Sport in Russia. Part 2

Popular Sports in Russia

Russia is a vast country with a lot of kids of sports to attract people and showcase national culture. These sports are top-importance in Russia ranging from the traditional kinds of sports to the international competitions.

Football

Football has a special meaning for all the Russians. The Russian Premier League has huge crowds and ongoing support across the country, including the Russian national team. The national teams such as CSKA Moscow, Zenit Saint Petersburg, and Spartak Moscow have devoted fan bases and compete fiercely for domestic honors.

A short history of football

When football was in its infancy, a pig’s bladder was often used as a ball. “It may surprise you that initially soccer balls were inflated using the bladders of animals, including pigs,” notes Big Game Sports, a company that produces soccer balls. “In later years, these animal bladders were placed in leather cases, which gave rise to the term pigskin.”

After Charles Goodyear invented vulcanized rubber in 1844, manufacturers began using the new material to make footballs, and players threw away their pig skins and replaced them with rubber variants. Today, “although they are still called “pork”… All soccer balls for professionals and student teams are actually made of genuine leather. On the other hand, soccer balls for recreation and youth are often made of synthetic materials or vulcanized rubber.”

The basic rules of football in Russia

The basic rules of its sports include 11 players, rectangular green field with lines on the ends. Normally, there is a ball that made of cowhide or rubber.

There are also two teams. The first one is the offense team that controls the ball to advice a ball down the field and the second team the also control the ball to stop the first team.

The offense must advance at least 10 yards in four downs, or plays, or else they turn over the football to the opposing team; if they succeed, they are given a new set of four downs.

The goal of this game is to have more scores than the other team. Scoring can occur in the form of a touchdown, extra point conversion, two-point conversion, field goal, or safety.

The overall time of this game is 60 minutes. The time consists of the two halves of 30 minutes and four quarters of 15 minutes. The whole normal duration of this game is three hours.

The football field size is like 100 yards with each zone for every team. The field has lanes running the entire width of the field with an interval of 5 yards. There are also shorter lines called hash marks that mark each one-yard interval across the field. The width of the football field is 160 feet.

A goal line is a place where the end zone meets the field. By the way, the end zone is a goal line. Then 50-yard line marks the center of the field and consists 10-yard intervals. After reaching the 50-yard line, the meter marks are lowered every 10 yards (40, 30, 20, 10), until they reach the opposite goal line.

Football is a sport played by two teams of 11 players on a 120-yard, rectangular field with goal lines on each end. A football is an oval-like inflated ball usually made of cowhide or rubber.

If one team passes the ball to the other it means a start of the game. According to the game rules, the captain of each team and the referee should meet in the center of field to toss a coin to determine which team should start the game. The winner team should pass the ball to the other team when deciding to be first on offense or defend.

Meaning the football to the Russians

• Teamwork: football means a lot of teamwork. Being a part of the football team up to 90 other players , you should understand your role and your colleagues’ role. Moreover, you have to trust your teammates. This helps to build the unity of the whole team.
• Discipline: football means to have a lot of discipline and a work. To be successful in a football now Russians practice all the time, follow the rules, and learn each other the different techniques. In the end of a football career Russian football players can use what they learned about the rules and discipline.

A successful adult arrives at meetings on time, improve their skills, understands the rules of their team and, more broadly, the laws of their community and follows them.

• Persistence

There are a lot of challenges from the football that creates the player’s persistence. You see here a lot of hindrances like loosing a game, skipping a game that are the essential part of each game. A Russian player may leave football even for inefficient strength or not catching a ball.

Each Russian football player is learned to have persistence if they have the financial problem or a personal problem.

• Football is always, of course, about numbers and terms like points, yards, catches, tackles, sacks and blocks. To understand and remember that all the coach teaches the young Russian players as well as he helps a player to achieve the team goals at once. It helps the players to have a success both in the business and the personal life.
• It is also a part of the sports for the coach to teach the young Russian players how to deal with success and failure. Sometimes it is impossible to defeat the team , so they need to learn to accept defeats to become stronger. They learn not to blame anyone for their losses, but to focus on how they can get better. Learning how to deal with success is no less important than learning how to deal with failure. You will be learned to loose for the whole your team when you shake the hands of the winning team. Anyone who knows how to win or lose on the football field turns into a colleague or manager who wins the respect of his work team, as well as customers.

