Soviet figure skater and now politician Irina Rodnina is 71 years old. The woman entered the Guinness Book of Records as an athlete who never lost. She has 10 victories at the World Championships, 11 at the European Championships. In addition, at one time she became a three-time Olympic champion, known throughout the world. Irina Konstantinovna was born on September 12, 1949 in the family of a military man and a housewife, and was raised together with her older sister Valya in strictness and order. By nationality, his father is Russian, his mother is Jewish, originally from Ukraine. Since childhood, Irina grew up as a sickly child, and before the age of 5 she suffered from pneumonia several times. About what happened to the son of Irina Bezrukova. Then Konstantin Nikolaevich decided to strengthen his daughter’s immunity and sent her to sports.
Thus, the harmless section determined Rodnina’s choice of profession and the purpose of her entire life. In 1974, she became a certified “athlete,” but she began bringing gold medals from championships much earlier. In 1981, the athlete became an honored coach and ended her sports career.
In the difficult 90s, she moved to the United States, where she actively promoted her coaching activities. She returned home only in 2002 and immediately went into politics. Twice unsuccessfully, but in 2007 she became a deputy from United Russia. Field of activity: education.
This woman of character was married twice, and both marriages ended in divorce. The reason for this is figure skating and the unreliability of life partners. Today Rodnina has adult children - son Sasha Zaitsev and daughter Alena Minkovskaya, and her granddaughter Sofia is growing up. The ex-skater continues to support the sport and young talents, and approved the “Yard Coach” project (2019).
Sports career
The history of this ambitious athlete goes back to 1963, when the girl took third place at the All-Union Youth Competitions. Then she performed in pairs with Oleg Vlasov, and the pair was coached by Sonya and Milan Valun. But this sports duo lasted less than 2 years.
After the first victory, there was a change in the coaching staff and the Rodnina-Vlasov pair. The new coach is Stanislav Zhuk, the ice partner is Alexey Ulanov. They skated together for 10 years, and each competition ended with another victory. Irina was not satisfied with the coach’s constant nagging, so conflict situations arose with enviable regularity.
The next “replacement” occurred in the 70s. The new coach is the then young Tatyana Tarasova, the next and last partner is Alexander Zaitsev. It was with this composition that the couple became famous throughout the world, and added to their “track record” with two gold medals at the Olympic Games and more. In 1981, Irina Rodnila joined the coaching staff. She trained young talents on the ice for about 20 years. Among the significant successes is the victory at the World Championships of the Czech pair Radka Kovarzhikova and Rene Novotn.
Figure skating partners
During her sports career, the figure skater had 2 partners. She got along well with everyone and skated for years, but fate did not always present pleasant surprises to the champion.
The 15-year-old athlete’s first partner was Alexey Ulanov, with whom she competed at international competitions two years later. In 1969, they took their first gold at the European Championships, and 5 years later they repeated their triumphant victory. In 1972, they took away another gold medal from the Olympics in Sapporo.
One day, while training in Canada, a girl fell and hit her head hard. She still competed and took gold, but after returning home the Rodnina-Ulanov couple finally broke up. There were rumors that her partner dropped her on purpose in order to perform with his legal wife.
The third was Alexander Zaitsev, with whom she not only danced, but was also officially married. It was a stellar union of two professionals in their field.
The couple created a particular sensation in Bratislava when, during their dance, the musical accompaniment suddenly stopped, but they continued their performance in complete silence. As a result, we received the maximum score and definitely first place. Rodnina and Zaitsev admired their synchronicity, high speed and unique technique. The last of their professional activities was the 1980 Olympics, where they once again won gold.
World Champion
The first World Championship for the Rodnina-Zaitsev pair took place in Bratislava, a year after the injury received during training (1973). When the music suddenly stopped during the performance, the partners were not taken aback and continued their dance. The result is the highest score from all judges and the proud title of “World Champions”.
The next World Championship took place in 1975, and again brought the Rodnina-Zaitsev pair a gold medal. New coach Tatyana Tarasova, who was remembered by Rodnina for her creative ideas and unconventional approach to figure skating, assisted in this. In total, the athlete has 10 World Championships, 3 Olympic victories, and 11 European Championships.
Performance at the Olympics
Irina Rodnina is a three-time Olympic champion for her athletic career. The last one in her career was the 1980 Olympics, after which the figure skater officially left training and performances and joined the coaching staff.
During the playing of the anthem and the awarding of medals, the athlete could not hold back her tears, and journalists immediately covered this moment in the photo. I was so touched by Rodnina’s patriotism that these historical photographs can still be seen today.
