Anna Bezsonova
Personal information
Full name
Hanna Volodymyrivna Bessonova
Nickname(s)
Anya, Bess
Country represented
Born
(1984-07-29) 29 July 1984 (age 39)
Kyiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Hometown
Kyiv
Height
174 cm (5 ft 9 in)
Weight
49 kg (108 lb)
Discipline
Club
Head coach(es)
Assistant coach(es)
Choreographer
Iryna Grischenko
Retired
2010
Medal record
Event
1st
2nd
3rd
0
0
2
5
15
7
3
12
9
0
2
0
3
4
3
5
7
6
1
4
1
10
8
1
1
2
1
1
4
0
Total
29
58
30
Representing 
Ukraine
Team
5 ribbons
Hoop
Clubs
All-around
Hoop
Ball
All-around
Ball
Ribbon
Team
Team
All-around
Rope
Ball
Clubs
Ribbon
Clubs
Ribbon
Ribbon
Team
All-around
Rope
Hoop
All-around
Rope
Ball
Ribbon
Hoop
Clubs
Team
Ball
All-around
Team
Ball
Ribbon
Team
Hoop
Ribbon
Team
All-around
Ball
All-around
Rope
Clubs
All-around
Clubs
Rope
Hoop
Ribbon
Team
Team
Team
2002 Stuttgart
Rope
2002 Stuttgart
Hoop
2002 Stuttgart
Clubs
2002 Stuttgart
Ball
2008 Benidorm
Hoop
2008 Benidorm
Clubs
2008 Benidorm
Ribbon
2006 Mie
Rope
2006 Mie
Ball
2006 Mie
Ribbon
2003 Innsbruck
All-around
2003 Innsbruck
Ribbon
2003 Innsbruck
Hoop
2004 Deventer
Hoop
2004 Deventer
Clubs
2002 Innsbruck
All-around
2002 Innsbruck
Ball
2003 Innsbruck
Clubs
2003 Innsbruck
Ball
2004 Deventer
Ribbon
2005 Berlin
All-around
2006 Berlin
Ball
2000 Deventer
Hoop
2002 Innsbruck
Clubs
2002 Innsbruck
Hoop
2004 Deventer
All-around
2004 Deventer
Ball
2005 Berlin
Ribbon
Rope
Ball
Rope
Ball
Ribbon
Ribbon
Ribbon
All-around
Rope
Ball
Clubs
All-around
Rope
Hoop
Clubs
Ribbon
All-around
Hoop
Ball
Clubs
All-around
Rope
Ball
Ribbon
Ribbon
World Youth Games (juniors)
Ribbon
Hoop
Ball
Rope
Clubs
All-around
Rope
Hoop
Ball
Event
1st
2nd
3rd
47
51
53
28
32
19
Total
75
83
72
Awards
Longines Prize for Elegance (2007, 2009)
Hanna Volodymyrivna Bezsonova (Ukrainian: Ганна Володимирівна Безсонова/Hanna Volodymyrivna Bezsonova; born 29 July 1984) is a Ukrainian former individual rhythmic gymnast. She is one of the most decorated rhythmic gymnast of her generation. She is a two-time Olympic bronze medalist (2004 and 2008); a five-time medalist in the all-around competition of the World Championships: gold in 2007, silver in 2003 and 2005, bronze in 2001 and 2009; a four-time medalist in the all-around competition of the European Championships: silver in 2004 and 2008, bronze in 2002 and 2006; and a four-time medalist in the all-around competition of the Grand Prix Final: gold in 2003, silver in 2002 and 2005, bronze in 2004.
Bessonova's father is the Dynamo Kyiv football player Vladimir Bessonov. Her mother, Viktoria, is a former two-time World champion group rhythmic gymnast. She is the one that introduced her daughter to the sport.[1]
After retiring, Bessonova coached girls at the Deriugins School. Her students include Yeva Meleshchuk.[2]
Bessonova moved to the United States in 2017 and coaches girls in Florida.[3]
Bessonova began training in rhythmic gymnastics at age five. Her mother preferred to see her daughter on the ballet stage; however, Bessonova decided on rhythmic gymnastics. She was coached by Albina Deriugina and her daughter Irina Deriugina at the Deriugins SchoolinKyiv.[1] She is 1.74m (5'9").
In 1998, Bessonova participated at the 1998 World Youth GamesinMoscow and won a gold medal in ribbon, silver medals in ball and hoop and a bronze in rope in junior competition.[4]
In 1999, Bessonova was the youngest in the Ukrainian team during the 1999 World ChampionshipinOsaka, Japan, yet she made such a good impression that the RG specialists wrote her name immediately as a future top gymnast. In the 2001 World Championships, 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 stripped of their medals. Ukraine's Tamara Yerofeeva who originally won bronze was awarded the gold with Bulgaria's Simona Peycheva from 4th to taking the silver and Bessonova from 5th was awarded the bronze medal.
