Anna Bessonova

Anna Bessonova loves to read in her leisure time. She is a caring and considerate person who likes spending time with her friends. Now retired from gymnastics, she has embarked on a new career as a coach at the Deryugin School. She also participates in international events and conducts classes all over the world.

Anna Bessonova was born as Hanna Volodymyrivna Bessonova on 29 July, 1984, in Kiev, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union, into a sporting family. Her father Vladimir Bessonov is a former Dynamo Kiev football player while her mother Viktoria, is a former two-time World champion group rhythmic gymnast. She has one brother, Alexander.

She was naturally inclined towards sports from a young age and her mother introduced her to rhythmic gymnastics when she was a little girl. She began receiving her formal training at the age of five.

Her mother had great ambitions for her and also wanted Anna to learn ballet. However, the girl was more interested in gymnastics and her mother supported her.

Anna Bessonova attended Deriugins School in Kiev where she received coaching from Albina Deriugina and her daughter Irina Deriugina.

She participated in the 2001 World Championships in Osaka, Japan, where she was the youngest member in the Ukrainian team. Her performance in the championship was so good that in spite of her young age, the specialists immediately recognized her as a future champion of the sport.

Originally she was placed fifth in the 2001 World Championships. Later on, Alina Kabaeva and her teammate Irina Tchachina who originally won gold and silver medal in All-around respectively tested positive to a banned diuretic (furosemide) and were thus stripped of their medals. This necessitated the results to be revamped, and Anna Bessonova was awarded the bronze medal.

In 2002, she participated as a member of the Ukrainian Group which won the gold medal in five Ribbons in New Orleans. The year saw her in great form and she dominated the final in the World Cup in Stuttgart in November, clinching the first place on the hoop, the rope and the clubs.

In 2003, she became a leader of the Ukrainian national team. She won the hoop event final beating Alina Kabaeva and the clubs final where she beat Irina Tchachina for the gold in the World Championships in Budapest. She also finished with a Silver medal in the all-around title, closely losing out to Alina.

She won three gold medals in the European Championship in 2003-- in hoop, clubs and ribbon event finals. She also won three gold medals in the 2003 Grand Prix tournament in Innsbruck: hoop, ribbon and all-around.

Anna Bessonova is a two-time Olympic bronze medalist. She won bronze medal in all-around in 2004 and 2008 Olympics.

She won the all-around gold medal in the 2007 World Championships.