Olympic gold medallist turns golf pro
Gymnast Shimanskaya plays in Germany this week
Olympic gymnastics gold-medallist Vera Shimanskaya makes her debut this week as a golf professional on the Ladies European Tour. The 28-year-old Russian won gold in Sydney 2000 for her rhythmic gymnastics and after some intensive coaching in Florida plays in the HypoVereinsbank Ladies German Open, presented by Audi. Shimanskaya, turned pro in October 2007, prior to the LET’s Qualifying School at Le Fonti in Italy and has received an invitation to play in this week's €300,000 event at Golfpark Gut Häusern near Munich. She has been playing golf for only three years, but much of the time has been spent honing her game in the United States and has even met Tiger Woods Her long term goal is to become one of the best in the sport but this week says making the halfway cut will be an achievement. “I want to do it and I know I can do it because my practice rounds are very good,” said Shimanskaya, who has a tattoo on her right shoulder bearing the words “Olympic champion, Sydney 2000.” “Golf's not as easy as gymnastics because I was a gymnast since I was four year old. I understand I have to learn, though I have some experience in the US where I won some small tournaments on the Moonlight Tour against girls and men who play the Seniors Tour Still instantly recognisable in Russia, Shimanskaya opened the first of her two rhythmic gymnastics academies in Moscow in 2002 and was introduced to golf by the mother of one of her students, who worked for the Russian Golf Federation. | |
“I didn’t even know anything about golf until I was invited to an amateur tournament as a guest, handed a golf club and hit the ball so straight I was awarded a prize for the longest drive. Someone suggested I had a talent for it and should pursue it,” she said. Applying a similar dedication to golf as she had to gymnastics, Shimanskaya moved to Orlando, Florida and was taught at the David Leadbetter Golf Academy. “I wanted to understand what golf is because in Russia it’s hard to see good golf. We don’t have very good players in Russia and there are only two golf courses. When I came to the USA I saw a lot of very good players and now I understand how it works,” said Shimanskaya, who also won 1998-1999 World gymnastics titles. “In gymnastics, you work different muscles, not like in golf so I started to go to the gym and have a lot of work outs. I didn’t eat meat before and now I'veI started to try chicken mmy weight has gone from 48kg to 62kg. In gymnastics, they'd say I was too fat!” While working on her new, stronger physique recently, Shimanskaya bumped into Tiger Woods. She asked him: “Do you want to be an Olympic gold medallist in golf?” He told her: “I’ll have to think about it.” She claims an average driving distance of 250 yards and scores of two or three under par - a big improvement in her LET Qualifying School scores earlier this year. And given her rate of progress, many wouldn't be surprised if she makes the cut this week. She has another invitation to compete at the ABN AMRO Ladies Open in the Netherlands, from June 5-7. |
