Summer Olympics

Olympic gymnastics champion Shushunova dies at 49

Published Aug. 16, 2018 6:20 a.m. ET

MOSCOW (AP) — Elena Shushunova, a Soviet gymnast who won the women's all-around gold medal at the 1988 Seoul Olympics, has died. She was 49.

The Russian Gymnastics Federation said Shushunova "died suddenly" on Thursday. Russian media reported she had complications from pneumonia.

Shushunova scored perfect 10s in the vault and the floor exercise to beat Romanian rival Daniela Silivas by only 0.025 points to win the all-around gold.

Shushunova also won gold in the team event, silver on the balance beam and bronze on the uneven bars, as well as five gold medals at the world championships.

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