Elena Davydova

Head Coach & Owner - Elena Davydova
Gemini Gymnastics programs are led by Head Coach and Owner, Elena Davydova, 1980 Olympic All Around Gold Medal Champion. Her achievements as a gymnast, and impact as a coach at Gemini Gymnastics, have been outstanding. In December, 2011. Elena fulfilled her dream by purchasing Gemini Gymnastics and becoming a club owner.

Born in Voronege, Russia, Elena’s contributions as an athlete changed the sport of gymnastics forever. She was the first woman to complete a backward giant and a Tkatchev on the uneven bars, a front salto and a side somersault on the balance beam as well as a round-off backhand spring. On vault Elena invented the full twist-on, tucked front somersault off and on floor she was the first to perform a 1 1/2 twist, punch front combination, an Arabian 1 3/4 somersault, and a piked Arabian 1 3/4 somersault. In addition to edging out Nadia Comaneci at the 1980 Olympics for the all around title, she scored a perfect 10 on vault during the Team Competition. She won another Gold Medal at the 1981 World Gymnastics Championships.

Elena retired as an athlete to attend Leningrad University of Physical Education and later received her doctorate in Pedagogical Science at the P.F. Lesgaft State Institute of Athletic Education. Upon graduation, she joined the St. Petersburg Olympic Reserve as a coach for the Soviet National Gymnastics Team, and served as an International Brevet Judge (the highest international level of judging). Elena immigrated to Canada with her family in 1991 and began work at Gemini Gymnastics. In 2005 she achieved the highest score on the Canadian Brevet judging course and in June 2006 she received the FIG Coaching Brevet. As of 2007, she is 1 of only 31 female coaches worldwide to hold this Brevet and the only Olympic AA champion. In May 2007, Elena Davydova was inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame. In April, 2012, Elena was named as Ontario’s Female Coach of the Year.

Elena Davydova and her coaching staff at Gemini have produced champions in all levels of competitive gymnastics including 14 Canadian AA Champions, 7 Elite Canada AA Champions, 20 Eastern Canadian AA Champions and 82 Ontario AA Champions. Other highlights include:

In 2005, 2006 and again in 2010, Gymnastics Canada Gymnastique awarded Elena Davydova and long-time associate coach, Valery Yahchybekov, as the Junior High Performance Coaches of the Year.
In 2006 Gemini Gymnastics received the prestigious Gymnastics Canada Ed Brougham Award for Club of the Year.
Two athletes from Gemini, Kristina Vaculik and Rebecca Simbhudas, represented Canada at the 2007 World Gymnastics Championships in Stuttgart, Germany.
In April 2008, Elena and Kristina brought home Gemini’s first gold and silver World Cup trophies.
Kristina Vaculik was named as the 2008 Beijing Olympic Team Reserve Member.
Junior, Riley Cholod, wins the 2009 Elite Canada title.
In February 2010, Davydova travels with Cholod and Vaculik to Oklahoma where they win the junior and senior divisions at the Nadia Comaneci International Invitational.
In March 2010, Vaculik earns 2 gold and 2 silver medals at the Cottbus World Cup, an unprecendented result for Canadian Artistic Women’s Gymnastics.
Gemini athletes win 6 Ontario and 3 Eastern Canadian titles at Gymnastics Championships in April 2010.
Vaculik wins her 2nd Senior National title at the 2010 Canadian Championships and Riley Cholod, is named Junior Athlete of the Year.
In March 2011, Gemini Gymnastics was once again recognized by GCG as a Club of Excellence. Gemini has received the award for 10 consecutive years since the inception of the award in 2003.
2010 marked the 30th Anniversary of Elena’s Olympic victory. She is considered one of the top ten heroes of the Soviet Games in Moscow because she did the impossible – in the All-Around competition, Elena beat the world’s best gymnast, Romania star Nadia Camanci.