Soviet figure skater and now politician Irina Rodnina is 70 years old. The woman entered the Guinness Book of Records as an athlete who never lost. She has 10 victories at the World Championships, 11 at the European Championships. In addition, at one time she became a three-time Olympic champion, known throughout the world.
Irina Konstantinovna was born on September 12, 1949 in the family of a military man and a housewife, and was raised together with her older sister Valya in strictness and order.
By nationality, his father is Russian, his mother is Jewish, originally from Ukraine. Since childhood, Irina grew up as a sickly child, and before the age of 5 she suffered from pneumonia several times. About what happened to the son of Irina Bezrukova. Then Konstantin Nikolaevich decided to strengthen his daughter’s immunity and sent her to sports.
Thus, the harmless section determined Rodnina’s choice of profession and the purpose of her entire life.
In 1974, she became a certified “athlete,” but she began bringing gold medals from championships much earlier. In 1981, the athlete became an honored coach and ended her sports career. In the difficult 90s, she moved to the United States, where she actively promoted her coaching activities. She returned home only in 2002 and immediately went into politics. Twice unsuccessfully, but in 2007 she became a deputy from United Russia. Field of activity: education.
This woman of character was married twice, and both marriages ended in divorce. The reason for this is figure skating and the unreliability of life partners. Today Rodnina has adult children - son Sasha Zaitsev and daughter Alena Minkovskaya, and her granddaughter Sofia is growing up. The ex-skater continues to support the sport and young talents, and approved the “Yard Coach” project (2019).
Sports career
The history of this ambitious athlete goes back to 1963, when the girl took third place at the All-Union Youth Competitions. Then she performed in pairs with Oleg Vlasov, and the pair was coached by Sonya and Milan Valun. But this sports duo lasted less than 2 years.
After the first victory, there was a change in the coaching staff and the Rodnina-Vlasov pair. The new coach is Stanislav Zhuk, the ice partner is Alexey Ulanov. They skated together for 10 years, and each competition ended with another victory. Irina was not satisfied with the coach’s constant nagging, so conflict situations arose with enviable regularity.
The next “replacement” occurred in the 70s. The new coach is the then young Tatyana Tarasova, the next and last partner is Alexander Zaitsev. It was with this composition that the couple became famous throughout the world, and added to their “track record” with two gold medals at the Olympic Games and more. In 1981, Irina Rodnila joined the coaching staff. She trained young talents on the ice for about 20 years. Among the significant successes is the victory at the World Championships of the Czech pair Radka Kovarzhikova and Rene Novotn. About the age and children of Alexander Zbruev.
Irina Rodnina's partners in figure skating
During her sports career, the figure skater had 2 partners. She got along well with everyone and skated for years, but fate did not always present pleasant surprises to the champion.
The 15-year-old athlete’s first partner was Alexey Ulanov, with whom she competed at international competitions two years later. In 1969, they took their first gold at the European Championships, and 5 years later they repeated their triumphant victory. In 1972, they took away another gold medal from the Olympics in Sapporo.
One day, while training in Canada, a girl fell and hit her head hard. She still competed and took gold, but after returning home the Rodnina-Ulanov couple finally broke up. There were rumors that her partner dropped her on purpose in order to perform with his legal wife.
The third was Alexander Zaitsev, with whom she not only danced, but was also officially married. It was a stellar union of two professionals in their field.
The couple created a particular sensation in Bratislava when, during their dance, the musical accompaniment suddenly stopped, but they continued their performance in complete silence. As a result, we received the maximum score and definitely first place. Rodnina and Zaitsev admired their synchronicity, high speed and unique technique. The last of their professional activities was the 1980 Olympics, where they once again won gold.
Irina Rodnina - world champion
The first World Championship for the Rodnina-Zaitsev pair took place in Bratislava, a year after the injury received during training (1973). When the music suddenly stopped during the performance, the partners were not taken aback and continued their dance. The result is the highest score from all judges and the proud title of “World Champions”.
