Name: Irina Rodnina
Date of Birth: 12.09.1949
Age: 69 years old
Place of Birth: Moscow city, Russia
Activity: figure skater, Russian statesman and public figure
Family status: divorced
Irina Rodnina is a famous Soviet figure skater who repeatedly won the title of Olympic champion. She has a large number of victories in international figure skating competitions. We can say that it was she who raised the sport of her native country to an unprecedented height. Many fans are interested in questions not only about the sporting achievements of Irina Rodnina, but also about her personal life, as well as the nationality of the athlete. All the details about the figure skater can be found in her rich biography.
Irina was born on September 12, 1949 in Moscow. Her family was no different from many others. Parents were ordinary Soviet people. My father was a military man all his life, and my mother worked as a nurse in a hospital. It is worth noting that Irina inherited Jewish roots from her mother's side, so from an early age she showed her strong-willed character and incredible talent, which led her to success.
Irina Rodnina in childhood
From childhood, the girl was wrapped in special care, because her body often failed, and she often got sick. Therefore, in order to strengthen her immunity, doctors advised her to be outdoors more often and play sports.
At first, parents took their daughter to a children's skating rink, and they learned to skate together. Irina liked the classes so much that she wanted to take this sport seriously. After a while, the girl was enrolled in the figure skating section, where Yakov Smushkin became her first coach. Thanks to his support, Irina mastered all the essential elements of skating on ice: jumps, spins, spirals. With the help of increased physical activity, her health improved significantly.
Irina Rodnina in her youth
Therefore, Irina continued to do what she loved. Very soon she managed to get into the figure skaters section of CSKA. Until the age of 15, Rodnina practiced single skating, and then began performing with a partner, Oleg Vlasov. Since then, sport has become not only a part of her biography, but also her personal life. Some time later, Irina married her partner, Alexander Zaitsev.
In 1964, the athlete met her new coach. They became the honored master of sports in figure skating - Stanislav Zhuk. A few years later, Rodnina, together with her partner Alexei Ulanov, won prizes in international competitions.
In 1969, the skaters went to the European Championships in Germany. Despite some circumstances, the athletes managed to snatch a well-deserved victory from their rivals. After this performance, the title of Honored Master of Sports of the USSR appeared in the biography of Irina Rodnina. She had no time for her personal life, but her sports career continued to grow.
Irina Rodnina and Alexey Ulanov
The figure skater showed excellent results in various competitions. But in 1972, Irina had to endure a serious injury. During the training, the partner could not keep Rodnina, and she fell from the support.
In the hospital, she was diagnosed with a concussion and an intracranial hematoma. But even this could not prevent the athlete from performing with dignity and representing her country at the World Championships.
With his second partner Alexander Zaitsev
Then, in the sports biography of Irina Rodnina, a period of recovery began. And only a few months later she managed to return to the ice. Alexander Zaitsev became her new partner, thanks to whom not only her career, but also her personal life changed. Almost immediately, mutual feelings flared up between them, which were noticeable to everyone around. In addition, many judges have repeatedly noted the well-coordinated work of the skaters.
Famous ice skater
In 1973, the athletes took part in the European Championship, where they defeated the equally outstanding pair of Smirnova-Ulanov. A year later, the couple began cooperation with a professional trainer - Tatyana Tarasova. Thanks to their new mentor, Rodnina and Zaitsev won the 1975 World Championship.
Irina Rodnina with her medals
In the early 1990s, Irina moved to the USA. There she very quickly managed to gain a good reputation. In 2005, changes took place in the biography of Rodnina. Her interests were also replenished with political activities: she became a member of the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation. And two years later, Irina was elected to the State Duma of the fifth convocation from United Russia.
The biography and personal life of Irina Rodnina has always been full of the most vivid emotions and achievements. Irina met her first husband in 1972. It was her partner in figure skating - Alexander Zaitsev. Joint training very united the guys and they began a relationship.
With first husband Alexander Zaitsev and son
After 3 years, Alexander made an offer to Irina, and they got married. In 1979, Rodnina gave birth to her first son, Alexander. Joint life ceased to suit Irina after 8 years. And, despite the fact that the couple divorced a long time ago, they maintain quite friendly relations.
With second husband and daughter
The second husband of the skater was Leonid Minkovsky. At first, relations in the family were ideal. Leonid immediately found a common language with his wife's son, and then the couple had a daughter.
