Figure figure Irina Rodnina: biography, interesting facts and personal life

September 12, 1949 in Moscow was born world famous figure skater Irina Rodnina. The biography of the athlete is full of various achievements and awards. She managed ten times to become the world champion and three times - the Olympic champion. Her name is forever inscribed in the history of world and Russian figure skating. Millions of people are her fans, and they are interested not only in sports career, but also in various details from the life that Irina Rodnina leads: biography, nationality ...

A Jewish woman on the mother's line and a Russian by her father, the girl inherited a strong-willed character from her father and talented mother genes, which in many ways contributed to her future successes. Her life is the life of an outstanding, strong and purposeful woman.

Short biography and personal life

Irina's father, Konstantin Nikolayevich Rodnin, was a Russian military man, and his mother, Yulia Yakovlevna Rodnina, was a medical worker born in Ukraine, but of Jewish origin. She also has Valentina's older sister, who has chosen a scientific career and has become an engineer-mathematician.

This is the story of the family in which the figure skater Irina Rodnina was born. A brief biography, personal life of the athlete has always interested fans. Her first husband - figure skater Alexander Zaitsev, with whom Irina played a wedding in 1975, and before that, several years played in a pair at the championships. They divorced in 1985. The second husband of the figure skater is the film producer and businessman Leonid Minsky, with whom she lived several happy years in America, but also divorced. Now Irina Konstantinovna is not married.

In the first and second marriage, the sportswoman had a son and daughter in 1979 and 1986, respectively. Son - Alexander Zaitsev, who became a ceramic artist, and daughter - Alena Minkovskaya, currently living and working as a TV presenter in Washington. Irina Konstantinovna also has a granddaughter, Sonya Zaitseva. So began a new mother chapter in life, led by Irina Rodnina, - a biography, children in which began to play a very important role.

How it all began

It is interesting that in the sport Irina Rodnina was in poor health. As a child, she was a sickly child and often suffered from pneumonia. Therefore, the doctors recommended to the parents of the girl that she spent more time outdoors, doing physical exercises and thereby strengthening immunity. Then the father and mother of Irina decided to bring her to the ice rink in the park of culture Pryamikova. So in 1954 at the age of five the girl discovered the world of figure skating. And this world, much to the delight of many connoisseurs of sports art, later learned what kind of treasure Irina Rodnina is. A brief biography and a description of her subsequent achievements are truly amazing.

The first coach of Rodnina in the children's section was Yakov Smushkin. Later, in 1960, an eleven-year-old girl managed to get into the CSKA skaters section, where she first performed in solo skating. Since 1962, she began to train Sonya and Miloslav Balun. And the first achievement of the young figure skater was the third place in the All-Union Youth Competitions in 1963, which Irina won in pair skating with Oleg Vlasov.

Successes led by SA Zhuk

Since 1964, coach Irina Rodnina was SA Zhuk, who put the girl in a couple with Alexei Ulanov. The new coach persistently led the newly formed couple to victories, constantly complicating the program, including increasingly complex elements. In 1968, Rodnina and Ulanov are in the national team. And since the European Championships in 1969, one after another win gold medals. For victory in the championship in 1969 Rodnina receives the honorary title of Honored Master of Sports of the USSR.

At the 1972 Olympics, a couple in a very tough fight still managed to achieve victory. Irina this triumph is not easy. Literally the day before the championship, the girl falls from support in training and gets to the hospital with intracranial hematoma and concussion. The skater performs a short program purely, but she barely manages to complete anything. For "gold" at the Olympics Rodnina receives the Order of the Red Banner of Labor. However, after this victory, the pair Ulanova and Rodnina disintegrate. Alexei gets in touch with his wife Smirnova, and Irina even thinks about leaving the world of a big variety. However, from this moment life becomes even more successful, led by Irina Rodnina. Biography, nationality, genes in which interwoven Slavic and Jewish blood, gave birth to a very strong spirit in the skater. Neither the trauma nor the loss of a partner could break it.

New partner and new victories

In April 1972, Irina becomes a couple with Alexander Zaitsev. It can be said that from this moment a new stage in life, led by Irina Rodnina, begins. Biography, whose personal life was somewhere in the background, changes when she meets a new partner, who will later become the first husband of the figure skater.

