Who Is Gabby Douglas's Coach?

Gabrielle Douglas, an American artistic gymnast, won the Olympic all-around title in 2012 becoming the first African American to do so, and secured silver in the 2015 World all-around. Douglas was part of the gold-winning teams at the 2012 and 2016 Olympics, as well as a member of the gold-winning American teams at the 2011 and 2015 World Championships.

She became the first African-American to be the Olympic individual all-around champion and the first gymnast from the US to win gold in both the team and individual all-around events at the same Olympics. She also claimed the 2016 AT&T American Cup all-around title. She is coached by Valeri Liukin.

Quick Facts on Gabby Douglas's Coach

Gabby Douglas' Coach

Valeri Liukin has coached Douglas since 2022 at the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy (WOGA) in Plano. Valeri is assisted by his wife, Anna Kotchneva Liukin, a former Soviet rhythmic gymnast.

Valeri Viktorovich Liukin, born December 17, 1966, is a Soviet-born Kazakh-American retired artistic gymnast and renowned gymnast coach. Competing for the Soviet Union, he won gold medals at the 1988 Seoul Olympics in the team competition and individual horizontal bar, and a silver medal in the all-around and parallel bars.

Post-retirement, Liukin transitioned to coaching in the United States following the fall of the Soviet Union in 1992. Liukin, his wife, former Soviet rhythmic gymnast Anna Kotchneva, and their daughter Nastia, initially settled in New Orleans before moving to Plano, Texas.

On March 07, 2024, in an interview with the official Olympics website, Anna Liukin confirmed that she and her husband, Valeri Liukin, have been coaching Douglas.

Gabby Douglas's Previous Coach List

The list of previous coaches who trained Gabby Douglas:

• Christian Gallardo

• Kittia Carpenter

• Dena Walker

• Gustavo Moure

• Liang Chow

Valeri Liukin's Wife

Valeri Lukin is married to Anna Kotchneva, a 1987 World Champion rhythmic gymnast.

Anna Kotchneva, born January 25, 1970, is a former Soviet rhythmic gymnast. She became the 1987 World Champion in clubs, won the 1987 World bronze medals in the hoop, and co-bronze in rope with Marina Lobatch.

Valeri Liukin's Kids

Valeri Liukin and Anna Kotchneva have a daughter named Nastia Liukin. She was born in Moscow on October 30, 1989.

Nastia Liukin, a retired U.S. artistic gymnast, won five medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, including all-around gold. She is the 2005 World champion on uneven bars and the 2005 and 2007 World champion on balance beam. Liukin is also a four-time all-around U.S. national champion with titles won twice as a junior and twice as a senior.

Valeri Liukin's Physical Attributes

Valeri is 5 feet 4 inches or 162 cm tall. He weighs 58 kg and is 57 years old.

Valeri Liukin's Coaching Career

Valeri Liukin co-founded the World Olympic Gymnastics Academy (WOGA) in Plano with his longtime friend and business partner, Evgeny Marchenko, a five-time sports acrobatics World Champion. Their mission was to lift the standard of gymnastics in the U.S. by assembling a team of top-tier national and international coaches.

WOGA hosts two annual international invitationals: the Valeri Liukin Invitational for boys and the Plano Classic for girls. They have featured renowned gymnasts such as Anna Pavlova, Natalia Serobaba, and Maria Zasipkina.

Liukin's coaching became globally recognized when he guided his daughter, Nastia Liukin, to remarkable success at the 2008 Summer Olympics. Nastia won the all-around gold that contributed to Team USA's silver medal in the team competition, and also secured silver medals on the uneven bars and balance beam, along with a bronze in the floor exercise.

Liukin has also trained numerous notable gymnasts including Rebecca Bross, the 2010 National Champion and six-time World medalist, and Katelyn Ohashi, the 2011 junior National champion and 2013 American Cup champion. Under Liukin's guidance, Bross placed second in the all-around at the 2009 World Championships in London with teammate Ivana Hong earning third in the beam competition. However, Bross and Nastia failed to secure a spot for the 2012 London Olympic team prompting Liukin's retirement from international and senior competition.

Liukin's coaching accolades include being named International Coach of the Year in 2000 and 2004, and his induction into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2005. On September 16, 2016, he was appointed coordinator for the U.S. women's national gymnastics team, succeeding Márta Károlyi. He resigned from this role on February 2, 2018, amid the USA Gymnastics sex abuse scandal.

Valeri Liukin's Record

• He was the first gymnast to perform a triple back somersault in the floor exercise.

• His daring moves included a layout Tkatchev and a Jaeger with a full twist on the high bar.

• One of the most challenging skills in men’s artistic gymnastics is named after him, the triple back (tucked) somersault.

• At the 1987 European Championships in Moscow, Liukin was the first gymnast to execute a triple back somersault in the floor routine.

Valeri Liukin's Awards & Achievement

• Representing the former Soviet Union, Liukin achieved Olympic glory in the 1988 Seoul Games:

• Gold medal in the team competition.

• Gold medal individually in the horizontal bar.

• Silver medal in the all-around.

• Silver medal in the parallel bars.

• He was enlisted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame in 2005.

• He was the International Coach of the Year. (2000 and 2004)

• In 2016, he was inducted into the USA Gymnastics Hall of Fame.

• At the 1987 European Championships in Moscow, Liukin’s achievements were:

• Gold medals in the all-around, horizontal bar, and floor exercise.

• Silver medal on the still rings and bronze on the vault.