Ice Hockey

Ice hockey is another type of sports in Russia, where are a lot of international competitions. The Kontinental Hockey League (KHL) features top-tier teams like SKA Saint Petersburg and CSKA Moscow, showing elite talent and thrilling matches.

The power play in ice hockey may result in some confusion for beginners in this sport. Simply put, a power play occurs when one or two players of one team are sent to the penalty box, that is, they are forced to leave the ice for a while, which gives the other team an advantage of one or two people.

The situation with the advantage persists for two or five minutes. A two-minute fine is the result of a minor violation, while a five-minute fine is imposed for those violations that are considered serious according to the rules.

In the case of a minor or two-minute penalty, the game usually ends after the penalty time expires, when the team with the advantage scores a goal or when the game itself ends. If there are two players in the penalty area, the goal of the opposing team releases only the first player who received a penalty. If the main or five-minute penalty is imposed, then the main time ends only after five minutes or at the end of the game. A goal does not cancel out the main punishment.

If the team with the missing hands scores a goal, the penalty is not canceled, whether it is a large or small penalty.

Olympic Ice Hockey Medal Winners

Since 1920 ice hockey became an Olympic sport when Canada won all the competitions for some decades until 1956 when the Soviet Union got a rise in ice hockey. Thus, the Soviet Union got the leading in this kind of sports till our present time.

From the 50s the Soviet Union got a favorite in the Olympic games when the Russian players won 7 gold medals during the 9 Olympic Games.

“The Soviets structured their elite league to ensure the national team’s success in international competition,” John Soares said in the Brown Journal of World Affairs. The International Olympic Committee would not allow professional athletes to compete in ice hockey until 1986, and the National Hockey League did not give the green light for its players to take part in the Games until 1998.

Due to some regulations, there were only amateurs to compete in Olympic ice hockey game. But in the Soviet Union a professional Olympic ice hockey team was developed because the best athletes in Soviet Union were professional military officers and trained full-time in their sports.

Allowing the Soviets to field hockey teams made up of full-time athletes helped them get the better of their rivals at the Olympic Games.

After the collapse of the USSR in 1991, some countries that were part of the Soviet Union began to field their own teams. However, the Commonwealth of Independent States, which included most of the countries of the former USSR, managed to win gold in 1992.

Starting in 1998, teams from other countries, thanks to the involvement of NHL players, began to take turns climbing the elite. Nevertheless, in 2017, the NHL reversed its decision and banned its players from participating in the Olympic Hockey Games. The winning team in 2018 consisted of independent athletes from Russia, who were allowed to compete although their country was officially banned from participating in the Olympic Games due to a doping scandal.

So, the following medals were won by Russians:

• in 1956 Russians won gold medal;
• in 1960 Russians won bronze medal;
• in 1964 Russians won gold medal;
• in 1968 Russians won gold medal;
• in 1972 Russians won gold medal;
• in 1976 Russians won gold medal;
• in 1980 Russians won silver medal;
• in 1984 Russians won gold medal;
• in 1988 Russians won gold medal;
• in 1998 Russians won silver medal;
• in 2002 Russians won bronze medal.

Tennis:

There are a lot of various tennis stars in Russia like the following:

• Maria Sharapova;

• Yevgeny Kafelnikov;

• Daniil Medvedev.

Having said that, has been developed a lot in Russian history.

The official appearance of this game is dated to 1874 when a British cavalry Major patented an invention called Sphairistike or lawn tennis.

Then in 1878 an order on the development of tennis in Russia was written in Saint Petersburg. After this all, the Saint Petersburg Cricket Club got a decision to make tennis popular too.

And the Russian aristocrats accepted this game. Russian tsar Nicholas 2 loved this kind of sports and played tennis until 5 o’clock. In 1910-1914 there were the professionals in Tennis like Count Mikhail Sumarokov-Elston and Arthur MacPherson as the founder of Russian lawn tennis.