The next World Championship took place in 1975, and again brought the Rodnina-Zaitsev pair a gold medal. New coach Tatyana Tarasova, who was remembered by Rodnina for her creative ideas and unconventional approach to figure skating, assisted in this. In total, the athlete has 10 World Championships, 3 Olympic victories, and 11 European Championships.
Performance at the Olympics
Irina Rodnina is a three-time Olympic champion for her athletic career. The last one in her career was the 1980 Olympics, after which the figure skater officially left training and performances and joined the coaching staff.
During the playing of the anthem and the awarding of medals, the athlete could not hold back her tears, and journalists immediately covered this moment in the photo. I was so touched by Rodnina’s patriotism that these historical photographs can still be seen today.
Rodnina and Tarasova
In 1974, the couple changed coaches. From Zhuk Rodnina and Zaitsev moved to Tatyana Tarasova. The results have not decreased. The couple won the 1975 World Cup, and then Irina Rodnina took her second Olympic gold. It happened in Montreal in 1976.
Following the Olympic gold were victories at the 1976 and 1977 World Championships. The last world championship was overshadowed by the fact that the couple received a score of 6.0 only from the Soviet referee Valentin Piseev (later the head of the FFKKR). A scandal began in the ISU in the spirit of “how long can you tolerate this?”, and Soviet judges were suspended from work for the next season. However, even in it, Soviet figure skaters won gold medals at the World Championships.
The couple missed the 1979 World Cup due to family reasons (due to the birth of their son, at which point the partners were already married). That World Cup was won by the Americans Ty Babilonia and Randy Gardner, after which their compatriots, as Wikipedia writes, began to criticize Soviet athletes for using prohibited elements.
However, the decisions at the Lake Placid Olympics were applied by judges who considered that the Soviet couple was doing everything within the rules. As a result, in 1980, Irina Rodnina won the third highest award and became the most titled figure skater in pair skating in the history of the Olympic Games.
Conflict between Tatyana Tarasova and Irina Rodnina
During the broadcast of the World Championships, the ex-skater, being a politician, criticized the work of her mentor. Rodnina openly stated that commentators “should be professionals in their field,” and not just idle talk. Tarasova also had something to answer.
It became obvious that the black cat had been running between the athletes for a long time. In her book “Tear of a Champion,” Rodnina explained that she considers Tarasova not a coach, but only a choreographer. She was trained by Stanislav Zhuk, and I am grateful to him. Critics reacted controversially to such statements, believing that the number of victories of the skater increased precisely during Tarasova’s instruction.
After sports
Immediately after her victory in Lake Placid, Rodnina decided to end her sports career. She left at the height of her fame at 31. And then a difficult time began and the search for oneself in post-sports life began. Irina got a job as a coach, her husband got a job in the sports committee. In this routine, the marriage unexpectedly broke up in 1985.
Rodnina's second husband was Leonid Minkovsky , an architect by training, but at that time working as a film producer. Soon the couple had a daughter (Rodnina had another son from her first marriage), and they emigrated to America for 12 long years.
Circumstances forced her to leave the United States and return to Russia in 2002 - her husband cheated on Irina with her best friend. Rodnina endured the second divorce in her life steadfastly, but she found herself in a new country for her, becoming a famous politician and entering the top 100 most influential women in Russia in 2012 according to various media.
