10th Anniversary Induction Ceremonies
Celebrate the Class of 2006 — Four Legends from Japan, Russia and the U.S.A.

Oklahoma City, OK, USA – The International Gymnastics Hall of Fame (IGHOF) held its 10th annual Induction Ceremony on Friday, April 28, 2006. The black-tie event—in which four legends of gymnastics possessing 67 world and Olympic medals were formally inducted into the Hall of Fame—was held in Oklahoma City, OK, USA.

The IGHOF Class of 2006 included Olympic champions Vladimir Artemov (Russia), Eizo Kenmotsu (Japan), Natalia Kuchinskaya (Russia) and Shannon Miller (USA). Germany’s Ulrich Spieth, who has been managing director of the Spieth equipment company since 1971, received the IGHOF International Order of Merit.

A highlight of the Induction Ceremonies was the presentation of an exquisite music box and the World Championship silver medal from Mr. Jack Gunthard (IGHOF Class of 1997).  Mr. Gunthard is one of the rarest of individual honorees in the Hall, having been inducted by virtue of his qualifications in both of the required categories: as a World and Olympic medalist and for his lifetime achievements in gymnastics.

The medal and the music box were presented to the Hall on behalf of Mr. Gunthard by Noelle Frey, representing the Swiss Gymnastics Federation.

The 10th annual induction ceremony was the largest in history, and excitement ran high with the inclusion of Oklahoman Shannon Miller, who was raised in the Oklahoma City suburb of Edmond.

“I feel very honored to be among so many tremendous athletes that have been inducted into the International Gymnastics Hall of Fame,” Miller said. “And the fact that I got to come home to Oklahoma, the state that stood by me throughout all the highs and the lows of my career, made this event incredibly special.”

The Induction Ceremony was the centerpiece of a week-long celebration of gymnastics in Oklahoma City.  Kicking off the festivities was an advance screening for 1,000 local gymnasts of Disney/Touchstone Picture’s gymnastics comedy “Stick It” at Harkins Bricktown Cinemas. More than 1,100 gymnasts from around the nation took part in two competitions over the weekend at the Cox Convention Center:  the 2006 USA Gymnastics Junior Olympic Women’s National Championships, and the 5th Annual International Gymnastics Hall of Fame Age-Group Classic.

About the IGHOF Class of 2006

Vladimir Artemov (born Dec. 7, 1964, Vladimir, Soviet Union) – The prestigious career of Vladimir Artemov includes a combined total of 18 world and Olympic medals—10 of them gold—from 1983 to 1989. Artemov’s crowning achievement came at the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea, where he won four gold medals (team, all-around, parallel bars and high bar) and one silver medal (floor exercise). Known for his outstanding technique on parallel bars, he won the world title on that event three times (1983, 1987, and 1989). Artemov, appropriately born in the Russian town of Vladimir, finished second in the all-around at the 1985 World Championships and 3rd in the all-around at the 1987 World Championships. Artemov is now the head coach at Brown’s Gymnastics in San Antonio, Texas.

Eizo Kenmotsu (born February 13, 1948, Japan)  - Kenmotsu was a member of the legendary Japanese school of gymnastics that dominated the sport in the 1960s and 1970s. His lengthy career spanned a decade, and he was a member of the gold-medal winning Japanese team at three Olympics (1968, 1972 and 1976) and three world championships (1970, 1974 and 1978). Individually Kenmotsu won world championship gold medals in the all-around and high bar (1970) and on the parallel bars (1974 and 1978). He has an incredible 23 world and Olympic medals to his credit, 10 golds, seven silvers, and six bronzes. Since he retired he has been one of Japan’s top coaches, and his pupil, Hisashi Mizutori, finished second in the all-around at the last world championships. He is currently the chief director of Nippon Sports Science University Sports Clubs and a vice president of the Japan Gymnastics Association.

Natalia Kuchinskaya (born March 12, 1949, Leningrad, Soviet Union) – A gymnast known for her grace and charm, Natalia Kuchinskaya won 10 world and Olympic medals. At her first major international competition, the 1966 World Championships, she won three individual gold medals (uneven bars, balance beam and floor exercise). At the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, she won gold medals with the Soviet team and on the balance beam event, and a bronze medals in the all-around and on floor exercise. Dubbed “the Bride of Mexico” at those Olympic Games, she became an audience favorite of the Mexican crowd, and fans serenaded her with a song “Natalie” during her stay. Kuchinskaya was also the Soviet all-around champion on four consecutive occasions (1965-1968). Kuchinskaya emigrated to the United States in the early 1990s and now coaches at her own gym, International Gymnastics, in Mount Prospect, Ill. She has been married to Alexander Kotliar, an optician, for three decades.

Shannon Miller (March 10, 1977, Rolla, Mo.) - With seven Olympic and nine World Championships medals in her collection, Miller is the most-decorated gymnast in U.S. history. Miller moved to Edmond at a young age and trained at Dynamo Gymnastics in Oklahoma City under Steve Nunno and Peggy Liddick. At the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, the 15-year-old Miller won five medals, including the silver medal in the all-around. She earned all-around national titles in 1993 and 1996 and world all-around titles in 1993 and 1994. She also won world titles on the uneven bars and floor exercise (1993) and on the balance beam (1994). She struck Olympic gold twice in 1996, as a member of the U.S. team and individually on the balance beam. Miller now attends law school in Boston and has expressed interest in returning to Oklahoma and entering politics. She remains active in gymnastics as a commentator, and was inducted into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame in 2005.