Natalia Godunko


Natalia Godunko is a Ukrainian former individual rhythmic gymnast. She is the 2004 Grand Prix Final All-around champion and the 2003 Grand Prix Final All-around bronze medalist.

Personal life

Godunko was born in Kiev, in the Ukrainian SSR of the Soviet Union.
Godunko online auctioned her Team All-Around gold medal won in the 2001 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships to support the Ukrainian army who at the time was fighting a war in Donbass.

Career

Godunko started training in rhythmic gymnastics in 1990 at age six. She trained in Kiev under the mother/daughter coaching team of Albina and Irina Deriugina. Her coaches did not notice her for a while—she was not tall with long legs, which was preferred by the Deriugins School—but her speed and technique with apparatus and on elements eventually attracted their attention.
In 1998, Godunko became a member of the Ukrainian national team and competed as a junior at the World Youth Games in Moscow, placing sixth.
As a senior, Godunko competed as part of the Ukrainian group for several years, as well as occasionally competing in individual events with little success. She was the third-ranked gymnast in Ukraine for a while. She began her breakthrough at the 2002 Ukrainian Nationals, winning bronze in all-round and all gold medals in the finals. In 2003, she competed in ball at her first Grand Prix, the Deriugina Cup, and then competed in hoop and ribbon at the Holon Grand Prix and in ribbon at the Berlin Grand Prix. She won the bronze all-around medal at the 2003 Grand Prix Final in Innsbruck, Austria.
At the 2004 Athens Olympics, Godunko qualified in fourth with a score of 102.750. In the final, she scored: Ribbon 26.125, Clubs 26.375, Ball 25.800, Hoop 25.500, and finished fifth overall behind Kazakh gymnast Aliya Yussupova. She won the 2004 Grand Prix Final in all-around and won two more gold medals in ball and ribbon.
In 2005, Godunko was a rival to Anna Bessonova for the position of Ukraine's top gymnast. In front of a home audience, Godunko won the Deriugina Cup title. She was the only Ukrainian to win a gold medal, in ribbon, at the 2005 European Championships.
At the 2008 Summer Olympics, Godunko finished seventh in the All-around finals with an overall score of 68.850 points. She briefly returned to competition in 2010.

Routine music information

YearApparatusMusic title
2010HoopSmooth Criminal music from Encore! by David Garrett
2010RopeHot Fuji music from by Brian Tyler
2010BallPalladio music from Escala by Escala
2010RibbonGrand Guignol music from Mar Dulce by Bojofondo Tango Club
2008HoopNight On Bald Mountain by Modest Moussorgsky
2008RopeGopak
2008Clubs"L'estate" 3. Presto music from The Four Seasons Concerto No. 2 in G minor, Op. 8, RV 315 by Vivaldi
2008RibbonTsiganochka / Gypsy Girl
2007HoopNight On Bald Mountain by Modest Moussorgsky
2007RopeAct 1 finale Death of Giselle, Love Scene music from Giselle by Adolphe Adam
2007ClubsBetter Have Some Ky / Dazzle Me / You Can Save Her music from Déjà Vu by Harry Gregson Williams
2007RibbonBeirut Taxi music from Syriana by Alexandre Desplat
2006Ball Santa Maria by Gotan project
2006Ball Attack music from Pearl Arbor by Hans Zimmer
2006RopeAct 1 finale Death of Giselle, Love Scene music from Giselle by Adolphe Adam
2006ClubsGopak
2006RibbonNight Borders / Camel Race / Main Theme music from The Mummy by Jerry Goldsmith
2005BallTaped Evidence / Cat and Mouse music from Paparazzi by Brian Tyler
2005RopeLa Goutte D'Or by Saint Germain
2005ClubsGopak
2005RibbonBumble Bee Boogie by Robert Wells
2004HoopSuite No. 2: Entrance of the Merchants – Dance of a Roman Courtesan – General Dance
music from Spartacus Suite by Aram Khachaturian
2004BallTechnologicque Park by Orbital
2004ClubsTetsujin music from Matrix Revolutions by Juno Reactor & Don Davis
2004RibbonBumble Bee Boogie by Robert Wells
2003HoopSession / Zion / Mona Lisa Overdrive music from by Linkin Park / Fluke / Don Davis & Juno Reactor
2003BallRuby Rap / The Diva Dance music from the 5th Element by Éric Serra
2003ClubsMovement X music from Mythodea by Papathanassiou Vangelis
2003RibbonBumble Bee Boogie by Robert Wells
2002HoopRevisiting The Race, The Race music from The Skulls by Randy Edelman
2002RopeSing! Sing! Sing! / Sing! Sing! Sing! by Bob Fosse
2002ClubsMovement X music from Mythodea by Papathanassiou Vangelis
2002BallHeat Miser by Massive Attack

Detailed Olympic results

YearCompetition DescriptionLocationMusicApparatusScore-FinalScore-Qualifying
2008OlympicsBeijingAll-around68.85069.400
2008OlympicsBeijingNight On Bald Mountain by Modest MoussorgskyHoop17.50017.375
2008OlympicsBeijingHopak – Ukrainian FolkRope16.70017.500
2008OlympicsBeijing"L'estate" 3. Presto by VivaldiClubs17.52517.650
2008OlympicsBeijingTsiganochka / Gypsy GirlRibbon17.12516.875