Irina Yuryevna Bliznova (Russian: Ирина Юрьевна Близнова, born 6 October 1986) is a Russian handball player, who plays for Lada Togliatti.[1] She won the gold medal at the 2005 and 2007 world championships and 2016 Rio Olympics, placing second in 2008 and eighth in 2012.[2][3] She announced her retirement shortly after the 2016 Olympics.[4]
Bliznova is married to Alexander and has a daughter Arina (born 2010) and a son Arkhip (born 2014).[3]