The 1992 Olympics changed the fate of Oksana Kostina. The Barcelona tournament forever disappointed the young Russian in professional sports: one of the most gifted gymnasts on the planet was unable to enter the tournament due to political intrigues in her native country. However, on the way to the Games, where the girl was present as a guest, she met another member of the team, who became the love of her life for her.
Unfortunately, the beautiful romance of the two athletes did not last long. Six months after meeting the young man, Kostina was already preparing for the wedding, but her life was suddenly cut short due to a terrible accident.
The gymnast’s boyfriend was driving the car that day.
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A victim of big politics.
The games in Barcelona were supposed to be the culmination of the career of a brilliant gymnast. The girl conquered one peak after another and approached the Olympic Games in the status of a clear favorite. By that time, the athlete already had gold medals at the European and World Championships, so she only needed one award to complete her collection.
It seemed that nothing could stop the girl in Spain, but Oksana’s letters got mixed up with… big politics. At the end of 1991, the USSR unexpectedly collapsed, and rapid changes began in the country. The newly formed states did not have time to properly prepare for the 1992 Olympics, so for the last time in history a united team came to the tournament – the CIS team.
A tough struggle took place between the countries that had just gained independence – the officials did everything possible so that their compatriots received a ticket to the Olympic Games. The victim of this rivalry was only Kostina. Initially, Alexandra Timoshenko was supposed to go to the tournament with Oksana, but at the last moment Ukraine managed a replacement by promoting another representative instead of the Russian woman, a native of Zaporozhye Oksana Skaldina, also a world and European champion.
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After the decision was made, the Russian gymnast was literally kicked out of the Olympic base. The athlete’s coach to the last tried to bring justice and even turned to the president for help, but to no avail. Only thanks to the personal intervention of the IOC President, Antonio Samaranch, did the girl have the opportunity to attend the Games, at least as a guest. Oksana had to be literally pushed onto the plane: the gymnast flatly refused to fly without a coach, whom she for some reason was not allowed to go to Barcelona.
“The car seemed to have been sucked into a vacuum cleaner”
In return, the unfortunate Olympias gave the girl love. On the way home, Kostina met the pentathlete Eduard Zenovka. It was he who subsequently convinced the 20-year-old gymnast, who was disillusioned with sports, not to end her career on a lesser note. Only to leave beautifully, she Oksana agreed to go to the World Championship of the same year. Her performance in Brussels was eloquent proof of the error of those responsible for sports. In Belgium, the Russian woman became the absolute world champion, taking gold in all five disciplines; this record stood for over a decade and a half.
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Meanwhile, relations between Zenovka and Kostina have long since turned from friendly to romantic. The couple had already planned a wedding, and Oksana dreamed of a family and children. But her plans, unfortunately, were not destined to come true.
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Fatal for the gymnast was February 11, 1993. On this day, having met her young man at the airport, Kostina went with him on business to Domodedovo. Initially, Eduard’s friend was driving the car, but then he left at his stop, giving way to Zenovka. The athlete agreed to lead, although he was very tired after a long flight from Australia. This was what caused the accident, which claimed the life of a 20-year-old athlete.
– We are not driving fast, 60-70 kilometers per hour, and the asphalt did not seem to be slippery, so I still cannot understand how I flew into the oncoming lane. Apparently, he was simply distracted, because we had not seen each other for a long time. The car seemed to be dragged by a vacuum cleaner, – said Zenovka.
Oksana Kostina personal archive
The crash was terrible: “Moskvich” collided head-on with a truck traveling at full speed. The talented gymnast died instantly and her lover miraculously managed to survive, however, she lost a kidney. What happened was a terrible scare for her mother, who could not believe the death of her own daughter: the day before, the happy Oksana spoke to her on the phone. The athlete was put in a coffin in a wedding dress and a veil; the girl did not have time to wait for the wedding.