After a while, Irina was offered a job in America, and she and her family moved there for two years. A year later, Rodnina began to suspect that Leonid was cheating on her, so she filed for a divorce.
Irina Rodnina Deputy of the State Duma
Not so long ago, changes took place in Irina's biography and personal life: the skater began a relationship with Pavel Niederman.
Irina Konstantinovna Rodnina was born in Moscow, in 1949. Today she is known as an invincible figure skater, as a 10-time world champion, as an athlete who was honored to light the Olympic flame in 2014. Such a rich and successful career began unexpectedly for Irina Rodnina, and skating itself was not her own initiative. Everything happened thanks to her mother: Irina was a very sickly child, and her mother, who worked as a nurse, came up with a great way to harden her daughter - she took her to the rink at the age of five. From that moment on, a huge love for the sport arose.
The first peak of the figure skater Rodnina is an honorable third place in the 63rd year at the All-Union competitions (youth). The coach put Irina in a pair with Alexei Ulanov. Tough training and the exactingness of Stanislav Zhuk led young skaters to success - in 1969 they become leaders of the World Championship. But not everything is as smooth as it might seem - disagreements are growing in the pair due to the different levels of athletes. In addition, a few days before the 1972 World Championships, Irina Rodnina received a serious head injury, but even a concussion did not prevent the figure skater from performing brilliantly.
In 1973, the coach finds a new partner for Irina - Alexander Zaitsev. This tandem becomes more than successful - a series of significant victories begins, and first under the leadership of Zhuk, and then - Tatyana Tarasova, the new coach of the couple. Over time, Zaitsev becomes the first husband of the figure skater and the father of her son Alexander. As time has shown, the couple was not destined to be together, and later Irina marries businessman Leonid Minkovsky for the second time. The second marriage gave the athlete another reason for pride - her daughter Alena.
Even after the end of her career, Irina Rodnina remains in the spotlight - she tries herself as a teacher, coach, entrepreneur and even a journalist. Today the figure skater is a well-known public and political figure.
Video: Irina Rodnina and Alexander Zaitsev. 1976 Olympic Games.
Video: Irina Rodnina in the program "Incredible Love Stories"
As a child, Irina Rodnina was not distinguished by good health. Video: Irina Rodnina and Alexander Zaitsev. In 1999, Irina Konstantinovna divorced Minkovsky and returned to Moscow. After a successful period in the biography of Irina Rodnina, failures followed.
In 1974, Rodnina graduated from the Institute of Physical Culture. After Irina started training and performing in tandem with Alexei Ulanov (coach S. Zhuk), the victories literally rained down, although they got it with serious work. Then Irina Konstantinovna in her biography decided to leave the sport. But the coach paired her with the most talented skater - Alexander Zaitsev.
In 2007, Rodnina was elected to the State Duma of the Russian Federation. She passed on the list of the ruling party "United Russia" from the Omsk region. Irina often takes part in various television programs and shows, including "Relish" and "Let them talk." The whole country was proud of the sports and married couple Rodnin - Zaitsev, representing the Soviet Union at the world championships.
We asked Irina Konstantinovna on the eve of her anniversary about how she managed, having overcome all obstacles, to remain a queen and what is happening in her life today. Rodnina's first partner was figure skater Alexei Ulanov. However, Rodnina never made deals.
Sign Lesha and move in, ”Rodnina chopped off:“ Thank you, Andrey Antonovich, but I’ll take a little walk. Rodnina was distinguished by life principles, which she did not change later. After Ulanov found himself a new lover, figure skater Smirnova, his couple with Rodnina broke up. Irina Konstantinovna, the press wrote that before your last performance with Ulanov at the World Championships in Calgary, your partner informed you of his decision to compete with another.
Perhaps then the aggravation of relations within the family of Rodnina and Zaitsev began. Some time after her divorce from Zaitsev, Rodnina met and became interested in an entrepreneur from Dnepropetrovsk, her admirer. In 1986, their daughter Alena was born. After the decree, Rodnina was not accepted back to coaching, and for some time she was unemployed.
At first they rented a cottage, and when they bought their own house, Rodnina had to live in it without her husband. They said he went to ... her friend. Ilya Averbukh and his team prepared the show "Great Victories of Irina Rodnina". On September 12, the legend of Soviet sports, three-time Olympic champion, ten-time world champion in pair skating, Honored Master of Sports celebrates his anniversary.
