Larisa Latynina
Larisa Semyonovna Latynina is a former Soviet gymnast. Between 1956 and 1964 she wonindividual Olympic medals and four team medals. Her total ofOlympic medals was a record for 48 years until surpassed by American swimmer Michael Phelps onJuly 2012. Although Phelps broke her total medal count record, her record for individual event medals still stands. She is credited with helping to establish the Soviet Union as a dominant force in gymnastics.
She was born as Larisa Semyonovna Diriy in Soviet Ukraine. Her father, Semyon Andreyevich Diriy, left the family when she wasmonths old, and she was raised by her illiterate mother, Polina, who worked as a cleaner during the day and as a night watchman. Her father was killed at the Battle of Stalingrad, where he served as a machine gun operator. She first practiced ballet, but turned to gymnastics after her choreographer moved out of Kherson. She graduated from high school in 1953 and moved to Kiev to attend the Lenin Polytechnic Institute and continue training, where she trained at the Burevestnik Voluntary Sports Society. At the age of 19, she debuted internationally at the 1954 Rome World Championships, winning the gold medal in the team competition.
Source: Wikipedia