Figure skater Irina Rodnina: biography, interesting facts and personal life. Why Irina Rodnina was called a traitor to the motherland

On September 12, 1949, a girl was born in Moscow, who was destined to rise to the highest step of the podium three times. Olympic Games and ten - the World Cup, become a Russian public and statesman and raise two children. Irina Rodnina, the famous figure skater, was able to prove herself in all forms!

The girl, who was born in the family of a military man and a nurse, was often sick in childhood. The doctors urged the parents to harden the child, and five-year-old Ira was brought to an open skating rink. As it turned out, the doctors' advice affected not only Irina's health, but also her fate as a whole. The girl really liked figure skating, she began to make progress and at the age of eleven she successfully passed the selection for the CSKA figure skaters section. There she was soon noticed by Stanislav Zhuk, one of the strongest coaches at that time. He took the young figure skater from the single skaters and paired her with Alexei Ulanov.

” A pair of Rodnina-Ulanov quickly becomes the leader of the Soviet figure skating, and in 1972 they rise to the highest step of the Olympic podium. However, personal relationships sports couple leave much to be desired: Ulanov is married to another figure skater, Lyudmila Smirnova, and really wants to skate with her.

It is not known what caused the fatal mistake of Alexei Ulanov, who shortly after the Olympics in training drops Rodnina from support and ... She does not regain consciousness for two hours. Doctors' diagnosis: concussion and intracranial hematoma.

Irina got injured just before the World Championships, which she nevertheless went to and skated everything with the same Ulanov. For the short program, they even received one highest score - 6.0. Rodnina finished the free program in a semi-conscious state and seriously thought about ending her career.

” And here again her fate was decided, one might say, by a person from the outside: Stanislav Zhuk invited her to ride with Alexander Zaitsev, unknown to anyone at that time. On the ice, they matched perfectly.

Here is how Rodnina recalls working with Zaitsev: “I felt comfortable riding with him. I held out my hand and didn't look back. It's an amazing feeling! Don't look back. You give your hand and they take it. There is always some kind of power with you.

” The ability not to look back, to rely on a partner always and in everything, led to the fact that the relationship of young athletes went beyond the rink, and after another victorious world championship in 1975, the couple became not only sports, but also married.

Even American television arrived at the grandiose wedding of champions. For a long time, sports achievements were in the first place for a young family. A year after the wedding, they became Olympic champions, and continued to take first places in the European and world championships.

But when Irina became pregnant, her career had to be sacrificed: due to complications, she spent eight out of nine months of pregnancy in a lying position. The son of Rodnin and Zaitsev was named Alexander, he was born in 1979. And exactly one year later, the couple went to conquer the Olympic ice for the third time. In 1980, Rodnina and Zaitsev for the third time became Olympic champions and completed sports career.

” With the end of a sports career, family life also came to an end. It turned out that the main thing that connected her and Alexander Zaitsev was sports. There was no figure skating - there was no love either. Irina began to work as a coach, raised her son. WITH ex-husband they maintained friendly relations.

And then Irina met her future second husband - businessman Leonid Minkovsky. From him, she was not afraid to give birth to a daughter, Alena, at the age of 36, despite the difficult first pregnancy. When in the 90s she was offered a job at the American International Figure Skating Center, Irina agreed with joy.

The son of Irina Zaitsev, Jr., until the last, did not want to leave Moscow, because he was having a hard time parting with his grandparents: "I basically knew English language, in Russia he studied at an English special school. But when I got to America, I realized nothing but “Hello! I’m Sasha from Russia,” he couldn’t say. However, when he went to school, he acquired friends and began to learn spoken English. It was also hard for my mother, she didn’t know English at all, she had to learn it from scratch.” Zaitsev Jr. found for himself and favorite hobby in America, hockey. True, Irina Konstantinovna did not want to send him to the sports section, she was afraid that her son would learn to swear and all his teeth would be knocked out. But in the end, she agreed.

” In America, Zaitsev Jr. received a good secondary education, but for a long time he could not understand what he wanted to connect his future with. The choice stopped on ceramics. However, he wanted to get a profession exclusively in Russia, he entered the Art and Industry Academy. Stroganov. Now he is a ceramic artist, he has a daughter, Sophia.

