# That Svetlana Khorkina looks like a bitch. **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [August 20, 2004, 4:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-svetlana-khorkina-looks-like-a-bitch/260738 "2004-08-20T16:46:05Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 7:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-svetlana-khorkina-looks-like-a-bitch/260738/61 "2004-08-23T07:19:28Z")
> [@Lissa](#): > > This quote from the BBC story florred me. > > Khorkina said, > Elegance? Beauty? Honey, this ain’t the Miss Universe pageant! Even if it were, elegance and grace were hardly part of HER routines at any rate. She was jerky, klutzy and not smooth at all in her routines, even though technically she was doing the stunts correctly. Several times during both the floor X and the bars she seemed very jerky and angular in her movements. I don’t know if the severe weight loss had anything to do with that or not, but it seemed pretty evident that she was lacking the strength she needed. The dance sequences of the floor X were not smooth at all in the team competition, although it looked much better for the individual, she still lacked “flow” in her movements. ---
**Author:** ![Geobabe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/geobabe/32/3908_2.png) [@Geobabe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Geobabe)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 12:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-svetlana-khorkina-looks-like-a-bitch/260738/62 "2004-08-23T12:29:39Z")
> [@CanvasShoes](#): > > Even if it were, elegance and grace were hardly part of HER routines at any rate. She was jerky, klutzy and not smooth at all in her routines, even though technically she was doing the stunts correctly. Several times during both the floor X and the bars she seemed very jerky and angular in her movements. I agree. I didn’t see much of the Sydney games so this was my first exposure to her, and I kept saying, “Why do they keep calling her such a great gymnast?” She looked horrible. The way she keeps going on about how she should have gotten the gold medal in the all-around…well, somebody needs to sit her skinny ass down and force her to watch the tape of her own performance vs. Carly Patterson’s. She didn’t turn in a gold medal performance, simple as that, so she needs to shut the hell up and quit making herself look like an idiot. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 3:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-svetlana-khorkina-looks-like-a-bitch/260738/63 "2004-08-23T15:28:07Z")
> [@Starving Artist](#): > > I know this may be a little hard to understand, but I don’t care if she’s a bitch in the same way I didn’t care if Frank Sinatra was a jerk. She worked her ass off in a drab, dreary and rusty warehouse of a gym and became a beautiful ballerina-like gymnast…and one of the best – if not the best – in the world. Like Sinatra, she developed a style all her own and made everyone else look like second best. > > And besides, I don’t really know that “bitch” is the appropriate word. Haughty, perhaps…and maybe a bit of a poor sport…but that’s all. I haven’t seen where she’s been mean to anyone, and to me that falls short of the “bitch” appellation. I agree. And I’ve never thought “bitch” was such an insult anyway. 😃 ---
**Author:** ![silenus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/silenus/32/166_2.png) [@silenus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/silenus)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-svetlana-khorkina-looks-like-a-bitch/260738/64 "2004-08-23T17:28:43Z")
She is more than “a bit of a poor sport.” Bad-mouthing the competition just because they beat you is the height of poor sportsmanship. I don’t care how great she **was** , or how great she thinks she **is** …in my book, based on her performance on and off the equipment, she more than meets the definition of “bitch.” ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 6:21pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-svetlana-khorkina-looks-like-a-bitch/260738/65 "2004-08-23T18:21:54Z")
> [@plnnr](#): > > She’s got “eating disorder” written all over her - either that or a crystal meth problem. > > Word has it that’s she also posed for some rather skanky pictures as well. Yeah. Watching her perform, my friends and I nicknamed her “Svetlana Anorexova”. ---
**Author:** ![freakstasy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/c57346/32.png) [@freakstasy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/freakstasy)\ **Post date:** [August 23, 2004, 8:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-svetlana-khorkina-looks-like-a-bitch/260738/66 "2004-08-23T20:51:22Z")
Has anyone mentioned Svetlana’s height (164cm or 5’4½" tall)? She’s more than 7 inches taller than the average American gymnast, [at least the ones from 1992](http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/indepth/gymnastics/). Among toy-sized human beings, that’s a considerable difference. Any female gymnast that tall is bound to be skinny; admittedly, though, the bitchy Russian looks a lot less healthy now than in the past and could use a few extra pounds in obvious places. ---
**Author:** ![Lissa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/85f322/32.png) [@Lissa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissa)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 12:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-svetlana-khorkina-looks-like-a-bitch/260738/67 "2004-08-24T00:43:12Z")
> [@freakstasy](#): > > Has anyone mentioned Svetlana’s height (164cm or 5’4½" tall)? She’s more than 7 inches taller than the average American gymnast, [at least the ones from 1992](http://www.cbc.ca/olympics/indepth/gymnastics/). Wow, I really thought she was a lot taller than that. It must be those coltish long legs of hers. ---
**Author:** ![wonky](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/wonky/32/393_2.png) [@wonky](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/wonky)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 4:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-svetlana-khorkina-looks-like-a-bitch/260738/68 "2004-08-24T04:34:20Z")
> [@Lissa](#): > > Wow, I really thought she was a lot taller than that. It must be those coltish long legs of hers. One of the US women in (I think) the 200 they said was 5’7" and 111 pounds. Khorkina is listed at 5’5"/110. It’s impossible. Muna is very slim, but she’s not skeletal. Either Muna is shorter than 5’7", or Khorkina is much much lighter than 110. She’s still beautiful to watch on the parallel bars, but almost painful to see otherwise for me. ---