The beginning of a figure skating career
For four years from the moment she joined the section, Irina Rodnina competed as a singles skater. From the age of 15, the girl trained with S.A. Zhuk in tandem with Alexei Ulanov. After 2 years of hard and persistent training, the Rodnina-Ulanov couple successfully competed in international competitions. In 1969, determined skaters won their great victory at the European Championships, despite the absence of a coach due to a travel ban. So Irina Rodina received the title “Honored Master of Sports of the USSR.”
5 years after the resounding victory at the European Championships, Irina and Alexey again became winners, but at the World Championships. The skaters' performance earned maximum marks from all judges. Unfortunately, the next year was less successful for the star couple: at the national championship they made serious mistakes, but managed to correct the situation with a perfect execution of the free part of the program.
Until 1972, figure skaters Rodnina and Ulanov remained the undisputed leaders, but with each new competition the rivalry with another Soviet pair Smirnova-Suraikin became more and more noticeable. Before the World Championships in 1972, during preparatory training, Irina fell from a high support, as a result of which she suffered a concussion and a dangerous intracranial injury.
Despite the injuries, the skater skated her program and left the skating rink in a semi-fainting state. For some time, the injured Rodnina remained on the sidelines, and her partner continued to ride with his wife, L. Smirnova. The championship in April 1972, Irina watched from the stands of the hall and seriously thought about ending her sports career.
You can see more about this in the 2009 documentary “Irina Rodnina. Invincible":
Conflict between Tatyana Tarasova and Rodnina
During the broadcast of the World Championships, the ex-skater, being a politician, criticized the work of her mentor. Rodnina openly stated that commentators “should be professionals in their field,” and not just idle talk. Tarasova also had something to answer.
It became obvious that the black cat had been running between the athletes for a long time. In her book “Tear of a Champion,” Rodnina explained that she considers Tarasova not a coach, but only a choreographer. She was trained by Stanislav Zhuk, and I am grateful to him. Critics reacted controversially to such statements, believing that the number of victories of the skater increased precisely during Tarasova’s instruction.
State Duma Deputy
Her political career began after her return to her homeland in 2002. The woman tried three times to get into the State Duma, but all attempts were unsuccessful.
Only in 2007 did she become a deputy of the United Russia party, taking on the position of deputy chairman of the education committee. In 2011, she re-entered the State Duma, but this time she became a member of the Committee on CIS Affairs. In 2021, Rodnina joined the Russian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.
Rodnina and politics
In 2002, Irina Rodnina returned to Moscow. She stood as a candidate for the State Duma elections in 2003, but failed to get elected, losing. The by-elections held a year later did not bring her success either.
Only on the third attempt did Irina Rodnina manage to get into the State Duma. In 2007, she was on the United Russia list from the Omsk region. In that convocation of the Duma, she served as deputy chairman of the education committee. Since then, Rodnina has been re-elected twice (in 2011 and 2021).
At ER she is involved in such projects as “School Sports” and “Yard Coach”. Rodnina was also at one time (in 2006) a member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation. She is now a member of the Presidential Council on Physical Education.
The former athlete was often criticized by the liberal public for her activities as a deputy. In 2012, Irina Rodnina voted for the “Dima Yakovlev Law,” which prohibits sending Russian children to foreign families, and in 2018, she voted for raising the retirement age (to 60 and 65 years, respectively).
In 2021, Irina gave a long interview to Sports.ru, in which she spoke about her political views. She noted that she considers the Sergei Magnitsky law a political continuation of the Jackson-Vanik act, and the sanctions imposed in connection with the annexation of Crimea in 2014 are illegal. Speaking about Dima Yakovlev's law, the representative of United Russia also admitted that it was a kind of response to the Magnitsky law.
Rodnina also spoke out against opposition politician Alexei Navalny. She said that she considers him a big swindler who drags schoolchildren into politics.
Speaking about support for Vladimir Putin on the eve of the March 2021 elections, Irina noted that he looks like the most realistic candidate.
Personal life
Many are still interested in the question of whether the ex-skater is married or not. Official marital status: divorced. Rodnina was married twice, and both times were unsuccessful. She has two children - son Alexander and daughter Alena.
Rodnina's first husband - Alexander Zaitsev
They met on the ice in the second half of 1972, when the athlete was just recovering from an injury received in Canada. She no longer performed with her former partner, as there were rumors about Irina’s deliberate fall. Allegedly, Uvarov wanted to dance with his legal wife in this way, which happened in the future.