Rodnina's "American Tale" lasted only a year, then she found out that her husband was cheating on her. It was a terrible blow, but Irina did not want to live in the status of a deceived wife. This time the divorce did not go as peacefully as with Zaitsev: Minkovsky threatened to take his daughter away, Rodnina connected the best lawyers and tried to fight. About that period, Irina Konstantinovna says: “I was depressed for a long time. The children pulled me out of it. One day my son took me to the mirror and said: “Mom, look who you look like!” I looked and was horrified. All gray-haired, wildly thinner. I can’t say that I looked very bad, I just didn’t love myself then. And this is very important! I have always loved myself in sports, but in life it turned out to be more difficult. But she made an effort. I began to pay more attention to appearance, went in for sports solely for health. And then, when you are physically loaded, all sorts of bad thoughts begin to come out with sweat. Mine are gone too... I freed myself from the burden and rushed to Moscow. I rented an apartment there and provided the family with some kind of guaranteed income.”.

Daughter Alena stayed with her. And immediately after the divorce, things improved in the profession: Rodnina was invited to train Czech figure skaters Radka Kovarzhikova and Rene Novotny, who became world champions under her leadership. Now she has become not just a former champion, but a coach with a brilliant reputation. And by the beginning of the 2000s, she finally returned to her homeland.

” Alena graduated from the university and lives and works in America as a journalist. She has an active civic stance: in 2014, the girl was nominated for the GLAAD LGBT Award for the program "Bisexuals waited their turn at the White House", and now she is actively involved in the campaign to prevent sexual harassment.

And Irina Konstantinovna Rodnina is now a prominent political figure. However, she does not impose her political views on children: “Each generation lives its own life. Why should I impose mine? My task was to raise children, raise them, and educate them. Then everyone stands in their positions.

Prepared by Maria Kartashova

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. During the first four or five years of her life, she suffered pneumonia 10 times, after which the father came up with the idea to send the girl to sports, where she could improve her health.

Not far from home 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 was doing something: someone went to music school, someone in the sports section. Ira was the last one who did not remain idle. She also liked the figurine for the reason that white shoes were considered very fashionable among girls of that time.

Bug

At first, Rodnina was engaged purely for health, which really quickly began to improve. And at the age of eight, she managed to pass a rigorous selection to the CSKA section, where there was the only artificial ice in all of Moscow. This made it possible to train year-round, and even with the best coaches in the city.

True, initially there was no need to talk about any success in sports. Ira was not considered a promising girl, but they were not going to part with her either. And she started as a single figure skater. Everything changed at the moment when one of the CSKA coaches saw her on the ice Stanislav Zhuk. Under his leadership, the sister worked then Tatyana Zhuk and Alexander Gorelik, Elena Shcheglova and Valery Meshkov. But he, albeit not immediately, but took up the 17-year-old Rodnina, whom he decided to pair with a handsome figure skater Alexey Ulanov.

This decision became fateful. The ambitious, tough and demanding Zhuk immediately set a specific goal for them: to surpass the best couple at that time, who already had an Olympic gold medal in their assets - Lyudmila Belousov and Oleg Prototopov.

Stanislav Zhuk, Irina Rodnina and Alexey Ulanov. Photo: RIA Novosti / Dmitry Donskoy

First victory and parting

Three years of painful and hard training by Rodnina and Ulanov brought results already in 1969, when they sensationally won the European Championship in Germany. A young, little-known couple from the Soviet Union beat the Olympic champions themselves! Irina was then flooded 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 obtained in a sharp rivalry with another Soviet couple - Lyudmila Smirnova and Andrey Suraykin. Everything was decided by the votes of just two judges.

The last success with Ulanov was the 1972 World Cup. Moreover, the day before the start of the tournament, Rodnina fell in training and ended up in the hospital 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, Alexei Ulanov went to Ludmila Smirnova, with whom he had been in love for a long time. As a result, a couple formed not only in life, but also on ice. The whole country was worried about Irina, who did not remain long without a partner. In the same year, the Beetle suggested that she try to ride with Alexander Zaitsev. Flair experienced trainer did not disappoint. The very next year, Rodnina and Zaitsev beat Smirnova and Ulanov in brilliant style at the European Championship, receiving 12 top marks of 6.0 out of 18. It was a triumph!

New union

The Soviet people quickly forgot about the breakup of the Rodnina and Ulanov couple and admired the new alliance with Zaitsev. It was the standard of pair figure skating in everything. A thin girl with a short haircut and big eyes was admired by millions of people who did not miss the broadcasts of major figure skating competitions. It can be said without exaggeration - the entire male part of the country's population was in love with her.

