Olympic freestyle champion Lina Cheryazova died in Novosibirsk, 51, after a long illness, the Department of Physical Culture and Sport of the Novosibirsk city reported.

Lina Anatolyevna was born in 1968 in Tashkent. She won in 1994 the Lillehammer Olympics, defending the honor of Uzbekistan. Her gold medal is still the only one in the history of this state. In addition, Lina is the first Olympic freestyle champion in acrobatics.

Lina Cheryazova has a lot of sports achievements. She repeatedly, in different years, participated in the World Cup. From 1992 to 1994, she won in 13 out of 18 World Cup stages.

1994 was a difficult year in Lina's life: first - the long-awaited gold of the Olympics, then - a severe injury. At a training session in Lake Placid at the age of 25, the athlete received a head injury that threatened her life, but she was able not only to recover, but also to return to a great sport. In 1998 she was selected for the Winter Olympics in Nagano, taking the 13th place there. After Nagano, Lina Cheryazova ended her sports career, since then she has been living permanently in Novosibirsk.

According to the Department of Physical Culture and Sports of Novosibirsk city, the funeral will take place on Wednesday, March 27, from 14.00 to 15.00, at the address: Novosibirsk, Khilokskaya street 10-a. The athlete will be buried in the Kleshikhinsk cemetery.