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Olga Karasyova

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Olga Karasyova (née Kharlova)
Olga Karasyova (left) with Karin Janz, 1969
Personal information
Full nameOlga Dmitryievna Karasyova-Kharlova
Born (1949-07-24) 24 July 1949 (age 75)
Bishkek, Kirghiz SSR, Soviet Union
Height5 ft 4 in (1.63 m)
Weight121 lb (55 kg)
SpouseValery Karasyov
Gymnastics career
DisciplineWomen's artistic gymnastics
Country represented Soviet Union
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 place 1968 Mexico City Team
World Championships
Gold medal – first place 1970 Ljubljana Team
Silver medal – second place 1970 Ljubljana Floor
Silver medal – second place 1966 Dortmund Team
European Championships
Gold medal – first place 1969 Landskrona Floor
Silver medal – second place 1969 Landskrona All-Around
Silver medal – second place 1969 Landskrona Uneven Bars
Silver medal – second place 1969 Landskrona Beam
Bronze medal – third place 1969 Landskrona Vault

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.

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. ^ a b c 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. ^ a b "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 (15 November 2015). "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.


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