Zinaida Voronina

Zinaida Voronina’s (then Druzhinina) international début came at the 1966 World Championships, where she won silver in the team event and bronze on the floor. At the 1967 European Championships, Voronina won the individual all-around silver and bronzes on balance beam and floor exercise. The 1968 Olympics were probably her best tournament, as she won gold in team event, silver in individual all-around and bronzes on balance beam and floor exercise. Shortly before the Olympics, Voronina had married a fellow gymnast, World and European champion and future double Olympic champion Mikhail Voronin. They had a son Dmitry, who later also became an international level gymnast. After his birth Voronina made a comeback at the 1970 World Championships, where she won the team title and three bronzes (individual all-around, uneven bars and floor exercise). Voronina also won two Soviet titles, both in 1968 in vault and in floor exercise. Voronina retired from the gymnastics after she was not selected to the Soviet 1972 Olympic team and started to work as a gymnastics coach with her husband. But Voronina was not happy with her personal and professional life, so she started drinking. The Voronin’s divorced in 1980, and Mikhail received custody of their child. Voronina moved to Balashikha, near Moscow and worked there in a mechanical foundry factory for the next 20 years. Her alcoholism deepened and she died in March 2001 due to alcohol-related illness at only 53-years-old.