In 1974, Rodnina and Zaitsev decided to part ways with coach Stanislav Zhuk. The athlete said in an interview that she was "tired of the Beetle's behavior." She was already an experienced and independent athlete who did not need instructions every minute. As a result, they fell under the wing of a young novice mentor Tatyana Tarasova. This allowed us to “reboot” a bit and take many more titles with new programs.

In 1975, Rodnina and Zaitsev got married, this event was celebrated by the whole country, and American TV even sent a team for a report, which was then played in the USA.

As a result, Irina Rodnina won three gold medals in her career. Olympic medals and ten world championships. After the victory in Lake Placid in 1980, when the third Olympics in a row was won, Irina burst into tears of happiness. And these tears went down in the history of the country as the most touching moment in the history of sports.

Irina Rodnina and Alexander Zaitsev. Photo: RIA Novosti / Vladimir Sergeev

After sports

Immediately after the victory in Lake Placid, Rodnina decided to end her sports career. She left at the peak of her fame at the age of 31. And then a difficult time began and the search for oneself in the post-sports life. Irina got a job as a coach, her husband - in the sports committee. In this routine, the marriage unexpectedly broke up in 1985.

Rodnina became the second husband Leonid Minkovsky, an architect by training, but at the 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 a long 12 years.

Circumstances forced me to leave the United States and return to Russia in 2002 - my 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 versions.

On September 12, 2016, Irina Rodnina, a legendary woman, a multiple champion who managed to bring figure skating to the highest world level, will celebrate exactly 67 years. Biography, personal life, performances and photos of the famous figure skater will be the subject of our article.

The first steps on the way to big sport

September 12, 1949 in the family of an officer and a nurse was born a girl who was destined to change the world Olympic sports. Ira grew up as a sickly child, so her little, at the age of five, her parents sent her to the famous Moscow school of figure skating, where many outstanding figure skaters came from. Since the rink came to the rink in 1954, her personal life has changed forever. Despite the fact that she got up on skates very early, even then the future athlete showed such qualities as determination, diligence and the will to win, because after passing a serious selection, Irina got into the figure skating section of the CSKA school. At that time, the girl was engaged as a single skater and, under the strict guidance of Yakov Smushkin, she mastered the basic

Since 1962, Irina began to train under the coaching of Sonya and Milan Valun, who came from Czechoslovakia. Already in 1963, Irina Rodnina and her partner took third place in youth competitions and received their first prize. After a while, the girl's coaches were forced to return home, but by the will of fate, Stanislav Alekseevich Zhuk became her new coach.

Collaboration with Stanislav Zhuk

With the change of coach began new life. Stanislav Alekseevich found a new partner for Irina, who became an adult, stately and handsome Alexei with a strong, strong spirit and body Irina looked great together. In 1967, for the first time, the guys performed in front of the judges with a demonstration performance, thereby gaining their attention.

Two years later, in 1969, a pair of Rodnin - Ulanov won their first victory in the World Championship. They had to go to the European Championship without a coach, but this did not stop them from taking prizes, because Rodnina's strong-willed qualities, her ability to deal with difficulties and her undeniable charm helped to achieve new heights. Until 1972, Irina won over and over again with Ulanov. However, on the eve of the 72nd World Championship, Alexey informed Irina of his intention to leave his partner: he was supposed to be paired with Lyudmila Smirnova, whom Ulanov was going to marry.

This was a blow for the athlete, according to her, Alexei was her friend, with whom they dreamed of conquering Olympus, and it was very regrettable that the partner did not share her desires.

At that moment, figure skater Irina Rodnina was on the verge of leaving figure skating, and there was also an opinion that the athlete would become a single skater. But paired with Alexei Ulanov, Irina won gold twice more, one of which was at the Olympics in Sapporo.

Meeting with Alexander Zaitsev

At a time when there were rumors about her final departure from figure skating, Irina Rodnina chooses a different path: among the little-known skaters, the girl found who became her new partner, thanks to her main advantage - character. This was immediately understood by the coach and the personal life of the athlete was now closely connected with the new partner.

1972 was a very difficult year for Irina. All summer and autumn, they and Alexander were waiting for endless training on ice, tired and exhausted crawled home, but the couple looked to the future with optimism. Rodnina became for Zaitsev not just a comrade in sports, but also a mentor from whom to follow an example, and a faithful support. Irina, in the person of Alexander, found a close friend and moral support in difficult times. They trained long, furiously and reaped the fruits of their hard work: first places and gold medals, while their rivals, Smirnova and Ulanov, won silver. The audience warmly supported the couple Irina Rodnina - Alexander Zaitsev.

