Irina Konstantinovna Rodnina (Russian:Ирина Константиновна Роднина,IPA:[ɪˈrʲinəkənstɐnˈtʲinəvnərədʲnʲɪˈna]; born 12 September 1949) is a Russian politician and retiredfigure skater, who is the onlypair skater to win 10 successiveWorld Championships (1969–78) and three successive Olympic gold medals (1972, 1976, 1980). She was elected to theState Duma in the2007 legislative election as a member of PresidentVladimir Putin'sUnited Russia party.[2] As a figure skater, she initially competed withAlexei Ulanov and later teamed up withAlexander Zaitsev. She is the first pair skater to win the Olympic title with two different partners, followed only byArtur Dmitriev.
Rodnina was born inMoscow on 12 September 1949. Her father wasSoviet Army officer Konstantin (Nikolaevich) Rodnin, from a village named Yaminovo on the outskirts ofVologda. Her mother wasUkrainian Jewishparamedic Yulia (Yakovlevna) Rodnina. Her parents met each other during theSecond World War, and both took part in theSoviet invasion of Manchuria against theEmpire of Japan as the war came to a close. She has an older sister, Valentina, who worked as an engineer. As a young child, Rodnina was often sick, suffering frompneumonia eleven times. On the advice of her doctor to give Rodnina additional exercise and outdoor time, and in 1954 took her to anice rink for the first time at Pryamikov Children Park of Moscow.[3]
Since the sixth form of secondary school, age 13,[4] she trained atChildren and Youth Sports School ofCSKA on Leningradsky Prospekt.[5]
By 1963, Rodnina had begun skating with her first partner Oleg Vlasov, coached by Sonia and Milan Valun. In 1964, her coach becameStanislav Zhuk, who paired her withAlexei Ulanov.[citation needed] Rodnina/Ulanov won their first World title in1969, ahead ofTamara Moskvina/Alexei Mishin. They won four consecutive World titles.[6]
Rodnina and Ulanov won their next two World titles,1970 and1971, ahead of silver medalistsLyudmila Smirnova/Andrei Suraikin. However, Ulanov fell in love with Smirnova, and prior to the 1972 Olympics, the couple made the decision to skate together the following season.[3] Rodnina/Ulanov went on to compete at the1972 Olympics where they captured the gold. They then prepared for their last competition together, the1972 World Championships. While practicing together a day before the start of the competition, the pair had an accident on a lift and Rodnina ended up in hospital with aconcussion and an intracranialhematoma.[3] Despite the accident, they had a strong showing in the short program, receiving some 6.0s. In the long program, Rodnina became faint and dizzy but it was enough for their fourth World title. Ulanov continued his career with Smirnova, while Rodnina considered retirement.
In April 1972, her coachStanislav Zhuk suggested she team up with the young Leningrad skater Alexander Zaitsev, who had good jumping technique and quickly learned the elements. Their music stopped during their short program at the1973 World Championships, possibly due to a Slovak worker acting in retaliation for the suppression of thePrague Spring.[3][7] Known for intense concentration, they finished the program in silence, earning a standing ovation and a gold medal upon completion,[8] ahead of Smirnova/Ulanov, whom they again defeated in1974.
In 1974, Rodnina/Zaitsev left Zhuk, with whom the working relationship had become strained,[3] to train withTatiana Tarasova. They won six consecutive World titles together, as well as seven European gold medals, and won their first Olympic title together in1976. Rodnina/Zaitsev did not compete during the 1978–79 season because she was pregnant with their son who was born on 23 February 1979.[3] They returned in 1980 to capture theirsecond Olympic title together and Rodnina's third. At the age of 30 years and 159 days, she became one of the oldest female figure skating Olympic champions. They then retired from competitive skating.
Throughout her career, Rodnina competed internationally for theSoviet Union and represented theArmed Forces sports society at the national level.[9] Rodnina, along with Ulanov and her later partner Alexander Zaitsev "completely dominated international pair skating throughout the 1970s".[10] With her partners, she won ten World Championships and three consecutive Olympic gold medals from 1971 to 1980, a record that equaledSonia Henie's, along with eleven European titles, making her the most successful pair skater in history. She was one of the first female pair skaters to be known for her athleticism and ever-increasing dangerous tricks. She and her partners were also known for their acrobaticlifts, side-by-jumps, and for thesplit triple twist. In the early 1990s, she coached at the Ice Castle International Training Center inLake Arrowhead, California.[10][11]
In a 1991 interview, Rodnina said she was aware that Soviet figure skaters had used doping substances since the early 1970's in preparation for the competitive season. According to Rodina "Boys in pairs and singles used drugs, but this was only in August or September. This was done just in training, and everyone was tested (in the Soviet Union) before competitions."[12]
Rodnina became a member of thePublic Chamber of Russia in 2005.[13] In the2007 legislative election, she was elected to theState Duma as a member ofPresidentVladimir Putin'sUnited Russia party.[2] On 17 December 2012, Rodnina supported[14] theDima Yakovlev Law, the law in the Russian Parliament banning adoption of Russian orphans by citizens of the United States.
Rodnina was sanctioned by the United Kingdom from 15 March 2022 in relation to Russia's actions in Ukraine.[15]
In December 2022, the Ukrainian Parliament sanctioned Rodnina for her support of the2022 Russian invasion of Ukraine.[16] In 2023, she supported Poland's decision to boycott the Olympic Games in case Russian athletes are allowed to compete, saying that it would mean "Poland gets banned for the next two Olympic cycles".[17]
Rodnina graduated from the Central Institute of Physical Culture. Her first marriage was toAlexander Zaitsev, with whom she has a son of the same name, born in 1979.[3] From her second marriage with the film producer Leonid Menkovsky, Rodnina has a daughter,Alyona Minkovski, born in 1986.[3] She is currently divorced.[18] She spent a number of years living in the United States and then moved back to Russia.[18][19]
On 13 September 2013, Rodnina caused a stir when shetweeted a doctored photo ofU.S. PresidentBarack Obama and his wifeMichelle, with Obama's mouth full of food, with aphotoshopped banana in the image's foreground.[20] She said she was practicing her right to free expression,[21] but critics claimed she was making a racist comment about the African-American president.[22][20][23][24] On 10 February 2014, Rodnina in her Twitter claimed that her account was hacked at the time of posting the offensive photograph and apologized for her handling of the affair.[25][26]
| Event | 1967–68 | 1968–69 | 1969–70 | 1970–71 | 1971–72 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympics | 1st | ||||
| World Championships | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | |
| European Championships | 5th | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st |
| Soviet Championships | 3rd | 3rd | 1st | 1st | |
| Prize of Moscow News | 1st | 2nd | 1st |
| Event | 1972–73 | 1973–74 | 1974–75 | 1975–76 | 1976–77 | 1977–78 | 1978–79 | 1979–80 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Winter Olympics | 1st | 1st | ||||||
| World Championships | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | ||
| European Championships | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | |
| Soviet Championships | 1st | 1st | 1st | 1st | ||||
| Prize of Moscow News | 1st |
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A. Chaikovsky (1977).Irina Rodnina. Heroes of the Olympic Games (in Russian). Moscow:Fizkultura i sport. Archived fromthe original on 1 January 2007.
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| Preceded by Callum Airlie, Jordan Duckitt,Desiree Henry, Katie Kirk, Cameron MacRitchie, Aidan Reynolds, andAdelle Tracey | Final Olympic torchbearer Sochi 2014 With:Vladislav Tretiak | Succeeded by |
| Preceded by | Final Winter Olympic torchbearer Sochi 2014 With:Vladislav Tretiak | Succeeded by |
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