The first peak of the figure skater Rodnina is an honorable third place in the 63rd year at the All-Union competitions (youth). The coach put Irina in a pair with Alexei Ulanov. In addition, a few days before the 1972 World Championships, Irina Rodnina received a serious head injury, but even a concussion did not prevent the figure skater from performing brilliantly. In 1973, the coach finds a new partner for Irina - Alexander Zaitsev.
Even after the end of her career, Irina Rodnina remains in the spotlight - she tries herself as a teacher, coach, entrepreneur and even a journalist. Irina Rodnina and Alexander Zaitsev became legendary figure skating athletes and achieved brilliant results on the rink that no modern figure skater could achieve. In 1981, the skater switched to big professional sports and became the Honored Figure Skating Coach.
In the same year, her partner leaves. At the next European Championship, Zaitsev-Rodnina get a record number of points. In 1973, at the World Championships in Bratislava, the skaters continued their performance, despite the lack of music. At the 1973 World Championships in Bratislava (Czechoslovakia), an incident occurs that went down in the history of figure skating.
Method”, “Such a movie!”, “The most beautiful woman”, “Magazzino”, “Together with dolphins” and other projects. An amazing woman with a bright and unusual destiny. A CBS series about the stressful day of intensive care in Los Angeles. Starring Marsha Gay Harden. After their victory in 1969 at the World Championships in Colorado Springs, popular rumor married them.
She did not see Ulanov as a husband, and did not want to marry for the sake of profit. Therefore, when the member of the Politburo of the Central Committee of the CPSU, the Minister of Defense of the USSR, Marshal Andrei Grechko called the skaters to him and said: “Irochka, here are the keys to a new three-room apartment in the center of Moscow.
Already an active public and political figure, Irina Rodnina fell into the epicenter of several scandals related to politics. Since 2003, Irina Rodnina tried to break into the Russian political arena, but failed twice in the elections to the State Duma.
The famous Russian figure skater, three-time Olympic champion, deputy of the State Duma of the Russian Federation.
In childhood Irina Rodnina was not in good health. The girl had pneumonia 11 times. After another illness, in order to somehow improve the health of the child, the parents brought Irina to the skating rink. It is thanks to the care and attention of parents Rodnina in her biography, she became seriously interested in figure skating. The girl was talented and diligent, so she soon ended up in the figure skating section of the CSK.
In 1974 Rodnina Graduated from the Institute of Physical Culture.
The first serious victory of the athlete came in 1963, when Irina became the third in the youth competitions of the USSR.
After Irina began to train and perform in tandem with Alexey Ulanov(coach S. Zhuk), the victories literally rained down, although they got it with serious work. In 1967 - victory in the competition "Moscow skates", twice (in 1968 and 1969) the couple became the third in the USSR championship. Take first place at the European Championships in the biography of the figure skater Irina Rodnina succeeded in 1969. At the same time, the athlete received the title of Honored Master of Sports of the USSR. The first victory at the World Cup falls on the same 1969.
In September 2013, it became known that Rodnina posted a photo collage on her Twitter account, in which black Barack Obama and his wife are depicted against a banana, regarded by part of society as racist.
After a successful period in biography Irina Rodnina failures followed. At the USSR Championship in 1970, the Rodnina-Ulanov pair took only fourth place. In 1972, just a day before the World Championships, Irina received a serious injury (concussion, hematoma), but still decided to perform. In the same year, her partner leaves. Then Irina Konstantinovna in her biography decided to leave the sport. But the coach paired her with a talented skater - Alexandra Zaitseva.
At the next European Championship, Zaitsev-Rodnina get a record number of points. In 1973, at the World Championships in Bratislava, the skaters continued their performance, despite the lack of music. In 1975, speaking at the World Championships (under the guidance of coach Tarasova), the couple again took first place.
At the 1973 World Championships in Bratislava (Czechoslovakia), an incident occurs that went down in the history of figure skating. There was a short circuit in the radio room, the soundtrack turned off during the free program of Rodnina - Zaitsev (later it turned out that the circuit was deliberately organized by a Czech employee who was trying to take revenge on the USSR for suppressing the Prague Spring in 1968). The coach from behind the side instructed to continue the program, and the couple skated without music to the applause of the audience. Referee Karl Enderlin, noting the “will to win” of the couple, nevertheless instructed to reduce the marks due to skating without music (the couple, of course, refused to perform the program at the end of the competition), which is why not a single mark of 6.0 was given did not have.