In 2001, Bessonova participated at the 2001 Goodwill GamesinBrisbane and won a bronze medal in clubs.[5]
In 2002, Bessonova tested positive for norephedrine, a banned stimulant in March during a competition in Disneyland Paris Stadium by France and was banned for two months.[6] Bessonova briefly competed as member of the Ukrainian Group. She and the Ukrainian Group won the gold medal in five Ribbons in New Orleans. She dominated the 2002 World Cup Final in Stuttgart in November, by winning the first place on the hoop, the rope and the clubs. After that Bessonova (aged 18) became a leader of the Ukrainian national team.
In 2003 in Budapest she won two World titles — the hoop event final edging out Alina Kabaeva (performing to music from Swan Lake) and the clubs final where she beat Irina Tchachina for the gold. Bessonova was very close to the all-around title but finished with the silver medal behind Russia's Alina Kabaeva after a drop during her ball routine. In 2003, she won three European gold medals — in hoop, clubs and ribbon event finals. She won three of four finals in the 2003 Grand Prix tournament in Kyiv.[7]
In 2004, Bessonova won the all-around silver medal at the 2004 European Championships. She made her Olympic debut and won the bronze individual all-around medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics with a total score of 106.700 (ribbon 26.725, clubs 26.950, ball 26.525, hoop 26.500) behind two Russians, silver medalist Irina Tchachina and gold medalist Alina Kabaeva.
In 2005, Bessonova became a six-time silver medalist during 2005 World Championships in all-around, rope, ball, clubs and ribbon finals. She took four gold medals at the 2005 Universiadeinİzmir, winning the all-around, rope, ball and clubs. She won the all-around bronze at the 2006 European Championships.
In 2007, Bessonova competed in a number of Grand Prix and World Cup Series. The year would also mark the start of a new challenge for Bessonova with rise of new Russian gymnast Evgenia Kanaeva. At the 2007 Corbeil-Essonnes World Cup, she won the silver medal behind Evgenia Kanaeva. She won all the gold medals in 2007 Summer Universiade beating Sessina and Kapranova. She became World champion at the 2007 World Championship in Patras, winning the all-around gold medal defeating Russians Vera Sessina and Olga Kapranova.
In 2008, Bessonova won all-around golds at the LA Lights, Deriugina Cup (Kyiv World Cup) and Miss Valentine Competitions, as well as the all-around silver at the European Championships in Torino behind Russian star Evgenia Kanaeva. At the 2008 World Cup events, Bessonova accumulated 15 medals. The year culminated in her all-around bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics with Kanaeva winning the gold medal and Belarus' Inna Zhukova taking the silver medal.
In 2009, Bessonova placed first in the all-around at the Kyiv World Cup and Deriugina Cup events, and also won bronze in the World and European Championships behind reigning Olympic champion Evgenia Kanaeva and Daria Kondakova. She competed at the 2009 UniversiadeinBelgrade and won four silver medals again behind Kanaeva. Bessonova finally completed her career in 2010 at the Deriugina Cup in Kyiv.
In 2013, Bessonova performed at the opening ceremony of the 2013 World Championships, in Kyiv, Ukraine.
After completing her career in professional sports, Bessonova appeared in Ukrainian television projects. During the UEFA Euro 2012, she was a TV presenter, a commentator and a special correspondent in a Ukrainian sports TV channel.[8] Back in 2009, Bessonova took part in «Dancing for You» TV show, becoming the winner (partnered with Olexander Leshchenko). After some time, she was a chief editor of Ukrainian edition of Pink magazine. Bessonova is also known as an active promoter of sports and healthy lifestyle among young people in Ukraine. She participated in numerous charity projects.