With Alexander Zaitsev, the woman felt in good hands. United by a common cause, the athletes fell in love, and a couple of years later they officially got married. They didn’t stop skating, bringing gold from championships for 10 years. We only missed the 1978-1979 competition, because a son, Alexander, was born into a young family.
The woman did not sit on maternity leave for a long time, but after a few months she returned to the ice again. In 1981, they ended their sports career, but family life did not work out. The couple lived together for 8 years. Afterwards they officially divorced, but for the sake of their joint child they maintained warm, friendly relations. It turned out that in life they were united only by sports, and their plans for the future were noticeably different.
Rodnina’s second husband - Leonid Minkovsky
She met a Ukrainian businessman and producer in 1985, and a year later she gave birth to her daughter Alena. The couple and their children moved to the United States in the 90s. Rodnina worked as a coach.
Leonid Minkovsky was not idle either. The man met another woman and finally broke up with Rodnina. Afterwards he also sued for custody of his joint daughter, but the law sided with the mother.
Pavel Niderman - friend of Rodnina
They met in San Francisco. The famous TV presenter Oksana Pushkina became the matchmaker. From the moment they met, Irina and Pavel did not part, but she still had the chance to return to Moscow. The woman remained on good terms with Niederman; he even flew from abroad to congratulate her on her 70th birthday.
Irina Rodina: If there are indications for stopping the horse, you need to do it!
Despite such a scattering of awards, Irina Rodina remained absolutely simple, I would say, a girl. The smile practically never leaves her face. This person has a great charge of optimism; she charges everyone around with it. Although there were difficult times in the life of the multiple world champion in sambo, but first things first...
Irina, why is there still a struggle? This is a more masculine sport...
- Well, I can argue about the “more masculine” thing.
Let's argue.
— Any sport is, to put it mildly, not easy. Even if you take rhythmic gymnastics or figure skating. It just doesn’t happen, especially if you work for results. Looking in the mirror, assessing the numbers on the scales, I thought it would be funny to see me on the mat as a gymnast. (Laughs.)
There are other wonderful sports, for example, chess? Or did you want activity?
- Yes, I wanted activity. I was such a child... Quite impressive in size. (Smiles.) I went through all the sections that existed at our school: volleyball, basketball, and athletics. One day a shot throw coach saw me...
Here you go! Athletics!
- Yeah. She dragged me straight to training - to the stadium. But somehow this sport did not inspire me. What bothered me most was the smell of rubber at the stadium. I also went to the cycling section. But because of my original appearance - not like everyone else's - the section coaches treated me leniently. They thought: “Well, don’t kick the child out, don’t cultivate defectiveness, if he walks, then let him walk...” I started wrestling in 1988.
How old were you?
— I was almost 14 years old then.
Well, it's quite late...
- At that time it was even early! (Laughs.) It would be too late now, now a child at that age is already on the national team. Well!.. And then the coach just grabbed onto me. Usually girls with this weight experience complexes and are embarrassed. Not everyone will go in for sports. But the opinions of others were not very interesting to me.
“I was not very interested in the opinions of others” Photo: Konstantin Dolganovsky
By the way, did you have any complexes? Surely you were teased at school? Or do you immediately - bam in the forehead?
— I was very quiet, calm. I've never fought in my life. I had a good friend, she stood up for me. (Laughs.) A little sideways glance in my direction, she - bam in the forehead! So they didn’t even look at me askance. Maybe thanks to her, I didn’t even suspect that I should have any complexes. And this fighting friend of mine went to practice wrestling with me, but after a few training sessions she said: “No, this is not for me.”
It turns out that you are justifying the proverb: there are devils in still waters?
- Well, the proverb is justified only in the square of the judo mat or in the circle of the sambo mat. (Laughs.) As soon as I go beyond the limits, I’m cute, soft, fluffy.
How many years have I known you, I have never seen you sad or upset. You smile all the time. Is this a show or a real state of your soul?
- Probably real... After all, no one will make your mood for you. Of course, there are situations when you want to cry, when you’re sad. I'm a man. It happens, but I try to be optimistic.
For what reason can you be sad or cry? Some people cry from movies.
- Yes, even cartoons sometimes make me cry. (Laughs.) If something doesn’t work out, you’re very tired, you’re met with misunderstandings... You still worry.
Was there such a thing that you wanted to cry bitterly because of defeats or victories?
- What else to do after defeat? (Laughs.)
You can swear at judges, for example.