During the time of Soviet Union, tennis considered a bourgeois sport but even Vladimir Lenin and the Foreign Minister Viacheslav Molotov liked to play tennis.

The first tennis player from the Soviet Union was Anna Dmitriyeva who got a silver medal in the Wimbledon junior tournament in 1956.

“And now all those who have anything to do with Russian tennis are basking in publicity,” says Anna Dmitriyeva, now a tennis commentator.

It is true that now almost every day brings a triumph. 15 or 20 years ago, this would have been impossible, but now there is always a tournament when Russian stars are the winners.  Larry Scott, director general of the World Tennis Association, said that he doesn’t remember another country than Russia when players win the gold and silver medals like Russians do. Then a lot of boys and girls in Russia started to play tennis at glamorous foreign academies, for instance, the Nick Bollettieri tennis academy in Florida.

Tennis has grown more widespread in Russia due to the fact that the first Russian President Boris Yeltsin was a tennis lover. Moreover, during the last years there is more investment in tennis than ever. You know Boris Yeltsin was a big fan of professional tennis and created a positive tennis atmosphere that attracts the business people around the country. Thus, Russian tennis players started to dedicate their glory to the first Russian president when our women’s team won the Fed Cut and when Yelena Dementieva got the Kremlin Cup. After this, Putin is into other sports like skiing and martial arts. However, people got more turned to tennis and it got popular than ever.

Tennis Stars:

Maria Yuryevna Sharapova:

Maria made her ITF debut at tournaments in April 2001, when she was 14 years old. In January 2002, the Russian reached the final of the Junior Australian Open and lost to Czech Barbora Strycova. In March, the tennis player made her first appearance on the WTA tour, playing at the prestigious tournament in Indian Wells. In April, Sharapova won the ITF tournament in Japan, in the summer she reached the final of the junior Wimbledon and lost to Vera Dushevina. In August and September, the girl won two titles at the 25-thousandth ITF.

Since 2003, Maria began performing at adult majors. She made her debut in the main draw of the Australian Open, followed by Roland Garros. In early June, Sharapova made it to the semifinals of the Birmingham tournament and entered the top 100 of the world women’s ranking for the first time in her career. At Wimbledon, the Russian reached the fourth round, at the US Open — the second.

In October, Sharapova won her WTA debut trophy, both in singles and doubles at the Tokyo tournament.

This allowed the tennis player to enter the top 50 of the WTA ranking. At the end of the season, the girl became the 32nd racket of the world and was awarded the WTA Rookie of the Year award.

Sharapova has been one of the leaders of women’s tennis for more than a decade and was one of the most popular and recognizable athletes in the world. The Russian woman has collected a career “Grand Slam”. She has won five major titles — Wimbledon (2004), US Open (2006), Australian Open (2008), Roland Garros (2012, 2014). The tennis player lost five more times in the TBS finals — in Melbourne (2007, 2012, 2015), London (2011) and Paris (2013). She played three of these five matches against Serena Williams (Australian Open-2007 and 2015, Roland Garros-2013) and lost to the American in two sets each time.

Maria dreamed of Olympic gold and was as close to it as possible at the 2012 Olympics. At the London Games, the tennis player was the flag bearer of the Russian national team. In singles, the athlete reached the final, in which she met her old rival Serena Williams and lost in two sets.

Figure Skating

Figure skating has a special meaning in Russia combining athletics artist movements. For now, there are a lot of Russian skaters who win the international competitions, making a lot of stars like Evgeni Plushenko, Alina Zagitova, and Elizaveta Tuktamysheva.

Figure Skating stars:

Number one is Kamila Valieva.

She is well-known for her excellence in this sport. There are a lot of her titles like Rostelecom Cup, Skate Canada, and Junior World Championships.

Number two is Anna Shcherbakova. She is famous for her groundbreaking achievements in the sport. There are a lot of her titles like Olympic champion, World champion, European Champion, and Russian national champion. She is a dedicated athlete because she started her career at a young age and she continue to go on with her unique technique in this kind of sport.

Number three is Alexandra Trusova who is known for her groundbreaking technical abilities. She is an Olympic silver medalist, World bronze medalist, and European silver and bronze medalist.