And in 1973 they managed to leave a memorable mark in the history of figure skating at the World Championships in Bratislava, showing themselves to be real professionals, champions and fighters for victory.

Triumph in Bratislava

That day was very exciting for Irina, Alexander and their coach, because the couple presented their joint performance to the world for the first time. Everything was fine, the athletes confidently began their free program, and at the moment of culmination, when Rodnina and Zaitsev performed difficult lifts, the music suddenly stopped. However, such a closure (as it turned out later) did not prevent the talented couple from rolling their number to the end, the skaters did not stop for a second and met exactly the time allotted for them. The public at first did not understand what was happening. Then applause was heard, rapidly turning into a standing ovation, replacing the music. The audience did not want to let their favorites go, the couple was asked to roll their number, but Rodnina refused, rightly waiting for the results: the judges expressed their word in the form of high marks, and this performance became an example for all skaters and went down in history as an indicator of an amazing desire to win.

Let the nationality of Irina Rodnina be Jewish, she was and remains a Russian modest woman with a bright look and an open smile. On the one hand, her purity and tenderness, on the other hand, her stamina and strength of mind, attracted attention to her person.

Under the direction of Tatyana Tarasova

The year 1974 began, and with it new difficulties and changes. Stanislav Zhuk somehow approached Rodnina and announced that he was ready to conquer new horizons, and his work with Irina, even if she was his best student, was over. Rodnina tried to influence the coach, persuaded her to stay, because so many years of working with this person literally made them akin, but Zhuk was adamant to the girl's pleas. At that moment, Rodnina and her partner needed to get together, and they decided to turn to the young Tatyana Tarasova. Tatyana Anatolyevna quickly took them under her wing, brought new colors to their couple, added lyrical notes, and taught them new complex elements.

Wedding with Zaitsev and the birth of a son

In 1975, a significant event happened in the life of Irina Rodnina and Alexander Zaitsev - they became husband and wife. At the wedding, the orchestra played the motive of "Kalinka", which was very touching, because it is clear without words: "Kalinka" by Irina Rodnina is a kind of talisman, business card famous sportswoman.

There was a serious preparation for the Olympic Games in Innsbruck, which were to be held in 1976. Rodnina tried to instill the Olympic spirit in her partner, mentally setting up Zaitsev to win. Training continued under the guidance of Tarasova. During the performances themselves, it was clear that the couple was a little tired and exhausted, they made mistakes, but still won prizes, for Irina Rodnina it was the second Olympic gold.

In February 1979, Rodnina had a son, who was named after his father - Alexander. After the birth of Sasha Rodnina, she had to restore her physical form to get back on the ice.

The last exit on the ice and the tears of the champion

The last time she went to the rink, taking part in the 80 Olympics. It was then that for the tenth time she received the championship title and for the third time she took Olympic gold, hitting the Guinness Book of Records. During the medal ceremony, Rodnina Irina Konstantinovna could not hold back her tears, this moment became one of the most sentimental and touching in the history of the Olympic Games.

After stunning victories at the world and European championships, Irina Konstantinovna decided to leave big sport. The search began again. Rodnina could not apply her skills in any way, she tried to be a mentor, then a teacher, but nothing could make up for the feeling of emptiness.

After leaving big sport

Relations with her husband also reached an impasse, and they had to leave. But, having fallen in love again, at the age of thirty-five, Irina Rodnina got married. Rodnina's husband, had nothing to do with the world of sports, he was a businessman and producer. He persuaded his wife to try their hand abroad.

In the United States, Irina Rodnina chose the profession of a coach for herself. At first it was difficult: adaptation to new living conditions, getting used to the mentality of the country, learning the language. After some time, Rodnina divorced her second husband, from whom Alena's daughter was born.

However, the difficulties did not break her here either, because Rodnina had the strongest support - her children. “It is easier for a woman to cope with the vicissitudes of fate, because she has children,” Irina Rodnina thinks so. The children of the athlete did not follow in the footsteps of the famous mother: Alexander became an artist, and Alena became a TV presenter.

Activities in the US and homecoming

While living in the United States, Irina Rodnina worked as a coach near Los Angeles, at the International Figure Skating Center, and became the owner of a small ice rink.

