Total Medals:
Olympics:
Worlds:
Euros:
World Cup:
Olomouc:
Appearances:,,

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Natalia Yurchenko is in the paradox of being a complete unknown outside the gymnastics community, but amongst gymnastics fans her name is as recognizable as household names like Nadia Comaneci, Olga Korbut, and Katelyn Ohashi. This is due to her innovation on vault which would revolutionize the apparatus and in the same fashion as what the Fosbury Flop did for track and field. Yurchenko-style vaults are now the near-universal standard and her name is amongst the most ubiquitous in the sport.

Despite her repertoire as a classic 1980s gymnast, Yurchenko first emerged as a key member of the Soviet program during the 1977-1980 Olympic quad. Yurchenko missed the 1980 Olympics but by 1982 had remerged as one of the top gymnasts in the world. She won the AA title at the 1983 World Championships. Yurchenko would miss the Olympics as a result of the 1984 boycott, but because her contributions to the sport were so legendary, the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame broke all precedent by making her the only non-Olympian in women’s gymnastics to be inducted.

World Championships & Olympic Competition:

Results:

1978:
Junior Friendship Tournament (Druzhba): 5th-AA, 2nd-VT, 1st-UB, 1st-Team
Riga International: 25th-AA, 8th-VT, 1st-FX

1979:
Russian SSR Championships: 1st-AA, 1st-VT, 1st-FX
Moscow News: 12th-AA (T): Competed as Exhibition
USSR Cup: 4th-AA
European Championships: Alternate
USSR Championships: 11th-AA, 8th-UB, 5th-BB, 1st-Team
USSR Spartakiade/Pre-Olympics: 3rd-BB
This was a single competition with both the Pre-Olympics and USSR Spartakiade titles at stake.
World Championships: Alternate

1980:
Did not compete.

1981:
Dinamo Spartakiade: 4th-AA
USSR Cup: 4th-AA, 2nd-BB
Giresum Tournament: 3rd-AA
Schoolchildren’s Spartakiade: 6th-AA, 5th-BB, 1st-FX, 4th-Team

1982:
Moscow News: 1st-AA, 1st-VT, 1st-UB, 1st-BB
USSR Cup: 1st-AA, 1st-UB
USGF International Invitational: 4th-AA, 5th-UB, 5th-BB, 5th-FX, 4th-Team
USSR Championships: 1st-AA, 1st-VT, 1st-UB, 5th-BB, 1st-FX
World Cup: 1st-AA (T), 1st-VT (T), 2nd-UB (T), 1st-BB, 4th-FX (T)
Budapest International: 1st-VT, 1st-UB (T), 4th-FX

1983:
American Cup: 8th-AA
International Mixed Pairs 3 on 3: 1st-Team
Moscow News: 1st-AA, 2nd-VT, 4th-UB, 1st-BB
European Championships: 9th-AA, 4th-BB, 4th-FX (T)
University Games: 1st-AA, 1st-VT, 1st-UB, 1st-BB, 5th-FX, 1st-Team
USSR Championships: 1st-AA, 1st-VT, 1st-UB, 1st-BB, 2nd-FX, 1st-Team
USSR Spartakiade: 1st-AA, 1st-VT, 1st-UB, 1st-BB, 1st-FX, 1st-Team
World Championships: 1st-AA, 8th-VT, 1st-Team

1984:
USSR Cup: 4th-AA, DNQ-VT, DNQ-UB, DNQ-BB, DNQ-FX
Alternate Olympics (Olomouc): 5th (T), 1st-VT (T), 2nd-UB, 1st-Team

1985:
Russian SSR Championships: 1st-AA
Australia Games: 2nd-AA
USSR Championships: 3rd-AA
European Championships: 10th-AA, DNQ-VT, DNQ-UB, DNQ-BB, DNQ-FX
University Games: 1st-AA, 2nd-VT, 1st-UB, 7th-BB, 1st-FX, 1st-Team
World Championships: 6th-AA, 6th-VT (T), 6th-BB, 1st-Team

1986:
World Cup: 10th-AA, DNQ-VT, DNQ-UB, DNQ-BB, DNQ-FX
World Sports Fair: 3rd-AA
Chunichi Cup: 6th-AA (T)
Tokyo Cup: 2nd-UB (T), 1st-BB

Gallery:

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Results are taken from Score for Score, The Gymternet, GymnasticGreats, My Meet Scores, Gymn-Forum, the official websites of various national gymnastics federations, newspaper clippings, classic gymnastics magazines, and in some cases, were provided by the gymnasts themselves. An explanation for the meaning of these symbols can be found here.