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Olympic star will train here
By ROGER MILLS © St. Petersburg Times, published January 26, 1999 Talk about a double attraction. Ukrainian gymnast Lilia Podkopayeva, who won the individual all-around gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, along with long-time coach Galina Losinska, have migrated to the United States and landed in ... Oldsmar. The duo are the newest members of the Gemini School of Gymnastics. Losinska will join the coaching staff and Podkopayeva will use the gym's facilities as home base as she works toward competing in the 2000 Olympics in Sydney. The two arrived Friday after months acquiring working and living visas through the State Department. "I was here three years ago and really like Florida, this gym and the facilities," Losinska said through interpreter Viktor Savitsky, also a member of the school's staff. "This is a good opportunity." Added Rocky Strassberg, owner of the school: "I think that having Galina rounds off our coaching staff perfectly and makes us one of the best in the United States. Also, having Lilia here, with her experience and work ethic, it would definitely impact our students." The key to making it happen was Savitsky. A member of the Olympic team that represented the Soviet Union in 1980, Savitsky kept in touch with European-based athletes and coaches and had developed a friendship with Losinska. He was told Losinska and Podkopayeva were thinking of moving to the United States and set the paperwork in motion. "Viktor got word that Galina and Lilia were looking to move here and I guess you can say we were in the right place at the right time," Strassberg said. The two, who speak limited English, plan to share an apartment while Podkopayeva continues her Olympic training. Asked what they thought about their new home, Losinska replied: "This is a great country."
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