On September 12, 2016, the legendary woman, multiple champion, who managed to bring figure skating to the highest world level, will celebrate exactly 67 years - Rodnina Irina. Biography, personal life, speeches and photos of the famous skater will be the subject of our article.
The first steps towards big sport
On September 12, 1949, a girl was born in the family of an officer and a nurse who was destined to change the world of Olympic sports. Ira grew up a sick child, so her little, at the age of five, her parents gave to the famous Moscow school of figure skating, where many prominent figure skaters came from. Since Rodnina Irina came to the rink in 1954, her biography and her personal life have forever changed. Despite the fact that she started skating very early, even then the future athlete showed such qualities as determination, zeal and the will to win, after passing a serious selection, Irina got to the CSKA school in the figure skating section. At that time, the girl studied as a loner and, under the strict guidance of Yakov Smushkin, mastered the basic elements of figure skating.
Since 1962, Irina began to study under the coaching of Sonya and Milan Boulder, who came from Czechoslovakia. Already in 1963, Irina Rodnina and her partner, Oleg Vlasov, took third place in youth competitions and received their first prize. After a while, the girl’s trainers 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, a new life began. Stanislav Alekseevich found a new partner for Irina, who became Alexey Ulanov. An adult, stately and handsome Alexei with a strong, strong spirit and body Irina looked great together. In 1967, the guys spoke for the first time to the judges with a demonstration performance, thereby gaining their attention.
Two years later, in 1969, the Rodnin-Ulanov pair won their first victory at the World Championship. They had to go to the European Championship without a coach, but this did not stop them from winning prizes, because Rodnina’s strong-willed qualities, her ability to deal with difficulties and her indisputable charm helped to reach new heights. Until 1972, Irina over and over again won along with Ulanov. However, on the eve of the World Cup in 72, Alexey informed Irina of his intention to leave her partner: Lyudmila Smirnova, whom Ulanov was going to marry, should have made him a couple.
This was a blow to the athlete, according to her, Alex was her friend, with whom they dreamed of conquering Olympus, and it was very unfortunate that the partner did not share her desires.
At that moment, skater Irina Rodnina was on the verge of leaving figure skating, it was also believed that the athlete would become a loner. But paired with Alexei Ulanov, Irina received gold twice more, one of which was at the Sapporo Olympics.
Meeting with Alexander Zaitsev
While there were rumors about her final departure from figure skating, Irina Rodnina chose a different path: among the little-known figure skaters, the girl found Alexandra Zaitseva, who became her new partner, thanks to her main advantage - her character. This was immediately understood by the coach and Rodnina Irina. The biography, the personal life of the athlete was now closely associated with a 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 crawling home, but the couple was optimistic about the future. Rodnina became for Zaitsev not just a sports companion, but also a mentor from whom to take an example, and a true support. Irina, in the person of Alexander, found a close friend and moral support in difficult times. They trained for a long time, frantically and collected the fruits of their hard work: first places and gold medals, while their rivals, Smirnova and Ulanov, won silver. The audience warmly supported the pair Irina Rodnina - Zaitsev Alexander.
And in 1973 they managed to leave a memorable mark in the history of figure skating at the World Championships in Bratislava, proving themselves to be true professionals, champions and fighters for victory.
Triumph in Bratislava
That day was very exciting for Irina, Alexander and their coach, because the couple first presented their joint performance to the world. Everything was perfect, the athletes confidently started their free program, and at the time of the climax, when Rodnina and Zaitsev performed difficult support, 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 the exact time allotted for them. The audience at first did not understand what was happening. Then there was applause, rapidly turning into a standing ovation, replacing music. The audience did not want to let their pets go, the couple was asked to roll their number, however, 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.
Although Irina Rodnina’s nationality is Jewish, she was and remains a Russian modest woman with a bright look and open smile. On the one hand, her purity and tenderness, on the other hand, stamina and fortitude, attracted attention to her person.
Under the leadership of Tatyana Tarasova
The year 1974 began, and with it new difficulties and changes. Somehow, Stanislav Zhuk approached Rodnina and announced that he was ready to conquer new horizons, and his work with Irina, even though she was his best student, was over. Rodnina tried to influence the coach, persuaded to stay, because so many years of working with this man literally akin to them, but the Beetle was adamant about the girl’s prayers. 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 pair, added lyrical notes, taught 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 Kalinka motif, which was very moving, it is clear without words: Kalinka by Irina Rodnina is a kind of talisman, a visiting card of the famous athlete.
Serious preparations were underway for the Olympic Games in Innsbruck, which were to be held in 1976. Rodnina tried to instill the Olympic spirit in her partner, mentally tuning Zaitsev to victory. Training continued under the leadership of Tarasova. During the speeches themselves it was evident 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 again in order to return to the ice.
Last exit on the ice and tears of the champion
The last time she went to the rink, taking part in the Olympics-80. It was then for the tenth time that she received the championship title and took Olympic gold for the third time, falling into the Guinness Book of Records. During the medal awarding ceremony, Rodnina Irina Konstantinovna could not restrain her tears, this moment became one of the most sentimental and touching in the history of the Olympic Games.
After overwhelming 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 fill the feeling of emptiness.
After leaving the big sport
Relations with her husband also reached an impasse, and they had to leave. But, falling in love again, at thirty-five, Irina Rodnina got married. Leonid Minkovsky, Rodnina’s husband, had no relation to the world of sports, he was a businessman and producer. He persuaded his wife to try his hand abroad.
In the United States, Irina Rodnina chose the profession of coach for herself. At first it was difficult: adapting to new living conditions, getting used to the mentality of the country, learning a language. After some time, Rodnina divorces her second husband, from whom her daughter Alena was born.
However, her difficulties here did not break, because Rodnina had the strongest support - her children. “It’s easier for a woman to cope with the vicissitudes of fate, because she has children, ” says Irina Rodnina. 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.