From the very beginning, everyone notes that Rodnina, in tandem with Zaitsev, has a much higher level of understanding and coherence than was paired with the previous partner. And new victories are beginning.

The will to win

In Bratislava at the World Cup, held in 1973, Rodnina and Zaytsev during their free speech are faced with a surprise - in the radio room is a closure, and right during the difficult support, the sound of the room is interrupted. Despite the complete silence that reigned for a few seconds in the huge hall, the couple continues to show their program, following the direction that the coach sends to them by coach SA Zhuk. The silence is replaced by the applause of the audience, under which the skaters finish their heroic performance. However, not a single high score is given to the couple, as they refuse to roll out the program at the end of the competition and receive a reduction in balls for performing without music. This unfair incident, demonstrating nevertheless the will to win and the love of the art of figure skating, is part of the history of sports.

Transition to a new coach

In 1974 Rodnina made a serious decision. She comes to the conclusion that we need to move from Zhuk to Tatiana Tarasova. Soon the favorite pupils of this very young coach with a great future is just a couple Alexander Zaitsev - Irina Rodnina. Their biography acquires new features. Irina Konstantinovna calls fatigue from the trainer's behavior the reason for leaving Zhuk.

Tarasova brings in the performances of a couple more theatrical art and expressiveness. Also Zaitsev and Rodnina continue to surprise spectators with complex elements that were practically impossible and were much ahead of the then existing technique of figure skating. Already next year at the world championships the pair again wins the first place. Irina Rodnina's big victory was also "gold" at the 1980 Olympics, where a thirty-year-old figure skater and already a mother together with her partner managed to roll out the most complicated program and defeat all judges. The story included the tears of an athlete during the award ceremony.

Wish List

It's no wonder that today the most successful sportswoman in the history of pair figure skating is Irina Rodnina. Brief biography of the figure skater includes three Olympic victories, ten consecutive victories at world championships, beginning in 1969, eleven at European championships and six at USSR championships. So, until 1980, Irina and her partners did not lose a single competition. Such an amazing success, embodied in a long series of confident victories, was explained not only by the incredible complexity of the basic elements of the performed numbers, but also by the beauty and grace of the connecting elements, and by the high speed and perfect synchronism of the pair. All this from year to year amazed the judges of the championships and fascinated and captivated millions of spectators.

Work as a trainer

In 1981, Rodnina joined Zaitsev in professional sports. At the end of her career, figure skater Irina Konstantinovna first works in the Central Committee of the Komsomol, and then - in the company "Dynamo" as a senior coach and teaches at the Institute of Physical Culture. From 1900 to 2002 he lives in the United States, where he works as a coach at the international figure skating center. In 1995, her students Novotny and Kovarzhikova became world champions, for which Irina Rodnina was given the honorary Czech citizenship. In many countries of the world, just like in Russia, Irina Rodnina became a real legend. A brief biography in English skaters and trainers is familiar to thousands of her fans in America and other countries of the world.

Social activity

In 2002, Rodnina returned to Russia and started active public work. Since 2005, she has entered the author's program "Stadium" on "Radio of Russia". In the public all-Russian organization "League of health of the nation", the athlete performs the role of a member of the presidium. And in the organization "All-Russian Voluntary Society" Sports Russia "» takes the place of the chairman of the central council.

Now he is a member of the Council for Physical Culture and Sport under the President of the Russian Federation. And during the opening ceremony of the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, the Olympic flame lit with Vladislav Tretiak.

List of awards

Was successful sports career and social activities, which led Irina Rodnina. The biography of the sportswoman is really brilliant and full of rewards. Among the main achievements of Irina Konstantinovna are the following:

• In 1976 she was awarded the Order of Lenin;
• In 1972 and 1980 received two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor;
• In 1999, she received the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, III degree;
• In 2009, she was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland of the 4th degree and the bronze Olympic Order;
• In 2002 and 2003 she became a laureate of the National Award for Public Recognition of the Achievements of Women of Russia "Olimpia";
• In 2005 she became the winner of the award "Russian of the Year" in the nomination "Triumphant".

Forever in the hearts of fans

To date, no one has succeeded in surpassing the sporting success that Irina Rodnina achieved. The biography of this great figure skater inspires many purposeful people, showing that true recognition comes to those who really deserve it. And her magnificent performances will forever remain in the memory and hearts of fans of figure skating.