- You know, in this regard, I want to say thanks to my first coach - Vladimir Aleksandrovich Lyuvunkhai. I started training with him in Tula. He said a great phrase: “If the judges condemned you, it means that you gave them a reason to do it!” He told me this, apparently, at some critical moment, because the phrase sank into my soul forever. You have to go out of your way to prove your superiority.
At the time when you were training, there were no such salaries as there are now, no such conditions for training as there are today. Don’t you have the following: “But in our time there were trainings!”?
- No. It’s just that at such moments I begin to think that we already had at least something, but those who trained in the Soviet Union... Wow! I sincerely believe that the more advances you give people, the less they begin to strive. They think to themselves: “Yes, I’ll have it anyway!” We are still the generation that had patriotism. Now he's gone. I used to prepare for Europe or the world. And the girls in my national team are preparing for Miami, for Bulgaria... That is, understanding has changed. I was preparing for the start, and they were preparing for the country. In general, very good - this is also bad.
Have you completed the house?
- I completed the construction. Come for a visit! (Laughs.)
I'll definitely come! What's the hardest thing about building a house?
- Well, questions. (Laughs.) The most difficult thing in building a house is when they do something for you, and then your friends come and say: “They did some crap for you!” (Laughs.) I like everything.
Eleven times you won the World Sambo Championship. Before you, the Belarusian sambo wrestler became a 10-time champion. Was your goal to overtake her?
- Of course not. I have no inclination towards this at all: to win some kind of title or title. Everything worked out for me on its own. The coach comes and says: “Congratulations, you have been awarded the title of Master of Sports.” And one day the guys called: “Ir, we need to come to the competition among the guys.” I say: “What will I do there? Competitions among boys? They told me: “Well, how? We will award you the title “Honored Master of Sports”!” I didn’t have a goal that I necessarily needed to become an Honored Master of Sports or win the World Championship several times. It happened. I could have done more if my health had not failed me.
And what happened?
— I have problems with my knee joints. I had to put an artificial joint in my right knee. I couldn’t even get up in the morning. There was no cartilage, ligaments, or menisci in the joint itself.
Then tell me, why kill your health like this?
“It wasn’t murder, it was pleasure.” (Laughs.) Yes, along the way there was a problem with the knee joints. Other professions also have flaws. Of course, at some point I had to endure it. But no one forced me. Let me put an iron knee on it - no big deal. Vice versa! Now I can give out heavier kicks. (Laughs.)
If you weren't an athlete, what would you be?
— I won’t say that I wanted to become an astronaut...
“I won’t say that I wanted to become an astronaut...” Photo: Konstantin Dolganovsky
A teacher?
- What are you talking about! I still can’t believe that I work as a coach. (Laughs.) In general, working with athletes is a real pleasure. They are organized people, they have a goal, it drives them. And in schools? It seems to me that those who work as teachers should be given a medal right away. Especially now, when everyone is “very smart”, “very well read” - on the Internet. Everyone today knows their rights. But for some reason they suddenly forgot about their responsibilities.
You performed at one Olympics. Why didn't you go to the second one?
— Preparing for the 2000 Olympics, I apparently took out and put in all my strength - both physical and moral. After the Olympic Games I had a big hole. Constant injuries: either a broken arm, a rib, or a jaw, or a leg that was “torn off” once again. That year I had one serious injury for sure. I was in a very deep hole. In very deep! Unexpectedly, a lot of weight was lost... Apparently, something went wrong in the preparation.
Who helped you get out of the hole?
- Lyuba was always there. (Smiles.) I have a brother and sister here. All the same, when you are in a family, you experience all this easier. Filosofenko (coach I. Rodina - author's note) helped, of course. In 2001, I turned to a psychologist. Even with him I had to take several courses.
And it wasn’t a very good time for the national team. The head judo coach has changed. My psyche could not withstand this psychological pressure. In 2004, she competed for the last time at the Russian Championship. But not in order to be selected for competitions. And, as my neighbor in the village says: “It was a shame.” (Laughs.)
Do you regret leaving judo?
— It’s now that the differences between sambo and judo have become noticeable... And what did I part with? She didn’t leave the fight. And the situation in the judo team was such that I don’t regret it at all.
The question is not very serious, but I really want to ask it... Can you stop a galloping horse?
— (Laughs.) It depends for what purpose.
Well!.. Your hut is on fire, your horse is running.
- Well!.. When my hut is on fire, I can. And if it’s just like that, let him run. (Laughs.) If there are indications for stopping the horse, you need to do it. (Laughs.)