Year
Apparatus
Music title [9]
2009
Hoop
Carrots/Shots / Struggle For Ebullience / Night Running / Earth Zoom In / Linda Looks For Love (Part 1) / Plan B
music from Burn After Reading by Carter Burwell
Rope
Boat Chase / Chopper Chase / Face Off music from The Italian Job by John Powell
Ball
Chapel / Filet / Red Men music from Le Rêve by Benoît Jutras
Ribbon
Carmina Burana by Carl Orff
2008
Hoop
music from AvrorabyValeri Tishler
Rope
Shiro's Estate by Brian Tyler
Clubs
Gladiator soundtrack – "Barbarian Horde"
Ribbon
Hopak (Ukrainian Folk)
2007
Hoop
music from AvrorabyValeri Tishler
Rope
The Dance At The Gym music from West Side StorybyLeonard Bernstein
Clubs
Gladiator soundtrack – "Barbarian Horde"
Ribbon
2006
Ball
You Have A Special Purpose In Life / I'm Not Ready To Die / Renovatio music from The IslandbySteve Jablonsky
Rope
Conga Fury music from The Animatrix by Juno Reactor
Clubs
Plaza of Execution / Leave No Witnesses / The Ride / The Fencing Lesson / The Mask of Zorro
music from The Mask of ZorrobyJames Horner
Ribbon
Molto Meno Mosso (Act IV, no.28) / Moderato (Act III, no. 24) music from Swan LakebyPyotr Tchaikovsky
2005
Ball
Miss San / Miko's Testimony / Song to Miko music from WasabibyÉric Serra
Rope
Finale from Carmen by G. Bizet, R. Shchedrin
Clubs
Jesus Arrested / Mary Goes to Jesus / Jesus is Carried Down music from The Passion of the ChristbyJohn Debney
Ribbon
Fantasy – overture for orchestra in B minor from Romeo and JulietbyPyotr Tchaikovsky
2004
Hoop
Molto Meno Mosso / Allegro – Valse – Allegro – Vivo / Finale – Andante – Allegro Agitatoo -
Alla Breve – Moderato e Maestoso – Moderato / Moderato by Tchaikovsky
Ball
Clubs
Mona Lisa Overdrive from The Matrix Reloaded by Don Davis and Juno Reactor
Ribbon
Nyah / La Cavalera from Mission Impossible IIbyHans Zimmer and Elliot Goldenthal
2003
Hoop
Molto Meno Mosso / Allegro – Valse – Allegro – Vivo / Finale – Andante – Allegro Agitatoo -
Alla Breve – Moderato e Maestoso – Moderato / Moderato by Tchaikovsky
Ball
Tennessee / Attack (from Pearl Harbor) by Hans Zimmer
Clubs
Su-Chow Prison (from Spy Game by Harry Gregson-Williams
Ribbon
Nyah / La Cavalera from Mission Impossible IIbyHans Zimmer and Elliot Goldenthal
2002
Hoop
Molto Meno Mosso / Allegro – Valse – Allegro – Vivo / Finale – Andante – Allegro Agitatoo -
Alla Breve – Moderato e Maestoso – Moderato / Moderato by Tchaikovsky
Rope
Nyah music from Mission Impossible 2 by Hans Zimmer
Clubs
The Word [PMT Remix] music from Swordfish by Dope Smugglaz
Ball
Tennessee / Attack (from Pearl Harbor) by Hans Zimmer
2001
Hoop
Raid on Leonesse music from First Knight by Jerry Goldsmith
Rope
Nyah music from Mission Impossible II by Hans Zimmer
Clubs
Concierto Para Quinteto by Astor Piazzolla
Ball
Barbarian Horde / To Zucchabar (from The Gladiator) by Hans Zimmer
2000
Hoop
Act 1 and 2 (from Giselle) by Adolphe Adam
Rope
Night Borders / Camel Race / Main Theme music from The Mummy by Jerry Goldsmith
Ball
Toccata and Fugue in D Minor by Johann Sebastian Bach
Ribbon
"Serpent Dream" by Mike Oldfield
1999
Hoop
Nuestro Poema by Raul di Blasio
Rope
Felicia music from Tango Forever by Luis Bravo
Ball
?
Ribbon
"Serpent Dream" by Mike Oldfield
1998
Hoop
?
Clubs
?
Ball
"Gory, gory, moya zvezda" (Ukrainian traditional)
Ribbon
Private Investigations by Dire Straits
Year
Competition Description
Location
Music
Apparatus
Score-Final
Score-Qualifying
2008
Olympics
All-around
71.875
72.825
Hopak (Ukrainian Folk)
Ribbon
18.225
18.325
Shiro's Estate by Brian Tyler
Rope
17.975
17.950
Avrora by Valeri Tishler
Hoop
17.775
18.450
Clubs
17.900
18.100
Year
Competition Description
Location
Music
Apparatus
Score-Final
Score-Qualifying
2004
Olympics
All-around
106.700
104.725
Nyah / La Cavalera from Mission Impossible II
byHans Zimmer and Elliot Goldenthal
Ribbon
26.725
25.325
Ball
26.525
26.750
Molto Meno Mosso
/ Allegro – Valse – Allegro – Vivo
/ Finale – Andante – Allegro Agitatoo -
Alla Breve – Moderato e Maestoso – Moderato
/ Moderato by Tchaikovsky
Hoop
26.500
25.900
Mona Lisa Overdrive from Matrix Reloaded
by Don Davis & Juno Reactor
Clubs
26.950
26.750
Bessonova's early years are described in the book National Olympic Committee of Ukraine for Rhythmic Gymnastics and Iryna Deriugina, Olexandra Tymoshenko, Olena Vitrychenko, Kateryna Serebryanska, Anna Bessonova (in Ukrainian) (Національний олімпійський комітет України про художню гімнастику та Ірину Дерюгіну, Олександру Тимошенко, Олену Вітриченко, Катерину Серебрянську, Анну Безсонову / текст: Григорія Палія та Олександра Мащенка; відповідальний редактор Олена Мовчан. — Київ : Грані-Т, 2010. — 112 с. — ISBN 978-966-465-283-1).