“In the first seconds, we did not understand anything. And thank God that at that moment I was next to the coach. He managed to give us the task - to continue the performance. Of course, we did everything. For us, the coach's words are law. And the law is undeniable, ”the athlete explained.
In 1975 Rodnina married Zaitseva. The couple continued to perform, showing excellent programs at the 1976 Olympics, the 1977 World Championships. She was able to win the Olympics for the third time in 1980.
In 1985 she divorced Zaitsev and remarried to a film producer Leonid Minkovsky. They had a daughter, Alena. After that, the family soon moved to the United States.
“For me, as for any person, the most important thing in life is children. I am happy that I have a daughter and a son. As for sports, this is a part of my life, a huge segment of it. And, of course, all achievements, all positive and negative emotions will forever remain in the memory. But children are something else. This is everything for me, ”says Irina.
In 1999, Irina Konstantinovna divorced Minkovsky and returned to Moscow.
In 2007 Rodnina was elected to the State Duma of the Russian Federation. She passed on the list of the ruling party "United Russia" from the Omsk region. In the Duma, she took the position of deputy chairman of the Committee on Education.
Irina often takes part in various television programs and shows, including "Relish" and "Let them talk."
As an athlete who has not lost in her entire career in any tournament, Irina Rodnina was included in the Guinness Book of Records.
She was awarded the Order of Lenin (1976), two Orders of the Red Banner of Labor (1972, 1980), the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, III degree (1999), the Order of Merit for the Fatherland, IV degree (2009) and the bronze Olympic Order . Twice winner of the National Prize for Public Recognition of the Achievements of Women in Russia "Olympia" for 2002 and 2003. Laureate of the "Russian of the Year" award (2005) in the "Triumphant" nomination.
With Alexey Ulanov
Winter Olympic Games (1st place in 1971-72)
World Championships (1st place in 1968-69, 1969-70, 1970-71, 1971-72)
European Championships (5th place 1967-68, 1st place 1968-69, 1969-70, 1971-72)
USSR Championships (3rd place 1967-68, 1968-69, 1st place 1969-70, 1970-71)
Tournament for the prizes of the Moscow News newspaper (1st place 1967-68, 2nd place 1968-69, 1st place 1969-70).
With Alexander Zaitsev
Winter Olympic Games (1st place 1975-76, 1979-80)
World Championships (1st place 1972-73, 1973-74, 1974-75, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1977-78)
European Championships (1st place 1972-73, 1973-74, 1974-75, 1975-76, 1976-77, 1977-78, 1979-80)
USSR Championships (1st place 1972-73, 1973-74, 1974-75, 1976-77)
Tournament for the prizes of the Moscow News newspaper (1st place 1977-78)
Irina Konstantinovna Rodnina is an outstanding Soviet athlete, famous for a long series of triumphant victories in European and world figure skating competitions, who raised the sport of her native country to an unprecedented height. She became a three-time Olympic champion, won 24 international gold medals, without losing a single competition from 1969 to 1980.At the end of a dizzying sports career, Irina worked in the Central Committee of the Komsomol, as a coach, teacher, radio host, and was engaged in social and state activities.
At the celebration of the 60th anniversary of the sports star, the guests tried to find out from her the mysterious secret of the eternal youth of Macropolus, which Irina probably knows, because she still remains a young soul, has an active life position, full of strength, positive and soulfulness. She herself took the serious date as her usual highest score of 6:0.
At first, they took their child to the skating rink in the Taganka Children's Park. N.N. Pryamikova, then - to the garden. Zhdanov in Sormovo. Irina's first teacher was Yakov Smushkin, who himself competed in figure skating at that time. Under his guidance, she mastered the technique of sliding, the first spirals, jumps, spins and other mandatory elements on ice.
The girl became physically stronger and fell in love with skates. Having successfully passed the preview, the diligent and capable student entered CSKA. At first she was a single skater, later she skated with Oleg Vlasov.
