Olga Karasyova

Olga Karasyova, also known as Olga Kovalenko,[1] (born 24 July 1949) is a former Soviet gymnast who competed in the 1968 Summer Olympics.[2] Olga was coached by Igor Zhuravlev at CSKA Moscow. She is married to fellow gymnast Valery Karasyov, and studied French at the Pedagogical Institute.

Olga Karasyova (née Kharlova)
Olga Karasyova (left) with Karin Janz, 1969
Personal information
Full nameOlga Dmitryievna Karasyova-Kharlova
Country represented Soviet Union
Born (1949-07-24) 24 July 1949
Bishkek, Kirghiz SSR, Soviet Union
SpouseValery Karasyov
Height5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Weight121 lb (55 kg)
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
ClubCSKA Moscow
Head coach(es)Igor Zhuravlev
Assistant coach(es)Sofia Muratova
Retired1972
Olympic medal record
Women's gymnastics
Representing the  Soviet Union
Olympic Games
Gold medal – first place1968 Mexico City Team
World Championships
Gold medal – first place1970 LjubljanaTeam
Silver medal – second place1970 LjubljanaFloor
Silver medal – second place1966 DortmundTeam
European Championships
Gold medal – first place1969 LandskronaFloor
Silver medal – second place1969 LandskronaAll-Around
Silver medal – second place1969 LandskronaUneven Bars
Silver medal – second place1969 LandskronaBeam
Bronze medal – third place1969 LandskronaVault

In 1994, it was reported that Karasyova had told German television channel RTL she and her former teammates were forced to participate in abortion doping shortly before the 1968 Olympics, due to the supposed physical benefits of pregnancy. Girls who refused to have sex with their coaches were said to be removed from the team, and after ten weeks, the girls were forced to have an abortion. While rumours of such practices with Soviet, Scandinavian and East German female gymnasts had been around since the 1950s, no credible evidence had ever been given until Karasyova's apparent disclosure.[1]

Several days later, however, it was discovered the woman who was interviewed was an impostor: Karasyova was actually on a sea cruise as the time, and had watched the broadcast. She sued for libel, and in 2000, the Moscow Ismail Court awarded her 35,000 roubles in damages.[2][3] Despite her legal victory, the original interviews attributed to her continue to be reported as facts by some third parties.[1][4]

References
  1. Kasprak, Alex (5 December 2017). "Is 'Abortion Doping' a Real Practice?". Snopes.com. Archived from the original on 2 April 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  2. "Olga Karasyova". Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 3 February 2013. Retrieved 29 March 2018.
  3. Golubev, Vladimir (7 March 2001). "Олимпийская чемпионка разоблачает двойника". Viperson (in Russian). Archived from the original on 3 April 2018. Retrieved 3 April 2018.
  4. Oliver, Brian. "Sports cheats have been at it for years: it's always about greed and politics". Guardian.com. Archived from the original on 7 December 2017. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
This article is issued from Wikipedia. The text is licensed under Creative Commons - Attribution - Sharealike. Additional terms may apply for the media files.