Another story based on real events from Anna Bessonova's childhood is Absolute champion by Oles Ilchenko (in Ukrainian) (Ільченко, О. Абсолютний чемпіон / Олесь Ільченко. — Київ : Грані-Т, 2011. — 80 с. — ISBN 978-966-465-349-4).
Media related to Anna Bessonova at Wikimedia Commons
Ludmila Savinkova (URS)
Hana Mičechová (TCH) Elena Karpukhina (URS)
Maria Gigova (BUL)
Maria Gigova (BUL) Maria Gigova (BUL) Elena Karpukhina (URS)
Carmen Rischer (FRG) Irina Deriugina (URS) Irina Deriugina (URS) Anelia Ralenkova (BUL) Diliana Georgieva (BUL) Diliana Georgieva (BUL) Bianka Panova (BUL) Alexandra Timoshenko (URS) Oksana Skaldina (URS)
Oksana Kostina (RUS) Maria Petrova (BUL) Maria Petrova (BUL) Maria Petrova (BUL) Kateryna Serebrianska (UKR) Olena Vitrychenko (UKR)
Alina Kabaeva (RUS) Tamara Yerofeeva (UKR) Alina Kabaeva (RUS) Olga Kapranova (RUS) Anna Bessonova (UKR) Evgeniya Kanaeva (RUS) Evgeniya Kanaeva (RUS) Evgeniya Kanaeva (RUS) Yana Kudryavtseva (RUS) Yana Kudryavtseva (RUS) Yana Kudryavtseva (RUS) Dina Averina (RUS) Dina Averina (RUS) Dina Averina (RUS)
Dina Averina (RGF)
Sofia Raffaeli (ITA) Darja Varfolomeev (GER) Maria Gigova (BUL) Maria Gigova (BUL) Maria Gigova (BUL) Maria Gigova (BUL)
Mitsuru Hiraguchi (JPN) Carmen Rischer (FRG) Galima Shugurova (URS) Lilia Ignatova (BUL) Anelia Ralenkova (BUL) Marina Lobatch (URS) Bianka Panova (BUL) Bianka Panova (BUL) Oksana Skaldina (URS) Alexandra Timoshenko (URS) Alexandra Timoshenko (URS) Oksana Kostina (RUS)
Larisa Lukyanenko (BLR) Maria Petrova (BUL) Larisa Lukyanenko (BLR) Maria Petrova (BUL) Kateryna Serebrianska (UKR) Natalia Lipkovskaya (RUS) Olena Vitrychenko (UKR) Simona Peycheva (BUL) Anna Bessonova (UKR) Olga Kapranova (RUS) Evgeniya Kanaeva (RUS) Evgeniya Kanaeva (RUS) Evgeniya Kanaeva (RUS) Hanna Rizatdinova (UKR) Yana Kudryavtseva (RUS) Margarita Mamun (RUS) Dina Averina (RUS) Dina Averina (RUS) Ekaterina Selezneva (RUS) Dina Averina (RGF) Sofia Raffaeli (ITA) Darja Varfolomeev (GER) Galima Shugurova (URS) Christiana Rosenberg (FRG) Daniela Bošanská (TCH) Irina Deriugina (URS) Iliana Raeva (BUL) Anelia Ralenkova (BUL) Diliana Georgieva (BUL) Lilia Ignatova (BUL) Diliana Georgieva (BUL) Lilia Ignatova (BUL) Anna Kotchneva (URS) Bianka Panova (BUL) Alexandra Timoshenko (URS) Oksana Kostina (RUS)
Carmen Acedo (ESP) Kateryna Serebrianska (UKR) Maria Petrova (BUL) Amina Zaripova (RUS) Amina Zaripova (RUS) Olena Vitrychenko (UKR) Simona Peycheva (BUL) Anna Bessonova (UKR) Olga Kapranova (RUS) Olga Kapranova (RUS) Evgeniya Kanaeva (RUS) Yana Kudryavtseva (RUS) Margarita Mamun (RUS) Yana Kudryavtseva (RUS) Yana Kudryavtseva (RUS) Dina Averina (RUS) Dina Averina (RUS) Dina Averina (RUS) Dina Averina (RGF) Darja Varfolomeev (GER) Darja Varfolomeev (GER)