Despite the fact that her affairs abroad were going well, the champion did not let go of longing for her homeland. Returning to her hometown over and over again, Rodnina Irina Konstantinovna decided to create a figure skating school in Russia.

On this moment Irina is a public figure, politician, member of the United Russia party. In 2014, during the opening of the Winter Olympic Games in Sochi, Irina Rodnina was given the right to light the Olympic flame.

Her name has already gone down in history. Rodnina Irina, a biography whose personal life turned out to be very difficult, but full of interesting events, does not regret anything. She wants to believe that new achievements are yet to come.

Irina was born on September 12, 1949 in Moscow in a military family. As a child, Irina Rodnina in her biography did not differ in good health. The girl had pneumonia 11 times. After another illness, in order to somehow improve the health of the child, the parents brought Irina to the skating rink. It was thanks to the care and attention of her parents that Irina Rodnina became seriously interested in her biography figure skating. The girl was talented and diligent, so she soon ended up in the figure skating section of the CSK. The first serious victory of the athlete came in 1963, when Irina became the third in the youth competitions of the USSR.

After Irina began to train and act in tandem with A. Ulanov (and S. Zhuk was the coach), the victories literally rained down, although they got it with serious work. In 1967 - a victory at the Moscow Skates competition, twice (in 1968 and 1969) the pair became the third in the USSR championship. It was possible to take first place at the European Championships in the biography of figure skater Irina Rodnina in 1969. At the same time, the athlete received the title of Honored Master of Sports of the USSR. The first victory at the World Cup falls on the same 1969.

After a successful period in the biography of Irina Rodnina, failures followed. At the USSR Championship in 1970, the Rodnina-Ulanov pair took only fourth place. In 1972, just a day before the World Championships, Irina received a serious injury (concussion, hematoma), but still decided to perform. In the same year, her partner leaves. Then Rodnina Irina Konstantinovna in her biography decided to leave the sport. But the coach paired her with the most talented skater - Zaitsev. At the next European Championship, Zaitsev-Rodnina receive record number points. In 1973, at the World Championships in Bratislava, the skaters continued their performance, despite the lack of music. In 1975, speaking at the World Championships (under the guidance of coach Tarasova), the couple again took first place.

In 1974, Rodnina graduated from the Institute physical culture, and in 1975 she married Zaitsev. The couple continued to perform, showing excellent programs at the 1976 Olympics, the 1977 World Championships. For the third time, Rodnina was able to win the Olympics in 1980.

Having ceased performing, figure skater Irina Rodnina became a coach in her biography. Irina took up teaching, social activities. Rodnina is the chairman of the board of the All-Russian Voluntary Society " Sports Russia”, a member of the Council for Physical Culture under the President of the Russian Federation, as well as a member of the Public Chamber. Irina published the book “Non-Smooth Ice”, broadcasts “Stadium” on Russian radio. Children in the biography of Irina Rodnina play an important role. Irina has two children - son Alexander and daughter Alena.

At the elections September 18, 2016

August 23, 2019

September 15, 2019

September 21, 2019

Irina Rodnina awards

Order "For Merit to the Fatherland", II degree - For a great contribution to the strengthening of Russian statehood, the development of parliamentarism and active legislative activity (23.08.2019)
Order of Merit for the Fatherland, III degree (09/06/1999)
Order "For Merit to the Fatherland" IV degree (11/10/2009)
Order of Friendship (2016)
Order of Lenin (05/10/1976)
Two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor (03/03/1972; 04/09/1980)
Medal "For Labor Valor" (05/30/1969)
Medal "Participant of the military operation in Syria" (2016)
Bronze Olympic Order
Twice winner of the National Award for Public Recognition of the Achievements of Russian Women "Olympia" for 2002 and 2003
Laureate of the "Russian of the Year" award (2005) in the nomination "Triumphant"
Honorary Doctor of St. Petersburg State Unitary Enterprise since 2015

Sports achivments Irina Rodnina

Paired with Alexey Ulanov:

Olympic Games - Gold (1972)

World Championships - Gold (1969, 1970, 1971, 1972)

European Championships - Gold (1969, 1970, 1971, 1972)

USSR Championships - Bronze (1967, 1968), Gold (1969, 1970)

Tournament for the prizes of the Moscow News newspaper Silver (1968), Gold (1967, 1969)

Paired with Alexander Zaitsev:

Olympic Games - Gold (1976, 1980)

World Championships - Gold (1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977)

European Championships - Gold (1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1980)