Queen of Ice. Photo story of Irina Rodnina
Irina Rodnina’s career began with third place in the All-Union youth figure skating competition in 1963, after which Stanislav Zhuk became her coach, who immediately paired Irina with Alexei Ulanov. © Photo from wikipedia.org
The first serious international success of the Rodnina-Ulanov couple was the victory at the 1969 European Championship, after which Rodnina received the title of Honored Master of Sports of the USSR. In the same year, Rodnina and Ulanov won the World Championship with a clear advantage. © Photo Russian Look
In the same year, after Rodnina’s injury, her tandem with Ulanov breaks up, and the coach decides to make Irina’s partner Alexander Zaitsev. Their first performance was a demonstration competition in Zaporozhye in September 1972. © Photo Russian Look
At the World Figure Skating Championships in Bratislava in 1973, during the performance of Rodnina and Zaitsev, the sound suddenly turned off, but despite this, the couple continued their program to the applause of the audience. © Photo Russian Look
After 1974, Rodnina and Zaitsev changed coaches - instead of Stanislav Zhuk, the couple now worked with Tatyana Tarasova, who professed a completely different approach to working with skaters. The first World Championship in 1974 ends with a confident victory for Rodnina. © Photo Russian Look
In 1980, despite changes in the rules and psychological pressure from the American team, Irina Rodnina and Alexander Zaitsev performed both of their programs absolutely cleanly, including the double axel and triple twist, and won. © Photo Russian Look
After completing her sports career, Irina Rodnina focused on coaching, and among other things, taught at the Institute of Physical Education. In the nineties, Rodnina worked as a coach at the International Figure Skating Center in Lake Arrowhead. © Photo from wikipedia.org
In 1999, Irina Rodnina was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, III degree. In addition, she twice became a laureate of the Olympia National Award for Public Recognition of the Achievements of Women in Russia. In the photo: Irina Rodnina with Vladimir Putin. © Photo from wikipedia.org
In December 2007, Rodnina was elected to the State Duma of the fifth convocation and took the post of deputy chairman of the education committee. In addition, Rodnina continues to be active in social activities and also participates in various events. © Photo Russian Look
In 2005, Rodnina won the “Russian of the Year” award in the “Triumphator” category, and in 2009 she was awarded the Bronze Olympic Order, as well as the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree. In the photo: the ceremony of awarding Rodnina the Order of Merit for the Fatherland. © Photo from wikipedia.org
In May 2013, Rodnina presented her book of memoirs, “Tear of a Champion.” In the photo: Irina Rodnina at the presentation of the book “Tear of a Champion.” © Photo Russian Look
Irina Rodnina has two children - Alexander Zaitsev (born 1979) and Alena Minkovskaya (born 1986). At the moment, Alena is hosting her own show on the Russian English-language TV channel “RT”. In the photo: Rodnina with her daughter Alena, 1998. © Photo Russian Look
Irina Rodnina State Duma deputy
Her political career began after her return to her homeland in 2002. The woman tried three times to get into the State Duma, but all attempts were unsuccessful.
Only in 2007 did she become a deputy of the United Russia party, taking on the position of deputy chairman of the education committee. In 2011, she re-entered the State Duma, but this time she became a member of the Committee on CIS Affairs. In 2020, Rodnina joined the Russian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Social activity
In 2002, Rodnina returned to Russia and became involved in active social activities. Since 2005, she has hosted the author’s program “Stadium” on Radio Russia. In the public all-Russian organization “National Health League”, the athlete serves as a member of the presidium. And in the organization “All-Russian Voluntary Society “Sports Russia”” he takes the place of chairman of the central council.
Now he is a member of the Council for Physical Culture and Sports under the President of the Russian Federation. And during the opening ceremony of the 2014 Olympics in Sochi, she lit the Olympic flame together with Vladislav Tretyak.
Personal life
Many are still interested in the question of whether the ex-skater is married or not. Official marital status: divorced. Rodnina was married twice, and both times were unsuccessful. She has two children - son Alexander and daughter Alena.
Rodnina's first husband - Alexander Zaitsev
They met on the ice in the second half of 1972, when the athlete was just recovering from an injury received in Canada. She no longer performed with her former partner, as there were rumors about Irina’s deliberate fall. Allegedly, Uvarov wanted to dance with his legal wife in this way, which happened in the future.
With Alexander Zaitsev, the woman felt in good hands. United by a common cause, the athletes fell in love, and a couple of years later they officially got married. They didn’t stop skating, bringing gold from championships for 10 years. We only missed the 1978-1979 competition, because a son, Alexander, was born into a young family.
