Nina Bocharova

Nina Bocharova
Full name	Nina Antonovna Bocharova
Country represented	Soviet Union
Born	(1924-09-24)September 24, 1924 Suprunivka, Poltava Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Died	August 31, 2020(2020-08-31) (aged 95) Rome, Italy
Discipline	Women's artistic gymnastics
Medal record Olympic Games 1952 Helsinki Team competition 1952 Helsinki Balance beam 1952 Helsinki Team, portable apparatus 1952 Helsinki All-around World Championships 1954 Rome Team

Nina Antonovna Bocharova (Ukrainian: Ніна Антонівна Бочарова, September 24, 1924 – August 31, 2020) was a Soviet/Ukrainian gymnast, who won four medals at the 1952 Summer Olympics. She was born in Suprunivka, Poltava Oblast, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union.

Career

Bocharova competed for Budivelnyk, Kyiv (Stroitel, Kiev), debuting at the Nationals in 1948, where she placed fourth on the uneven bars and balance beam. These two were her best events throughout the career.

She won the all-around titles at the USSR Championships in 1949 and 1951, with Maria Gorokhovskaya being her main rival.

In 1952 Bocharova competed in the 1952 Summer Olympics, the first official Olympics for Soviet athletes participation. Placing 2nd to Gorokhovskaya in the all-around, she won the gold on the beam and contributed to the team's gold. She also earned another silver medal in the team exercise with hand apparatus event.

At age 30 she competed in the 1954 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships, winning the gold medal in the team competition, and finished her career afterwards.

In the early 2000s Nina Bocharova still actively participated in sports activities and meetings and was honoured to be the relay originating torchbearer of the 2004 Olympic Torch Relay on Ukrainian territory.

Death

Bocharova died in Rome, Italy, on August 31, 2020, 24 days before her 96th birthday.

Competitive history

Year	Event	Team	AA	VT	UB	BB	FX
1948	USSR Championships		5
1949	Match of the Best Gymnasts		7
	USSR Championships
	USSR Team Championships		5
1950	HUN-USSR Dual Meet		5
	USSR Championships		5
1951	USSR Championships
1952
	Olympic Games			6	4
	USSR-HUN Dual Meet		4
1953	USSR Team Championships
	World Youth Festival			4
1954	International Meet in Leningrad		6
	World Championships		6		4	6
1956	USSR Championships					4
	USSR Cup		5

External links

• Nina Bocharova at Gymn Forum
• Nina Bocharova at Olympics.com
• Nina Bocharova at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)