Photography: Amalia Osborne.
Every morning, Mikhail “Misha” Koudinov is woken at 6am by his five-year-old daughter Mila, who wants to practise her chin-ups on the bar attachedto her bedroom door.
“It’s still too hard for me to do by myself,” says Mila, before proudly showing off her cartwheels across the lounge of their Auckland home.
“Her goal is to hold herself up for 10 seconds,” laughs gymnast Misha, who, at 35, is about to compete in his sixth Commonwealth Games.
“I’m just trying to help her a little bit. She’s used to seeing me doing handstands on the floor in the mornings and gymnastics all over the place.”
A world championship
Mila may think that’s perfectly normal, but she doesn’t yet realise her dad has spent more than two decades representing New Zealand – or that in May, he achieved something no other gymnast in the world has ever done.
With Mila and her mum Dennise Hassan watching from the stands, Misha successfully performed one of the most difficult skills on the high bar – the highlight of his long career and a feat that’s earned him a permanent place in gymnastics history. The move is now officially known as the “Koudinov Two”.
“Maybe when she’s older and she looks back, she’ll realise how much of a big deal it was for Daddy,” smiles Misha.
“Right now, she just sees me spinning around and thinks that’s what I do!”
Sharing gymnastics with her dad
He isn’t in a hurry for Mila to turn her cartwheels into competitive gymnastics. Once a week, she attends a fun class at their local Tri Star Gym in Auckland, where Misha and Dennise first met in 2018, and where they coach.
Dennise says, “I’m immensely proud of Misha. I admire his love for the sport and the dedication he’s put towards it all his life. He’s inspiring others in the gym who look up to him and appreciate his longevity in gymnastics.”
And soon it becomes clear the admiration and love is mutual when Misha goes down on one knee to propose at our photoshoot. Of course, Dennise says yes!
With plans still up in the air, the shy bride-to-be isn’t keento discuss their relationship or upcoming wedding, but the conversation flows when talk returns to their beloved daughter Mila and her gymnastics.
“She enjoys it – and childhood is meant to be enjoyed,” says proud Misha.
“It would be really fun if she wants to take it seriously one day, but as her parent, it’ll be very difficult not to intervene! “She’s probably the polar opposite of me as a kid, in a good way. I was very timid around grown-ups, but she makes jokes with her teachers and coaches, like she doesn’t know the meaning of trouble!”
From Russia to Aotearoa
When Misha was his daughter’s age, he moved from Vladivostok, Russia, to Aotearoa after his gymnast parents Sasha and Alexandra came here to coach the sport. His dad became his first coach and, at just 14, Misha was the youngest member of the New Zealand team at the 2006 Commonwealth Games in Melbourne.
Since then, he’s competed at two Olympics and is now preparing for his sixth Commonwealth Games, but the magic is still there for Misha.
He explains, “It’s like Christmas. When you’re young, it’s so exciting and magical. When you’re older, it’s a whole different experience, but there are still special moments to treasure and make memories with. “I always felt I would continue training for a long time – there are infinitely many things to try – but I never expected to be competing this long. Even the Olympics were never a goal of mine. “The truth is, I’m still at a level where I can contribute to the team, which means I still have something to offer.”
The reality of getting older
Misha has yet to stand on a Commonwealth podium, but with age has come a different perspective – success is no longer measured solely by medals.
He shares, “There’s a lot to learn about yourself being exposed to such high-pressure events and throughout my career, that’s where I’ve put my focus – how can I truly enrich my life with these experiences?”
One particularly special moment came at the 2017 World Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Montreal, where Misha did a manoeuvre on the high bar never done before. Ranked one of the most difficult releases on the high bar – a double front somersault with a full twist and a catch on the other side of the bar – it was added to the global gymnastic rulebook as the “Koudinov”.
Misha recalls, “The tricky part is catching the bar and I made it on my third attempt. I thought that would be my last competition – that I could end my career with something exciting – but obviously, I’m still going.”
Trying the impossible
At the Oceania Artistic Gymnastics Championships in Brisbane in May, Misha went one better, completing the Koudinov, but with his body straight rather than in the easier tuck position – the Koudinov Two.
“It’s more difficult to perform because you need more speed, height and power,” he tells.
“I played with it for four months and last November, I caught it almost accidentally in training. It was such a far-fetched thing! I woke up at 5am so giddy and excited, I had to go for a walk and I started tearing up. It meant so much. Now I cannot believe that it bears my name.”
His dad passed away in 2022, but he knows that he’d be proud of his son’s achievements and longevity in gymnastics.
Misha reflects, “If he’s watching me and he saw my skill at the Oceania champs, he’d be very, very happy with his boy. “I had a Spartan upbringing. He was tough on me, but now I’m grateful because I’ve become a strong man who can take care of his family, but to be honest, I’m actually a bit of a softie.”