At the World Championships, after 5 years, they again became the first, having earned the approval, in the form of the maximum score, from all the judges. The next year turned out to be less successful for the athletes - mistakes were made at the national championship. But, thanks to the brilliant performance of the free part of the program, they retained their leadership.
In subsequent years, the couple continued to be the undisputed leader, in 1972 she won the gold of the Olympics in Sapporo.
On the eve of the 1972 World Cup in Canada, during training, Irina fell from high support. She suffered a serious head injury but showed real courage by performing despite being unwell and winning first place.
However, after the incident, the couple broke up - according to rumors, Ulanov allegedly deliberately dropped his partner, as he was married to Lyudmila Smirnova and wanted to perform with her, which he did later.
Irina Rodnina and Alexander Zaitsev - Kalinka-Malinka
At the World Championships of the same year, the Rodnina-Zaitsev pair were again in the lead. Moreover, they skated in extreme conditions - in the middle of the performance, the musical accompaniment was turned off for technical reasons.
Together with the new mentor Tatyana Tarasova, who brought more creative imagination to the performance of the masters, Rodnina and Zaitsev won the 1975 World Cup.
At the Olympics a year later, they again won gold medals. Season 1978-79 the skaters missed it due to family reasons: in February 1979, their son was born.
But soon the couple began training again. Irina's third Olympic victory in 1980 was especially memorable and touched by the audience, because of the tears that she could not hold back during the performance of the USSR anthem at the medal ceremony.
In the period from 1990 to 2002, at the invitation of the International Figure Skating Center, Irina worked in the USA. There she, despite the personal problems associated with a divorce from her second husband, managed to gain a reputation as a brilliant specialist. This circumstance became especially evident when her pupils - Kovarzhikova-Navotny - became world champions.
Returning to Moscow, the figure skater took part in various television programs, was active in social activities - she was a member of the presidium of the League of Health of the Nation, the head of the All-Russian Voluntary Society Sports Russia. 
In 2003 and a year later, Irina tried to become a deputy of the State Duma, but was defeated in the elections. Two years later, she took a seat in the Public Chamber of the Russian Federation.
In 2007, Irina became a deputy of the State Duma of the 5th convocation from United Russia, taking the position of deputy chairman of the education committee. After another 4 years, she again became a member of the State Duma, becoming a member of the Committee on CIS Affairs.
In their marriage on February 23, 1979, Alexander Jr. was born. He is an artist. Until 1997, he lived and worked in the United States, and then returned to Moscow. In 2008, he gave his famous parents a granddaughter Sofia.
Together, Irina and Alexander lived for 8 years and maintained friendly relations. But the couple divorced after the end of their sports career. Everyone had their own plans for the future.
Irina's second husband was Leonid Minkovsky, an entrepreneur from Dnepropetrovsk, a film producer. They had a daughter, Alena, in 1986. She is not married. Lives in Washington, DC, works as a correspondent.
The couple moved to the USA, because in Russia there was no work for Irina after the decree, and in America she was able to train new “champions”.
Irina noted in an interview that, living in America with her husband and two children, she constantly experienced a lack of communication, language and culture. A few years after the move, the couple broke up. As stated in some media, the husband went to her friend.
The athlete is included in the Guinness Book of Records as a figure skater who has never lost in international competitions. Rodnina has many awards, including the Order of Lenin, the Red Banner of Labor, "For Merit to the Fatherland."
Earlier, Rodnina noted that she did not plan to marry again. However, not so long ago, her friendship with the doctor Pavel Niderman grew into a strong feeling.
She holds the position of a member of the Council for Physical Culture and Sports under the head of state, oversees a number of sports projects.
Working in the State Duma, she is engaged in children's and youth sports, leads many specialized projects, making trips to all corners of Russia. In 2013, she opened the season at the Omsk Ice Palace named after her, where Omsk residents from three years of age train.
She often appears on television, in particular, in the programs “My Hero”, the film “Irina Rodnina. Invincible ”, created using newsreels from her personal archives, as a captain, together with Lev Leshchenko, insulted Rodnina during a speech and, instead of an apology, left (along with members of his party) the hall. The reason for this behavior, his associates consider the unacceptable remarks of the athlete, which she allegedly allows to be released to the deputies speaking on the parliamentary rostrum, sitting in the front row. Irina Konstantinovna replied that “rudeness” should be punished, so she filed a complaint with the State Duma Commission on Ethics.
