At age five Lilia Podkopayeva's grandmother took her to the sports club
Dynamo in Dontesk with the hope that exercise would improve her poor health.
Gymnastics gradually started to occupy most of Podkopayeva's time and
she regained her health.
As a result of a string of fine performances, Podkopayeva was invited to
train with the USSR team in 1991. Nothing came of the invitation what with the break-up of
the Soviet Union. However, Podkopayeva was not disappointed. On the contrary, she felt she
would have more opportunities in Ukraine. In 1993 she became a member of the national team
of Ukraine and started winning medals in international competitions.
Her first major success occurred in 1993 when she won the silver medal
in the all-around event at the European Cup.
She won two gold medals (all-around and vault) at the 1995 World
Championships.
In 1996 Podkopayeva won the Women's European Gymnastics championship in
Birmingham, England. Innovative choreography (including a tucked double-front somersault
with a half twist) helped her win the gold medal in the overall event. She also won two
more gold medals on the apparatus finals.
Poised and calm, Podkopayeva prepared for the Atlanta Olympics with the
help of her coaches Halyna Losynska and Oleh Ostapenko, as well as choreographer Svitlana
Dubova. World champion at the time, she felt her performance had room for improvement and
it was important to concentrate on precision and balance.
The floor event is Podkopayeva's favourite. Her best memory is winning
the floor exercise at the European Championships in Stockholm, Sweden. "I was very
happy," she recalls. "Everyone in the place stood up and was applauding and then
they played the anthem of Ukraine....It was very exciting."
Her cherished hobby is collecting toys and stuffed animals, particularly
a large Mickey Mouse doll and an elephant she was given in France. She enjoys reading
detective novels and books about travel.
Although she sticks to her nutritional training, Podkopayeva admits to
skipping dinner once in a while to indulge, especially in ice cream and chocolate. Unlike
most gymnasts in Ukraine, Podkopayeva does not aspire to become a coach.