The woman did not sit on maternity leave for a long time, but after a few months she returned to the ice again. In 1981, they ended their sports career, but family life did not work out. The couple lived together for 8 years. Afterwards they officially divorced, but for the sake of their joint child they maintained warm, friendly relations. It turned out that in life they were united only by sports, and their plans for the future were noticeably different.
The second husband of Irina Rodnina is Leonid Minkovsky
She met a Ukrainian businessman and producer in 1985, and a year later she gave birth to her daughter Alena. The couple and their children moved to the United States in the 90s. Rodnina worked as a coach.
Leonid Minkovsky was not idle either. The man met another woman and finally broke up with Rodnina. Afterwards he also sued for custody of his joint daughter, but the law sided with the mother. About the wife and personal life of Irina Miroshnichenko.
Pavel Niderman - friend of Rodnina
They met in San Francisco. The famous TV presenter Oksana Pushkina became the matchmaker. From the moment they met, Irina and Pavel did not part, but she still had the chance to return to Moscow. The woman remained on good terms with Niederman; he even flew from abroad to congratulate her on her 70th birthday.
First victory and separation
Three years of painful and persistent training by Rodnina and Ulanov brought results already in 1969, when they sensationally won the European Championships in Germany. A young, little-known couple from the Soviet Union beat the Olympic champions themselves! Irina was then overwhelmed with flowers, chocolate and soft toys.
After tremendous success, the couple managed to win several more titles, including the 1972 Olympic Games in Sapporo, Japan. This victory was achieved in intense competition with another Soviet couple - Lyudmila Smirnova and Andrei Suraikin. Everything was decided by the votes of just two judges.
The last success with Ulanov was the 1972 World Championship. Moreover, the day before the start of the tournament, Rodnina fell during training and was hospitalized with a concussion and intracranial hematoma. But by some miracle, Irina not only got on the ice, but also skated without mistakes.
And after the World Cup, Alexey Ulanov went to Lyudmila Smirnova, with whom he had been in love for a long time. As a result, the couple formed not only in life, but also on the ice. The whole country was worried about Irina, who did not remain without a partner for long. That same year, Zhuk invited her to try riding with Alexander Zaitsev . The experienced coach's instincts did not disappoint. The very next year, Rodnina and Zaitsev beat Smirnova and Ulanov in brilliant style at the European Championships, receiving 12 top marks of 6.0 out of 18. It was a triumph!
Children and grandchildren of Irina Rodnina
Irina Rodnina has two adult children. Son Alexander was born in 1979 from Alexander Zaitsev. The guy chose the profession of an artist, lived in the USA for a long time, but still returned to his homeland. A few years ago he got married and is raising his daughter Sophia.
Daughter Alena appeared in 1986 from Leonid Minkovsky. Now the girl is already 33 years old. She is unmarried, is engaged in journalism, and works in one of the rating publications in Washington.
Endless pneumonia
Irina Rodnina was born in Moscow on September 12, 1949 in the family of a military man and a nurse.
It so happened that she was a sickly child who could not recover from pneumonia. In the first four to five years of her life, she suffered from pneumonia 10 times, after which her father came up with the idea to send the girl to sports, where she could improve her health. Not far from the house in the park of the Dzerzhinsky district of Moscow there was a figure skating section, where little Ira was enrolled. It is curious that the family then lived in a large communal apartment for several families, where there were 10 children. Every single one of them was doing something: some went to a music school, some to a sports section. Ira became the last one who was not left idle. She also liked the figure because white shoes were considered very fashionable among girls of that time.
70th anniversary
The ex-skater’s birthday was even covered in the press. The NTV channel in the “Today” program presented her video with the best sporting achievements and wished her long years and health.
Disease
It is known that, while working as a coach abroad, Rodnina began to abuse alcohol. The athlete was going through difficult times in a foreign land and the betrayal of her beloved man. Her own son Alexander forced her to give up the bad habit.
