after her in the Code of Points than any other gymnast. Khorkina was known for her dramatic and opinionated personality, often being called a diva. She said, "I wouldn't have been called a diva or a queen if I wasn't creative. My costume and make-up were always important to me. When people come to see gymnastics they want a performance, not just a sport. I have a talent. I have accomplished so much in sport it will take dozens of years before anyone else achieves as much". After retiring from gymnastics, in December 2005 Khorkina was named vice-president of the Russian Artistic Gymnastics Federation. In 2008, she was a commentator for the Beijing Olympics' gymnastics competition for the Russian TV station NTV+ and released her autobiography entitled, "Somersaults in High Heels" published by Olma-Press She was also an ambassador for the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi, Russia. Khorkina has been a member of the political party of United Russia since 2003. She was elected as a deputy for the Russian State Duma in 2007 and served until 2011. In July 2005, Khorkina gave birth to a son, Svyatoslav Khorkin, at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, United States but refused to name the father of the child. The father was later revealed to be businessman Kirill Shubsky, who was married to actress and film director Vera Glagoleva. In April 2011, Khorkina married Oleg Kochnev. He is a former general in Russia's Federal Security Service and 23 years her senior. Khorkina and Kochnev have a son, Ivan, born in October 2019. Political views In March 2022, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Khorkina posted an image of the 'Z' military symbol which is commonly used by Russian invading forces in Ukraine, with the comment, "A campaign for those who are not ashamed of being Russian. Let's spread it!" Competitive history †1998 Goodwill Games: mixed pairs silver medal with Alexei Nemov. See also List of Olympic female gymnasts for Russia List of top Olympic gymnastics medalists List of top medalists at the World Artistic Gymnastics Championships References External links Khorkina (Uneven Bars animation) 1979 births Russian female artistic gymnasts Living people Gymnasts at the 1996 Summer Olympics Gymnasts at the 2000 Summer Olympics Gymnasts at the 2004 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Russia Olympic silver medalists for Russia Olympic bronze medalists for Russia Olympic gymnasts of Russia Originators of elements in