What “indications” must sambo have in order to become an Olympic sport?
— There are many components. For example, on development on different continents...
Is judo really developing better?
- Of course, what are you talking about? Judo is in second place in the world in terms of the number of practitioners! There is an unrealistic number of countries that are developing judo. Sambo also has good trends now. Sambo is more spectacular than judo. But there are a lot of restrictions. It's getting to the point of insanity, in my opinion. For example, you cannot even touch your opponent’s legs. Even if the hand just fell off and hit the leg... Therefore, lately it has been very difficult to combine wrestling in sambo and judo. You'll automatically grab your leg somewhere anyway. And after that they are immediately removed from the competition. The judges say that there are more throws. But how can this be if the judo technique was cut by 50%, banning throws by the legs? However, there are prospects.
Ira, maybe stop running? Maybe it's time to stop, start a family, children?
- On this topic, I think so: a spoon is good for dinner. And my lunch is long over, dinner is already coming to an end. (Laughs.) First of all, I have never met a person in my life for whom I would want to finish my run. So, sometimes they meet each other... (Laughs.)
The new word is “meeting”.
- Yeah. (Laughs.) In a word, I haven’t managed to meet someone whom I would love more than wrestling. What about the children?.. I gave my sister and brother the opportunity to grow up. My maternal function is complete. (Smiles.) The kids are already big. I have been my sister's guardian since she was seven years old. She doesn't have parents. She and I had the same dad, our parents divorced. Natasha was born into my dad's family. When Natasha was three years old, dad died. And when she was 7 years old, her mother also died. You could say I snatched Natasha from the orphanage. The situation developed like this: we were burying her mother, and at the funeral they announced to me that tomorrow Natasha was leaving for an orphanage. So at the age of 21 I became the mother of a seven-year-old child. Now Natasha is 27 years old, she works in the Ministry of Emergency Situations. Beautiful girl! And my mother, in turn, gave birth to a son. When I took him in, he was 12-13 years old. My mother gave birth at the age of 40, there was a big difference in their ages, and the situation in the country was complicated - everything was changing quickly, we had to adapt... Well, now they live with me. I will also take my mother to Perm in the fall.
What difficulties were there in your upbringing?
“The biggest mental pain I had was when I was leaving for competitions, and I had to leave my children with someone. Natasha was 10 years old, and I asked the girls we worked with to live with her. Thank you all so much, no one refused, everyone helped out. That’s how she grew up as a “daughter of the regiment.” (Laughs.) Natasha is 27 years old, Misha is 23 years old.
By the way, my dad was categorically against my wrestling. I went for a walk and went to training. And for my first competition, I actually ran away. Mom and dad were divorced. I told my mom that I was going to see my dad, and I told my dad that I would be at my mom’s. And we left for Bryansk. I only told them from there. The advantage was that from the first competition I brought a medal. This is where my parents thawed out.
Many people believe that wrestling and karate are not women's sports. There, athletes don’t wear dresses.
- Come on! I always wear dresses! (Laughs.) Even when I joined the national team, I went to competitions in dresses, skirts, and took robes with me. We had Svetlana Gundarenko on our team. Her height is 190 cm, weight 130 kg. Lump! Svetlana said to herself: “150 kilograms of fighting meat.” (Laughs.) And she instructed me: “Ira, stop wearing dresses already! You’re an athlete!” But since childhood I got used to dresses. I'm a girl! (Laughs.)
“If there are indications for stopping the horse, you need to do it” Photo: Konstantin Dolganovsky
Do you have a dream?
- In light of recent events - so that there is no war.
We would like to thank Coffee Quick for their assistance in arranging the interview.
Children and grandchildren
Irina Rodnina has two adult children. Son Alexander was born in 1979 from Alexander Zaitsev. The guy chose the profession of an artist, lived in the USA for a long time, but still returned to his homeland. A few years ago he got married and is raising his daughter Sophia.
Daughter Alena appeared in 1986 from Leonid Minkovsky. Now the girl is already 33 years old. She is unmarried, is engaged in journalism, and works in one of the rating publications in Washington.
70th anniversary
The ex-skater’s birthday was even covered in the press. The NTV channel in the “Today” program presented her video with the best sporting achievements and wished her long years and health.
Disease
It is known that, while working as a coach abroad, Rodnina began to abuse alcohol. The athlete was going through difficult times in a foreign land and the betrayal of her beloved man. Her own son Alexander forced her to give up the bad habit.