USSR Championships - Gold (1972, 1973, 1974, 1976)

Tournament for the prizes of the Moscow News newspaper - Gold (1977)

Creativity Irina Rodnina

Filmography

1969 - Moscow in notes
1969 - Autographs on Ice (documentary)
1970 - Sports Glory Pages (documentary)
1970 - Parade on ice (documentary)
1971 - Figure Skating Stars (documentary)
1971 - This amazing sport (documentary)
1974 - Two on ice (documentary)
1975 - Irina Rodnina's difficult happiness (documentary)
1977 - Farewell tango (documentary)
1977 - Colors of ice (documentary)
1978 - The tenth peak of Irina Rodnina (documentary)
1979 - Sports of the Land of the Soviets (documentary)
1979 - Return (documentary)
1980 - Difficult Olympics in Lake Placid (documentary)
1981 - And believed in themselves (documentary)
1982 - Where Champions Go (documentary)
1983 - Carried away (documentary)
1983 - Word about the coach (documentary)
1983 - To the heights (documentary)
1984 - Pages of the life of Alexandra Pakhmutova (documentary) - figure skater
1984 - And again the finest hour! (documentary)
1988 - Irina Rodnina. Free Composition (documentary)
2007 - Monologue. Irina Rodnina (documentary)
2009 - Irina Rodnina. Invincible (documentary)

Bibliography:

1978 - "Non-Smooth Ice"

Family of Irina Rodnina

Father - Konstantin Nikolayevich Rodnin, a military man, originally from the village of Yanino (now it is the territory of Vologda).
Mother - Yulia Yakovlevna Rodnina, a nurse, originally from Ukraine, before the war in Kharkov she studied at a medical institute.

The elder sister is Valentina Konstantinovna, a mathematician.

First husband - Alexander Zaitsev (married in 1975), ice partner. Their wedding was celebrated very widely, US television came to the shooting.
Son - Alexander (born February 23, 1979), ceramic artist.
Granddaughter - Sonya.

The second husband is Leonid Minkovsky (married since 1986), businessman and film producer.
Daughter - Alena. Lives in Washington. One of the leading news programs on the North American Internet resource HuffPost Live.

22.09.2019

Rodnina Irina Konstantinovna

Deputy of the State Duma of the VII convocation

Honored Master of Sports

Irina Rodnina was born on September 12, 1949 in Moscow. Father, Konstantin Nikolaevich, was a military man, and his mother, Yulia Nikolaevna, worked as a nurse. As a child, Irina had pneumonia eleven times, the doctors advised her to do more exercise and best outdoors. Therefore, the parents brought their daughter in 1954 to the skating rink, to the Pryamikov Culture Park.

Then Irina ended up in Zhdanov Park, as there were more ice rinks there and her mother enrolled her daughter in the section. Irina's first children's coach was Yakov Smushkin. Later, another coach, Zina Podgornaya, suggested that her parents send a talented student to the Dzerzhinsky Park in Maryina Roshcha. After passing the screening, in 1960 Rodnina got into the CSKA figure skaters section, where she performed as a single skater until the age of fifteen. Since 1962, her coaches were the Czechs Sonya and Miloslav Balun, working under a contract with CSKA. A year later, paired with Oleg Vlasov, the young figure skater took third place in the all-Union youth competitions.

Since 1964, Stanislav Alekseevich Zhuk became Irina's coach, who paired Rodnina with Alexei Ulanov. In December 1966, the athletes made their debut at the first international tournament: "Moscow Skates" and already in the next season the couple became one of the leaders in figure skating in the USSR. In December 1967, they won the Moscow Skates tournament, in January 1968 they took third place in the USSR championship, performing the first short program to the Moldavian melody "Lark", after which the skaters got into the national team. At the first European Championship after short program Rodnina and Ulanov took third place, but they made mistakes in the free program and took fifth place.

Stanislav Alekseevich Zhuk increasingly complicates the program, including for the first time in the history of pair skating a parallel double axel jump and a combination of jumps. The couple arrives at the 1969 European Championship without a coach, since Stanislav Zhuk was banned from leaving, but even without a coach, the couple made a sensation. Despite the second place in the compulsory program, where they lost to Lyudmila Belousova and Oleg Protopopov, in the end they took first place due to more complex elements and a high pace of execution of the free program, and 8 judges out of 9 gave the first place. In the same year, Irina Rodnina received the title " Honored Master of Sports".

