Irina Privalova: biography and achievements

Privalova Irina Anatolyevna is a famous athlete in the Soviet Union and Russia in track and field athletics. The Olympic champion has repeatedly won prizes at the World and European championships. She is a well-deserved master of sports. To achieve such indicators Irina Privalova spent more than one year and suffered many injuries. At present she is one of the most famous athletes of the world.

Childhood

Irina Privalova was born on November 22, 1968. From early childhood, father and mother paid great attention to the sports skills of her daughter. Once Irina's father met with the famous Nikitin family, who used interesting methods for sports education. He really liked it, and he decided to build a similar sports complex at home. Privalov lived in a small communal apartment. It was in her father took a few meters of space to accommodate all the necessary sports equipment. For a small Irina this corner in the apartment became a favorite place.

Skates

In eight years, Irina Privalova was not in the athletics section, but on the rink. The girl knew how to perfectly stand on skates and performed quite difficult for her age jumping. Then Ira came to the theater on the ice, but Irina did not get very good performances in the theater. At that moment the former coach advised Privalova to test herself in the skating. Irina Privalova willingly changed the profile.

Athletics

To get into athletics Ira managed unexpectedly. It happened in 1979. Near the house Iry built a running complex. Once, passing by, Irina Privalova decided to look at the arena more closely. Near the entrance, the mentor noticed her and, taking her as an athlete, ordered to go to the locker room and to practice. Ira really enjoyed the first lesson, and she decided to continue her studies in the section.

Next year Ira combined skating and athletics. However, after she decided to give all time to athletics. Irina Privalova, whose biography is filled with various achievements, achieved the first significant achievement, passing the figure to the master of sports in the run for a hundred meters and jumps in length. Similar results began to attract sports executives. Irina Privalova, athletics of which was getting better and better, in 1985 she got an opportunity to get into the junior national team of the country. Four years later, she was included in the main part of the USSR.

MSU and career development

Already in these years one of the main tasks in life was athletics. In MSU Irina Privalova was enlisted in 1986. She studied at the Faculty of Journalism. In the student years she took part in competitions from the university team, and also achieved the title of master of sports of international class.

In 1989, Irina was able to attract special attention and become the main representative of the country at most tournaments. Irina was the only white runner who could overtake the black athletes.

History of speeches

• 1989 year. Third place on the hundred-meter mark at the European Championships.
• 1991. Gold at sixty meters and silver at two hundred meters at the World Championships in Spain. The Summer World Championships in Tokyo brought silver to the 4x100 relay race. Three gold medals at the European Cup.
• 1992 year. Third and second place at the Olympics in Barcelona.
• 1993 year. This year brought Irina eight medals of different dignity in different tournaments.
• 1994 year. European Championship - two gold, one silver. World Cup - two gold, one silver.
• 1995 year. The World Cup is one gold. The world championship in Gothenburg is one silver and bronze. The European Cup - two gold.
• 1998 year. The European Championship is gold, silver and bronze.

There was no equal to Irina Privalova and in the competitions taking place in the USSR and Russia. On her account six world and six European records.

Injuries

All career, as well as many sportsmen, Irina Privalov was accompanied by various damages. In 1997, at the World Championships, she received a rupture of the hamstrings. After such an injury, she was no longer considered an outstanding sprinter. At that moment Ira began to think about the end of her career. Help to get out of this difficult situation helped the husband, and in combination, and the coach. After weighing everything, they decided that Ira should move to four hundred meters with barriers. This news surprised many fans. Many believed that at this age (31 years) it's too late to conduct such transitions. And the world of athletics has never seen anything like it.

Nevertheless, the results surpassed all expectations. At the Olympic Games in Sydney, at 400 meters with barriers, Irina managed to win a gold medal and surprise everyone. Surprised were the rivals, who were considered favorites.

Soon Irina came to the decision to go to a distance of 800 meters, but the coaches began to persuade her to continue performances at a distance with barriers. The result was a trauma and a final transition to 800 meters.

Irina Privalova leads a very rich lifestyle. She is interested in computers, astronomy and fishing.