**Author:** ![Spree](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/919ad9/32.png) [@Spree](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spree)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 4:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-svetlana-khorkina-looks-like-a-bitch/260738/69 "2004-08-24T04:49:46Z")
> [@jsgoddess](#): > > One of the US women in (I think) the 200 they said was 5’7" and 111 pounds. Khorkina is listed at 5’5"/110. It’s impossible. Muna is very slim, but she’s not skeletal. Either Muna is shorter than 5’7", or Khorkina is much much lighter than 110. Back in high school, I was an inch taller and 4 pounds lighter than Khorkina, had an athletic/lean build, and even though I was “skinny,” I still was plenty more filled out than Khorkina. You’re right - I don’t see how it could be possible. I’d be very surprised if she even broke 100 lbs. ---
**Author:** ![Excalibre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/898d66/32.png) [@Excalibre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Excalibre)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-svetlana-khorkina-looks-like-a-bitch/260738/70 "2004-08-24T04:55:40Z")
I have just loved Svetlana Horkina since her first Olympics. She’s a bitch, no doubt about it, but her reputation as perhaps the world’s best female gymnast is well-earned, and what’s more, you can tell she’s a truly ambitious person. I can’t help but admire the naked ambition you see on her face, and the hint of contained violence just makes her more compelling. A friend and I agreed that she seems like the type of person who might stab someone in an alley if she thought it was in her interest to do so. ---
**Author:** ![Ogre](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/o/ecb155/32.png) [@Ogre](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ogre)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 5:15am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-svetlana-khorkina-looks-like-a-bitch/260738/71 "2004-08-24T05:15:58Z")
> [@UrbanChic](#): > > [Svetlana](http://www.nbcolympics.com/athletebios/5013859/detail.html) is twenty-five. So is [Mohini Bhardwaj](http://www.aerialballet.com/mohini/photos/olympics/3.jpg). > > For the first link, scroll down a bit. Mohini is so hot it makes my teeth ache. Svetlana is a typical, pale, severe Slav. Meh. Does nothing for me, and her comments scream “bitch.” ---
**Author:** ![nonpolar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/3da27b/32.png) [@nonpolar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/nonpolar)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 5:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-svetlana-khorkina-looks-like-a-bitch/260738/72 "2004-08-24T05:20:41Z")
I just saw Romanian woman gymnast Catalina Ponor performance ,faultless. And she is most beautifull girl at Olympics. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 6:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-svetlana-khorkina-looks-like-a-bitch/260738/73 "2004-08-24T06:28:31Z")
> [@nonpolar](#): > > I just saw Romanian woman gymnast Catalina Ponor performance ,faultless. > And she is most beautifull girl at Olympics. Yep, I gotta agree with you there. ---
**Author:** ![CanvasShoes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/74df32/32.png) [@CanvasShoes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CanvasShoes)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 6:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-svetlana-khorkina-looks-like-a-bitch/260738/74 "2004-08-24T06:29:58Z")
> [@Ogre](#): > > Mohini is so hot it makes my teeth ache. Svetlana is a typical, pale, severe Slav. Meh. Does nothing for me, and her comments scream “bitch.” Her comments scream “REALLY poor sport and very low class” and possibly “I’m high on crack”. Her countryman, the one awarded the ridiculously low score for his phenomenal bar routine was, on the other hand, a real gentleman and class act. He went a long way toward countering her stupid, unrealistic rants to the newspapers. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 3:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-svetlana-khorkina-looks-like-a-bitch/260738/75 "2004-08-24T15:31:17Z")
> [@nonpolar](#): > > I just saw Romanian woman gymnast Catalina Ponor performance ,faultless. > And she is most beautifull girl at Olympics. Wrong, she’s the most beautiful **woman** amongst the gymnasts. The rest are just girls by comparison; she carries herself with more maturity and authority and is that much more attractive because of it. ---
**Author:** ![MovieMogul](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/f08c70/32.png) [@MovieMogul](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MovieMogul)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 3:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-svetlana-khorkina-looks-like-a-bitch/260738/76 "2004-08-24T15:35:38Z")
OK, having just checked out Ponor’s stats, I’m amazed that she isn’t any older than most of the other “girls”–at 17, she certainly comes across as much older and more professional. And I wasn’t sure how Khorkina could be any uglier than I think she is now, but her sore-loser comments managed to accomplish that. ---
**Author:** ![Indygrrl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/58f4c7/32.png) [@Indygrrl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Indygrrl)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 3:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-svetlana-khorkina-looks-like-a-bitch/260738/77 "2004-08-24T15:51:08Z")
> [@ArchiveGuy](#): > > Wrong, she’s the most beautiful **woman** amongst the gymnasts. The rest are just girls by comparison; she carries herself with more maturity and authority and is that much more attractive because of it. I think Mohini is in the same league. She’s absolutely beautiful. ---
**Author:** ![sturmhauke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/e47c2d/32.png) [@sturmhauke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sturmhauke)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 6:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-svetlana-khorkina-looks-like-a-bitch/260738/78 "2004-08-24T18:01:43Z")
So does Anna Pavlova ring anyone’s bell? ---
**Author:** ![Lobsang](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lobsang/32/4067_2.png) [@Lobsang](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lobsang)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 6:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-svetlana-khorkina-looks-like-a-bitch/260738/79 "2004-08-24T18:13:52Z")
> [@sturmhauke](#): > > So does Anna Pavlova ring anyone’s bell? cute. ---
**Author:** ![Starving\_Artist](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/aeb1de/32.png) [@Starving\_Artist](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Starving_Artist)\ **Post date:** [August 24, 2004, 7:07pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-svetlana-khorkina-looks-like-a-bitch/260738/80 "2004-08-24T19:07:45Z")
Anna Pavlova – very cute, but not what I’d consider beautiful. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-svetlana-khorkina-looks-like-a-bitch/260738.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/that-svetlana-khorkina-looks-like-a-bitch/260738.md?page=5)