At the 1969 World Championships, Irina Rodnina and Alexei Ulanov win by a clear advantage, winning both types of competitions and getting all the first places from the judges. However, the following year, in 1970, at the USSR Championship in Kyiv, the couple skated the compulsory program extremely unsuccessfully, with two blunders and taking only 8th place. However, after a clean free program, they turned out to be the winners.

By 1972, the rivalry with the second domestic pair, Lyudmila Smirnova and Andrei Suraykin, was becoming more and more acute. At the 1972 Olympics, in the short program, Alexey Ulanov did a single salchow instead of the mandatory double salchow. In the free program, Rodnina made a mistake in the cascade of jumps and, as a result, Smirnova and Suraykin were ahead by only two votes of the judges. For the victory at the 1972 Olympics, by the Decree of the Presidium of the Supreme Soviet of the USSR, she was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labor.

Further, the day before the 1972 World Championships, during training, Irina fell from support, ended up in the hospital with a concussion and intracranial hematoma. Despite this, Rodnina took to the ice. The pair skated cleanly in the short program, receiving marks up to 6.0. In the free program, Irina felt unwell and ended the program in a semi-conscious state. After the World Cup, the couple breaks up. Alexey Ulanov, being married to Lyudmila Smirnova, pairs up with her. During this period, Rodnina seriously thought about leaving the big sport, so the USSR Championship in April 1972 watched from the stands.

Soon, Stanislav Zhuk invited Irina Rodnina to pair up with the St. Petersburg figure skater Alexander Zaitsev, with whom she performed at the demonstration performances in Zaporozhye. A partner who has good jumping technique very quickly masters all the complex elements. Mutual understanding and consistency in the new pair is noticeably higher than in the previous one, which was immediately noted by the judges. At the 1973 European Championship in Cologne, Rodnina and Zaitsev not only defeated Lyudmila Smirnova and Alexei Ulanov by unanimous opinion of all 9 judges, but also received 12 ratings of 6.0 out of 18 possible.

At the 1973 World Championships in Bratislava, an incident occurred that went down in the history of figure skating. There was a short circuit in the radio room and the sound was turned off during the free program by Rodnina and Zaitsev. Coach Stanislav Alekseevich from behind the side gave instructions to continue the program and the couple skated without music to the applause of the audience. Referee Karl Enderlin, noting the "will to win" of the couple, however, instructed to reduce the scores due to skating without music. The couple refused to perform the program at the end of the competition, which is why not a single mark of 6.0 was given. Subsequently, it turned out that the closure was deliberately organized by a Czech employee, who was trying to take revenge on the Soviet Union for the suppression of the Prague Spring five years earlier.

In 1974, Irina graduated from the Central Institute of Physical Culture. At this time, the relationship between the couple and the coach became complicated, and from October of the same year, on their own initiative, they transferred to the young coach Tatyana Anatolyevna Tarasova, who treated the students on an equal footing, more like a partner in a common cause. In addition, Tarasova tried to bring more artistic expressiveness, already in the first season of 1975, putting on a short program to the music of Alexei Mazhukov.

At the 1975 World Championships, during the warm-up before the free program, Irina Rodnina collided with Uwe Kagelmann, as a result of which she decided to abandon one support. However, the judges again unanimously gave the couple first place, with scores up to 6.0. In the same year, the wedding of Irina Rodnina and Alexander Zaitsev was widely celebrated, even American television came to film the celebration.

Before the 1976 Olympics, Alexander Zaitsev “overtrained”, excitement also affected, and after a cleanly executed short program, several mistakes were made in the free program, including the skater touching his hand when landing from a double axel, but the triple flip twist was excellent. All judges gave first places, 10 marks 5.9 and 8 - 5.8 points. Both programs are set to gypsy and Moldovan melodies. At the 1977 World Championships, the short and free programs were cleanly performed.

In the free program of 1978, Tarasova included two supports with a change of hand, a butterfly jump performed by partners holding hands, a rollover descent from support, as well as other original elements. The couple missed the 1979 season due to the birth of their son Alexander. In the next Olympic year in 1980 in the American Lake Placid, Rodnina and Zaitsev won a historic third victory, performing both programs absolutely cleanly. Television screens bypassed the footage of the skater's tears of happiness during the awards ceremony.

