Rodnina was born in Moscow on 12 September 1949. Her father was RussianRed Army officer Konstantin (Nikolaevich) Rodnin, from a village named Yaminovo on the outskirts of Vologda. Her mother was Ukrainian Jewishparamedic Yulia (Yakovlevna) Rodnina. Her parents met each other during the Second World War, and both took part in the Soviet invasion of Manchuria against the Empire of Japan as the war came to a close. She has an older sister, Valentina, who works as an engineer. As a young child, Rodnina was often sick, suffering from pneumonia eleven times. On the advice of her doctor to give Rodnina additional exercise and outdoor time, and in 1954 took her to an ice rink for the first time at Pryamikov Children Park of Moscow.[3]
By 1963, Rodnina had begun skating with her first partner Oleg Vlasov, coached by Sonia and Milan Valun. In 1964, her coach became Stanislav Zhuk, who paired her with Alexei Ulanov.[citation needed] Rodnina/Ulanov won their first World title in 1969, ahead of Tamara Moskvina/Alexei Mishin. They won four consecutive World titles.[6]
Rodnina and Ulanov won their next two World titles, 1970 and 1971, ahead of silver medalists Lyudmila 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 the 1972 Olympics where they captured the gold. They then prepared for their last competition together, the 1972 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 a concussion and an intracranial hematoma.[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 coach Stanislav 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 the 1973 World Championships, possibly due to a Czech worker acting in retaliation for the suppression of the Prague 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 in 1974.
In 1974, Rodnina/Zaitsev left Zhuk, with whom the working relationship had become strained,[3] to train with Tatiana Tarasova. They won six consecutive World titles together, as well as seven European gold medals, and won their first Olympic title together in 1976. 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 their second 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 the Soviet Union and represented the Armed 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 equaled Sonia 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 acrobatic lifts, side-by-jumps, and for the split triple twist. In the early 1990s, she coached at the Ice Castle International Training Center in Lake Arrowhead, California.[10][11]
Comments on doping
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 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 the 2022 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]
Personal life
Rodnina graduated from the Central Institute of Physical Culture. Her first marriage was to Alexander 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]
Twitter controversy
On 13 September 2013, Rodnina caused a stir when she tweeted a doctored photo of U.S. PresidentBarack Obama and his wife Michelle, with Obama's mouth full of food, with a photoshopped 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]
^ abcdefghPushkina, Oksana (3 October 2004). Ирина Константиновна Роднина [Irina Konstantinovna Rodnina]. peoples.ru (in Russian). Archived from the original on 19 January 2003. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
^Hines, James R. (2011). Historical Dictionary of Figure Skating. Lanham, Maryland: Scarecrow Press. p. xxvi. ISBN978-0-8108-6859-5.
^Srebnitskaya, Daria (10 September 2009). Роднина – это эпоха [Rodnina – is an era]. Russian News (in Russian). Archived from the original on 19 January 2003. Retrieved 6 May 2011.
^ abKestnbaum, Ellyn (2003). Culture on Ice: Figure Skating and Cultural Meaning. Middleton, Connecticut: Wesleyan Publishing Press. p. 112. ISBN0-8195-6641-1.
^Vandenko, Andrei (16 December 2005). Иду на вы! [Irina Rodnina interview]. itogi.ru (in Russian). peoples.ru. Archived from the original on 19 January 2003. Retrieved 23 April 2011.
