 Kurachkina in 2021 | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1994-06-17)17 June 1994 (age 31) Kruhlaye, Belarus |
| Sport | |
| Country | Belarus |
| Sport | Amateur wrestling |
| Weight class | 57 kg |
Event | Freestyle |
Medal record | |
Iryna Alyaksandrauna Kurachkina (Belarusian:Ірына Аляксандраўна Курачкіна; born 17 June 1994) is aBelarusianfreestyle wrestler. She won the silver medal in thewomen's 57 kg event at the2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan.[1] Kurachkina is also a three-time bronze medalist at theWorld Wrestling Championships and a five-time medalist, including three golds, at theEuropean Wrestling Championships. She also won the gold medal in her event at the2019 European Games held in Minsk, Belarus.
Kurachkina competed in thewomen's 51 kg event at the2013 World Wrestling Championships held in Budapest, Hungary.[2] In March 2016, she won the silver medal in thewomen's 53 kg event at theEuropean Wrestling Championships held in Riga, Latvia.[3] The next month, Kurachkina competed in thequalification tournament held in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia hoping to qualify for the2016 Summer Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.[4] She did not advance far as she was eliminated in her first match.[4]
At the2017 World U23 Wrestling Championship held in Bydgoszcz, Poland, she won the silver medal in the women's 55 kg event.[5] Kurachkina also won one of the bronze medals in thewomen's 55 kg event at the2017 World Wrestling Championships held in Paris, France.[6] In 2018, she competed in thewomen's freestyle event of the 2018 Wrestling World Cup. A few months later, Kurachkina won the gold medal in thewomen's 55 kg event at the2018 European Wrestling Championships held in Kaspiysk, Dagestan, Russia.[7] Later that year, she competed in thewomen's 57 kg event at the2018 World Wrestling Championships held in Budapest, Hungary where she was eliminated in her first match.[8]
At the2019 European Games held in Minsk, Belarus, Kurachkina won the gold medal in thewomen's 57 kg event.[9][10] In the final, she defeatedMimi Hristova of Bulgaria.[9] At the2019 World Wrestling Championships held in Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan, Kurachkina won one of the bronze medals in thewomen's 57 kg event.[11][12] She qualified at this competition torepresent Belarus at the2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.[13]
In 2020, Kurachkina won the gold medal by defeatingAnnika Wendle of Germany in the final of thewomen's 55 kg event at theIndividual Wrestling World Cup held in Belgrade, Serbia.[14][15] In 2021, she won the gold medal in the57 kg event at theEuropean Wrestling Championships held in Warsaw, Poland.[16][17] A few months later, Kurachkina won the silver medal in her event at the2021 Poland Open held in Warsaw, Poland.[18][19]
With a bronze medal and a third place win at the2019 World Wrestling Championships, Kurachkina qualified for theTokyo 2020 Olympics as the number #3 seed. In Kurachkina's Olympic debut, she defeated, reigning Asian Champion, India'sAnshu Malik by the score 8-2 after going all six-minutes; Kurachkina then went on to win 6-3 over 2016 Olympic Silver medalist,Valeria Koblova, representing the ROC, which would give Kurachkina a place in the semi-final.[20] Opposing Kurachkina in the semi-final was unseededEvelina Nikolova, who Kurachkina defeated by 11-0 technical superiority.
In 2022, she won one of the bronze medals in the 57 kg event at theYasar Dogu Tournament held in Istanbul, Turkey.[21]
Kurachkina won the gold medal in the57 kg event at the2024 European Wrestling Championships held in Bucharest, Romania.[22][23] In the final, she defeated Evelina Nikolova of Bulgaria.[23] She competed at the2024 European Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament in Baku, Azerbaijan and she earned a quota place for theIndividual Neutral Athletes for the2024 Summer Olympics in Paris, France.[24] Kurachkina was not invited to compete at the Olympics andAlina Hrushyna of Ukraine competed in her place instead.[25]
| Year | Tournament | Location | Result | Event |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2016 | European Championships | Riga, Latvia | 2nd | Freestyle 53 kg |
| 2017 | World Championships | Paris, France | 3rd | Freestyle 55 kg |
| 2018 | European Championships | Kaspiysk, Russia | 1st | Freestyle 55 kg |
| 2019 | European Games | Minsk, Belarus | 1st | Freestyle 57 kg |
| World Championships | Nur-Sultan, Kazakhstan | 3rd | Freestyle 57 kg | |
| 2020 | European Championships | Rome, Italy | 3rd | Freestyle 57 kg |
| 2021 | European Championships | Warsaw, Poland | 1st | Freestyle 57 kg |
| Summer Olympics | Tokyo, Japan | 2nd | Freestyle 57 kg | |
| 2024 | European Championships | Bucharest, Romania | 1st | Freestyle 57 kg |
| |
|
| |
|
