Maria Filatova

Maria Filatova
— Gymnast —
Full name Mariya Yevgenyevna Filatova
Country represented  Soviet Union
Born (1961-07-19) July 19, 1961
Leninsk-Kuznetsky, Kemerovo Oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Residence Rochester, New York
Discipline Women's artistic gymnastics
Retired 1982
Medal record
Representing  Soviet Union
Olympic Games
1976 Montreal Team
1980 Moscow Team
1980 Moscow Uneven Bars
World Championships
1978 Strasbourg Team
1981 Moscow Team
1979 Fort Worth Team
1981 Moscow All-Around
World Cup Final
1977 Oviedo All-Around
1977 Oviedo Floor Exercise
1978 Sao Paulo All-Around
1978 Sao Paulo Floor Exercise
1977 Oviedo Vault
1977 Oviedo Uneven Bars
1980 Toronto Balance Beam
European Championships
1977 Prague Floor Exercise
1977 Prague Balance Beam

Maria Evgenievna Filatova (Russian: Мария Евгеньевна Филатова) (born July 19, 1961) is a retired Soviet gymnast who competed at the 1976 and 1980 Olympics.

Career

Filatova began competing for the USSR junior team in 1974. In 1976 she placed fourth at the USSR National Championships and competed well in various international events.

Filatova was originally named as an alternate to the Soviet team at the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal. However, during podium training, she received such a positive reaction from the crowd that she was added to the team roster. She shared in the team gold medal and was ranked ninth overall after the team competition. Because four of her teammates scored higher than she did and only three gymnasts per team were allowed to compete in the all-around, she did not advance to the AA finals in spite of her high placement.

Following the Olympics and the retirements of several high-profile gymnasts, including Ludmilla Tourischeva and Olga Korbut, Filatova emerged as one of the leaders of the Soviet team. She won the World Cup in 1977 and 1978; the USSR Nationals in 1977, and the Riga International meet in 1977 and 1979. At the 1980 Olympics, Filatova served as the lead-off gymnast on several events and contributed to the team's gold medal. She continued to the 1981 World Championships, where she was the silver medalist in the all-around.

British journalist David Hunn referred to Filatova as a "fifteen-year-old in the Korbut tradition." As Korbut, Filatova was known for her enthusiastic, expressive floor exercise routines and her difficult acrobatic skills. She was one of the first female gymnasts to successfully compete a double back somersault on floor in 1975.

Following her retirement in 1982, Filatova worked for several years with the British Gymnastics Federation (in Belfast) before moving to the United States. She now lives and coaches in Rochester,NY.

Achievements (non-Olympic)

Year Event AA Team VT UB BB FX
1976USSR Championships3rd
1977World Cup1st2nd2nd1st
European Championships3rd1st
USSR Championships1st1st2nd
1978World Cup1st1st
World Championships1st
USSR Championships1st1st
USSR Cup1st
1979World Championships2nd
Universiade2nd1st1st1st1st
USSR Championships2nd2nd
1980World Cup2nd
1981World Championships2nd1st
Universiade2nd
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