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Favorite Routines: Lilia Podkopayeva

This week's favorite routine is an oldie, but a goody. I'm featuring the 1996 Olympic all-around champion, Lilia Podkopayeva. Going into the all-around final, Lilia was the current reigning world champion. Only a handful of gymnasts before her had went on to become subsequent Olympic champions. The weight was definitely on her shoulders going into the all-around final.


Lilia was a cool kid, she handled the pressure extraordinarily and gave consistent and strong performances throughout. Her floor routine is an example of power and artistry. She performed to a mash-up of aria's from The Barber of Seville and The Marriage of Figaro. Her dancing is light and airy and fits perfectly with the tone of the music. Lilia's routine also features high powered tumbling moves, showing us that gymnastics can exhibit both artistry and power.

Lilia scored a 9.887 on the floor and she went on to be the fourth and final reigning world champion to win the Olympic all-around title. In addition to her all-around gold, she also won another gold medal on the floor exercise and a silver on the balance beam.

Without futher adieu:



 Special thanks to the folks who created Pinterest for this week's blog entry. As always, if there is a routine you want me to feature, shoot me a line and I'll be happy to feature your request.

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