Rustam Sharipov

Rustam Khalimdzhanovych Sharipov (born 2 June 1971) is a Ukrainian gymnast and Olympic champion. He won a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, representing Ukraine, and also a gold medal for the Unified Team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona.

Early life Rustam was born on 2 June 1971 in Dushanbe, then a part of the Tajik Soviet Socialist Republic, to a Ukrainian mother and a Tajik father. He began gymnastics at age 6. Training in Kyiv, Sharipov ultimately made the Soviet Union men's national artistic gymnastics team and travelled frequently to Moscow for training.

Awards and honors He was inducted to the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame as part of the class of 2024 alongside Carly Patterson, Julianne McNamara, and Josef Stalder.

Personal life Sharipov married Tatiana Priatseva, with whom he had two children. The family briefly moved to Australia in 1997, but returned to Ukraine within a year. The couple later divorced. Sharipov met Amber Adams while coaching at Bart Connor Gymnastics Academy, and they were married in 2002. The couple had a child in 2003 and Sharipov became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints that same year.