bronze on the vault. At the [[1987 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships]] in [[Rotterdam]], he won the team competition with the Soviet Union.

At the [[1988 Summer Olympics]] in [[Seoul]], South Korea, Liukin won the gold medal in the team competition, and was the co-champion on the horizontal bar with fellow Soviet gymnast [[Vladimir Artemov]]. Liukin won the silver medal in the all-around and on the parallel bars.

At the [[1991 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships]] in [[Indianapolis]], he again was a member of the champion Soviet team in the Team competition. He won the bronze medal in the All-Around.

Following the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Liukin competed for his native [[Kazakhstan]], competing for them most notably at the [[1993 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships]] and the [[1994 Asian Games]], but did not win a medal at either competition.

===Coaching===
Liukin became internationally renowned for coaching USA's second consecutive all around Olympic champion, his daughter, [[Nastia Liukin]], to the [[2008 Summer Olympics]].<ref name="Illustrated 7-27-11">{{cite news|last=Zaccardi|first=Nick|title=One Year Out: Bross could become U.S.' third straight golden gymnast |url=http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/2011/writers/nick_zaccardi/07/18/london.preview.rebecca.bross/index.html|accessdate=26 July 2012|newspaper=Sports Illustrated|date=27 July 2011}}</ref>  In addition, Nastia contributed to team USA's silver medal finish in the team competition. She also earned silver on uneven bars, silver on balance beam, and bronze in the floor exercise. 

Most recently, the notable gymnasts trained by Liukin include 2010 National Champion and 6-time world medalist [[Rebecca Bross]] as well as 2011 junior National champion and 2013 American Cup champion [[Katelyn Ohashi]]. Bross placed second in the all-around competition at the [[2009 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships|World Championships]] in [[London, England|London]] 2009 and teammate [[Ivana Hong]] placed third in the beam competition. However, Rebecca Bross and Nastia Liukin both failed to qualify for the [[London 2012]] Olympic team. This resulted in Liukin's retirement from international and senior competition. Ohashi was too young to meet the eligibility criteria to compete in the Olympics. Bross's current gymnastics career status is "undecided", although she remains a coach at her old gym.<ref name="Seattle Times 3-15-12">{{cite news|last=Lawrence|first=Blythe|title=Top junior in the U.S. to display her talents|url=http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/othersports/2017762267_pacificrim16.html|accessdate=26 July 2012|newspaper=The Seattle Times|date=15 March 2012}}</ref> 

Liukin was the International Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2004. He was inducted into the [[International Gymnastics Hall of Fame]] in 2005.<ref name=IGHOF>{{cite web|title=Valery Liukin (USSR)|url=http://www.ighof.com/honorees/honorees_liukin.html|publisher=The International Gymnastics Hall of Fame|accessdate=25 July 2012}}</ref>

On 16 September 2016, he was named the coordinator for the [[United States women's national gymnastics team]], replacing the retiring [[Márta Károlyi]].<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://usagym.org/pages/post.html?PostID=19235&prog=h|title=USA Gymnastics names Liukin as women's national team coordinator|website=USA Gymnastics|access-date=2016-09-16}}</ref>

==Personal life==
He married [[Anna Kotchneva]], a 1987 World Champion [[rhythmic gymnast]], while still competing himself. Their daughter, [[Nastia Liukin]], was born in Moscow in 1989. In 1992, Liukin moved to the United States and began a coaching career. Liukin originally settled in New Orleans, but later moved to [[Plano, Texas]].

Liukin owns and runs three [[World Olympic Gymnastics Academy|World Olympic Gymnastics Academy (WOGA)]] locations with business partner [[Yevgeny Marchenko]].<ref name="PMG Sports" /> 

He had a small cameo in the film ''[[Stick It]]'' as the spotter in his daughter's uneven bars routine.

==References==
{{Reflist}}

==External links==
{{Commons category|Valeri Liukin}}
{{Portal|Gymnastics}}
* [http://www.woga.net/ World Olympic Gymnastics Academy Homepage]
* [http://www.gymn-forum.net/bios/men/lyukin.html List of Competitive Results at Gymn Forum]
* [http://www.gymn.ca/gymnasticgreats/mag/liukin.htm Full Biography]
* {{Fig|id=110|name=Valeri Liukin}}
* [http://www.gymnastike.org/videos/speaker/1374-valeri-liukin Valeri Liukin Video Interviews on Gymnastike.org]
* [http://gymnastic.client.jp/us/hb_liukin_a.htm CG Animation]

{{Footer Olympic Champions Horizontal Bar Men}}
{{Olympic champions artistic gymnastics Men TC|1988}}
{{Footer European Artistic Gymnastics All-Around Champions (Men)}}
{{Footer USA Gymnastics 2008 Summer Olympics}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Liukin, Valeri}}
[[Category:1966 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Gymnasts at the 1988 Summer Olympics]]
[[Category:Kazakhstani emigrants to the United States]]
[[Category:Kazakhstani male artistic gymnasts]]
[[Category:Medalists at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships]]
[[Category:Olympic gold medalists for the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Olympic silver medalists for the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Olympic gymnasts of the Soviet Union]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in gymnastics]]
[[Category:Liukin family]]
[[Category:Kazakhstani people of Russian descent]]
[[Category:International Gymnastics Hall of Fame inductees]]
[[Category:People from Collin County, Texas]]
[[Category:American people of Kazakhstani descent]]
[[Category:American people of Russian descent]]
[[Category:Honoured Masters of Sport of the USSR]]
[[Category:Soviet male artistic gymnasts]]
[[Category:People from Aktobe]]
[[Category:Gymnasts at the 1994 Asian Games]]
[[Category:Gymnastics in Texas]]
[[Category:World Olympic Gymnastics Academy]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 1988 Summer Olympics]]