Egorova Lyubov Ivanovna, first of all, is famous for her star performances in sports as a skier. She owns a unique achievement in the total number of gold medals at the Olympics, which she collected as many as six. Having finished sports, the famous athlete decided to try herself in politics and now works as a deputy in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg.
Failed ballerina
The date of birth of Lyubov Ivanovna Egorova is May 5, 1966. The birthplace of the legendary athlete was the closed number city of Tomsk-7, which is now called Seversky. The parents of the girl dreamed that Lyuba became a ballerina, and gave her to a choreographic circle. However, her physical characteristics were far from ballet, and she left the dance studio.
As time has shown, Lyubov Ivanovna Egorova did not fail, carried away by skiing in the sixth grade of the school. The first coach of the girl was Nikolai Kharitonov, under whose leadership she began to speak at school competitions, where she first discovered her huge potential.
Soon, a native of Tomsk-7 was noticed by the coaches of the main team, and already at the age of seventeen, Lyuba began to speak at the stages of the world cup.
The first major start in the biography of Lyubov Ivanovna Egorova was a 5 km race as a classic in the Czechoslovak Strbske Pleso. A schoolgirl from the Tomsk region immediately took 14th place, gaining her first credits in the overall standings of the World Cup.
In 1988, the girl entered the Tomsk State Institute, and soon transferred to Leningrad in connection with a call to the national team of the country.
Breakthrough to the Elite
By the season of 1989/1990, Lyubov Ivanovna Egorova reached a qualitatively new level in her development. She was in the top ten at the end of the season in the overall standings, taking the honorable sixth place among the strongest skiers on the planet. In addition, this year Lyubov Ivanovna first climbed the podium at the World Cup stage, taking second place in the 10 km freestyle race in the Italian Val di Fiemme.
From that moment on, she competes on equal terms with the best racers of the planet, regularly winning medals at major starts. Since the 1990/1991 season, ski enthusiasts have watched with admiration the confrontation between Lyubov Ivanovna Egorova and Elena Vyalbe, Larisa Lazutina and Italian stars Stefanie Belmondo and Manuela di Centa.
In 1991, the Tomsk skier won the gold of the world championships for the first time, having managed to finish the first in an exhausting marathon distance of 30 km in free style.
To the individual award, she added the main medal in the relay, together with Lazutina and Vyalbe, defeating all other rivals on the head.
During the season, Lyubov Ivanovna Egorova rose four times on the podium at the stages of the World Cup, ending up in the honorable third place in the overall standings.
Olympic exploits
The season of 1991/1992 becomes special for a young skier from Leningrad. It leads an uncompromising struggle for leadership, gradually pushing back the former leaders and in a fantastic way approaches the main starts of the four-year period - the Olympics.
At the games in Albertville, Lyubov Ivanovna Egorova manages to win medals in all the disciplines in which she takes part. She won the 15 km race in free style and classic, along with the team she won the relay, and in addition, she was second in the 5 km race and in the 30 km marathon. After this triumph, photos of Lyubov Ivanovna Egorova flashed on the front pages of all the leading publications of the country.
In the 1992/1993 season, the athlete continues to dominate the world ski and for the first time in her career wins the Crystal Globe, awarded to the overall leader after the season.
Ski competition at the 1994 Olympics was a real duel between Egorova and Manuela di Centa. Only these two racers played among themselves the gold medals of the tournament.
As a result, Love became the Olympic champion at the distance of 5 km with the classic style and 15 km with the skate style, and also won again in the relay team.
Last years
Having won everything that is possible in sports, Lyubov Ivanovna decided to take a break in her career in order to focus on family affairs. After the birth of her son Igor, she resumes training and gradually returns to her previous high level. For several years, the Olympic champion continues to be one of the best skiers on the planet.
At the 1997 World Cup, she brilliantly wins the 5 km classic race. However, this triumph was the last in the career of Lyubov Ivanovna Egorova. A few days later, traces of a banned drug called Bromantan were found in her doping test. She was disqualified for two years, having selected the recently awarded gold medal.
After this story, Lyubov Yegorova was no longer able to return to sport in her former capacity. She still participated in competitions, was at the 2002 Olympics in Salt Lake City, but was not noted for anything remarkable. In 2003, Egorova announced her retirement.
Political career
Having finished sports, Lyubov Ivanovna first took up scientific and teaching activities, defended her thesis, worked as vice-rector at the Institute of Physical Education.
By 2007, the illustrious athlete was ripe for a political career. Having joined the Communist Party, she is nominated by a deputy in the Legislative Assembly of St. Petersburg and successfully passes the election.
Since that time, the former skier became a regular at the City Duma and continues to be elected to the deputies, having changed her party affiliation in favor of United Russia.
In 2016, a scandal broke out due to the fact that deputy Lyubov Ivanovna Egorova messed up something in her income statement, forgetting to include information about her overseas property and the proceeds from its sale.