Irina Rodnina became the most successful figure skater in the history of pair skating: three times Olympic champion, ten-time world champion, eleven-time European champion and six-time champion of the USSR. From 1969 to 1980, she did not lose a single competition in which she participated with partners. At least one example can give an explanation for such a long series of victories in all competitions: in one of the most intense programs in the history of figure skating, the free pair Irina Rodnina and Alexander Zaitsev performed over 30 elements, a number of which were many years ahead of the development of pair skating, in including 6 complex supports.

In addition, many connecting “elements between elements” were used: original spirals, steps. The program was performed at great speed and extremely synchronously. All this amazed the imagination of the judges, who unanimously gave the pair the first places in terms of the sum of the marks, and the pair received the absolute first nine out of nine possible places for both short and free programs.

After graduation amateur career Irina Konstantinovna Rodnina worked as a coach in the Central Committee of the Komsomol. Then as a senior coach in the Dynamo society. Conducted pedagogical activity, teaching at the Institute of Physical Culture. Since 1990, she lived in the United States for twelve years, worked as a coach at the International Figure Skating Center in Lake Arrowhead.

Rodnina was the coach of the Czech couple Radka and Rene, who in 1995 became world champions. During this period, the Russian woman began a new stage in her life, becoming a coach with a reputation. And now the American colleagues had difficulty experiencing her success. Irina Konstantinovna worked fourteen hours a day. In the same year, she was awarded honorary citizenship of the Czech Republic. The athlete helped prepare Michelle Kwan and Angela Nikodinov.

Irina Konstantinovna Rodnina was awarded the Order of Lenin, as well as two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor. In 1999, the athlete was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, III degree. In 2009, she was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree, and the bronze Olympic Order. Twice winner of the National Prize for Public Recognition of the Achievements of Women in Russia "Olympia".

Since 2005, Rodnina has been hosting the author's program on the Radio of Russia "Stadium". He is the author of the book "Unsmooth Ice". In 2006 she was a member of the Public Chamber Russian Federation, and was also a member of the presidium of the All-Russian public organization "League of the Health of the Nation". In parallel, she acted as the chairman of the central council of the All-Russian public organization "All-Russian Voluntary Society" Sports Russia ".

In December 2007, Irina Konstantinovna was elected to the State Duma of the 5th convocation on the list of United Russia from the Omsk Region. In the Duma, she took the post of deputy chairman of the education committee. In December 2011, Rodnina was again re-elected, becoming a deputy of the State Duma of the VI convocation on the list of United Russia from the Omsk region. In the State Duma of the VI convocation, he is a member of the Committee on the Commonwealth of Independent States and Relations with Compatriots, is a member of the faction of the United Russia party.

Irina Konstantinovna is a member of the Council under the President of the Russian Federation for Physical Culture and Sports. In February 2014, together with Vladislav Tretyak, she lit the Olympic flame at the opening ceremony of the Sochi Olympics. In the same year, the champion entered the Guinness Book of Records as an athlete who has not lost a single competition in her career.

Later, on the Day of Russian Unity on November 4, 2015, Irina Rodnina, along with other Olympic champions, visited Yuzhno-Sakhalinsk. On the same day, the opening of the figure skating department took place. sports school CSKA at the Kristall Sports Palace. The former figure skater also spoke at a press conference supporting the project of opening additional sports sections at schools.

At the elections September 18, 2016 Rodnina Irina Konstantinovna was again elected a Deputy of the State Duma of the VII convocation from the constituency 0118, Dmitrovsky - Moscow Region. Member of the faction of the political party "United Russia". Deputy Chairman of the State Duma Committee on International Affairs. Member of the State Duma Commission on Parliamentary Ethics. Start date of office: October 5, 2016.

For a great contribution to the strengthening of Russian statehood, the development of parliamentarism and active legislative activity, Irina Konstantinovna Rodnina August 23, 2019 was awarded the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, 2nd class.

The first annual secular award in the beauty and business industry "Person of the Year 2019" was held September 15, 2019 in Moscow. More than a hundred nominations and prizes were presented on the stage of the Sovereign House of Celebrations. The organizers of the award invited representatives of the Russian Book of Records, who presented Irina Konstantinovna Rodnina with an award in the nomination "The largest number of gold medals."

Irina Rodnina and the head of the Central sports club Army Artem Gromov September 21, 2019 signed an agreement on cooperation between CSKA and the All-Russian Federation of School Sports. Within the framework of the agreement, work will be carried out to develop physical culture and sports and health work, as well as the promotion of physical culture and the active participation of children and adolescents in socially significant and military-patriotic events.