Alina Kozich

Infobox Gymnast
gymnastname= Alina Kozich


imagesize=
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fullname=
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country= UKR
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birthdate= birth date and age|1987|12|16
birthplace= Kiev, Ukraine
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height= convert|153|cm|ftin
weight= convert|43|kg|lboz
discipline= WAG
level= Senior International
natlteam=
club= Dynamo
gym=
collegeteam=
headcoach= Sergii Butsula
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choreographer= Oksana Omelianchyk
music=
eponymousskills=
retired=
medaltemplates= MedalEuropeanChampionships

Alina Kozich (Ukrainian: Алина Козич, born December 16, 1987 in Ukraine) is a Ukrainian gymnast. She is from Kiev and was a member of the 2004 Ukrainian Olympic team in Athens, Greece. She started Gymnastics at the age of 5 and her younger sister Olha is also a very talented gymnast.

Alina first came to prominence at the tender age of 13 when she competed at the 2001 European Youth Olympics in Murcia, Spain where she won the All Around competition and impressed judges and fans with her clean lines and form. Her success in the Junior ranks continued in 2002 with a Gold Medal on the Uneven Bars at the 2002 Junior European in Patras, Greece as well as a fourth place finish in the All Around. 2003 saw Alina move into the senior ranks where she continued to impress with a solid 8th place finish in the All Around as well as a 7th place finish with her Ukraine team, qualifying for the team competition at the 2004 Olympics. She eventually placed 11th in the All Around and 8th on floor.

The Olympic year started strongly with Alina with a career highlight victory in the 2004 European All Around competition where she narrowly defeated Romanian Daniela Sofronie. Alina was the first Ukrainian to take this title since Lilia Podkopayeva in 1996, and joined a list of illustrious compatriots such as Tatiana Gutsu and Ludmilla Tourischeva. Frequently, the European all-around champion goes on to take the Olympic title (this was the case in 1975, 1992 and 1996) so expectations for Alina heading into the 2004 Olympics were high. She helped the high quality, but often inconsistent Ukrainian team to a respectable Fourth in the team competition, their best ever Olympic Result. Alina had the highest All Around score of all the gymnasts in the team final, including Carly Patterson and Svetlana Khorkina who would go on to place first and second in the All Around Final. This made Alina a strong favorite to win a medal. However, falls from the Balance Beam in the All Around and on her first tumbling pass in the floor final prevented Alina from winning a medal.

Alina continued to compete after the Olympics, but at first struggled to regain her 2004 form. She failed to make any finals at the 2005 World Championships in Melbourne, Australia or the 2006 European Championships in Greece, but did win a silver medal on floor at the 2005 Glasgow Grand Prix and helped the Ukrainian team to a fifth place finish at 2006 European Championships. In late 2006, Alina began to regain the form that won her the 2004 European title, placing 13th in the all-around final at the 2006 World Championships in Aarhus, Denmark. She also helped her Ukrainian team finish a solid fifth in the team final.

Alina has continued to compete and improve in 2007, winning several medals at World Cup events. She solidified this comeback with bronze medals in the all-around and on floor at the European Championships in Amsterdam, with Vanessa Ferrari of Italy taking both titles. Alina is still training, and hopes to compete in the 2007 World Championships in Stuttgart and her second Olympics.

External links

*fig|id=5458|name=Alina Kozich
* [http://www.gymbox.net/Alina%20Kozich.htmAlina Kozich Photographs on Gymbox] ... with three photo galleries
* [http://www.designedbytim.com/gymnstands/code/kozich.htm Alina Kozich results summary]