Number four is Evgenia Medvedeva. She is a two-time world champion, two-time European champion, two-time Grand Prix Final champion, and two-time Russian national champion.

Number five is Evgeni Plushenko.

He won multiple Olympic medals, World championships, European championships, Grand Prix Final championships, and Russian national championships.

Number six is Alena Kostornaia.

She is a highly accomplished Russian figure skater known for her exceptional skills and achievements in both junior and senior competitions. She has won numerous titles, including the European championship and the Grand Prix Final.

Number seven is Ilia Kulik.

He is a highly accomplished Russian figure skater known for his impressive achievements in the sport. He rose to prominence by winning the Olympic, European, Grand Prix Final, and World Junior championships during the late 1990s.

Number eight is Adelina Sotnikova.

He is a retired Russian figure skater known for her impressive achievements in ladies’ singles skating. She has won numerous medals throughout her career, including the Olympic gold medal in 2014. Sotnikova also excelled on the junior level, winning titles such as the Youth Olympic silver medal and the Junior World champion.

Number nine is Mark Valeryevich Kondratiuk.

He is a highly accomplished Russian figure skater with a successful professional career. He has achieved notable milestones including winning the bronze medal in the team event at the 2022 Olympics, becoming the 2022 European champion, securing two medals in the Challenger Series, and clinching the 2022 Russian national championship.

Number ten is Elena Ilinykh.

She is a highly accomplished Russian former competitive ice dancer. With Zhiganshin, she won the 2015 Russian national championship. With Katsalapov, she secured the 2014 Olympic gold in the team event and bronze in ice dancing, as well as earning multiple European medals and the 2010 World Junior championship.

Combat Sports

Combat sports like boxing and mixed martial arts (MMA) got a lot of followers in Russia. Athletes like Fedor Emelianenko and Khabib Nurmagomedov have become very popular on the international arena, making Russia a glorious country.

Combat Sports Stars

Fedor Emelianenko

In 1999, Emelianenko became a bronze medalist in international Class A tournaments as part of the Russian national SAMBO team, and also helped the team win a gold medal in the European Team Championship in Istanbul. But Fedor was forced to leave the national team due to the injustice in refereeing and the need for earnings. All this pushed him to perform in mixed-rules fights on a professional basis.

The first MMA organization in Emelianenko’s career was the Japanese Rings. There he fought 11 fights and won the heavyweight championship. It was in Rings that he suffered his first official defeat — from Tsuyoshi Kosaki. At the 17th second of the fight, the Japanese cut Fedor with an elbow blow, after which Emelianenko was forbidden to continue the fight. Elbows in the Rings were prohibited, but the victory was awarded to Kosaka.

Emelianenko became the Rings champion twice (in 2001 — in the heavyweight division and in 2002 — in the absolute weight category) and was invited to Pride — at that time the largest MMA league in the world. His debut in this promotion took place on June 23, 2002, and a year later, in 2003, Fedor won the title of champion.

In total, Emelianenko spent 15 fights in Pride, winning each one. Fedor’s last duel in this organization took place on December 31, 2006 — the last emperor forced Mark Hunt to surrender.

In 2007, Pride’s assets were bought out by its main competitor, the UFC. After that, rumors began to spread in the media that Emelianenko would fight in the UFC. However, Fedor and his manager, Vadim Finkelstein, president of M—1 Global, failed to reach an agreement with this league. The stumbling block was the fact that Finkelstein demanded that the UFC hold Emelianenko’s fights in a co-promotion — that is, at joint UFC and M-1 Global tournaments. The American organization was categorically not satisfied with this. It should be noted that Fedor was also a minority co-owner of M-1 Global, having an 8.5% share. At the time of Rings and Pride, Emelianenko held four to five fights a year, and after 2006 their number decreased markedly.

In 2007, Emelianenko defeated Matt Lindland at the Bodog tournament in St. Petersburg and Hong Man Choi at the Yarennoka tournament! in Saitama. And in 2008, he beat former UFC champion Tim Sylvia at the Affliction show in 36 seconds and became the first WAMMA heavyweight champion. In January 2009, also at the Affliction tournament, Fedor defeated another former UFC champion, Andrei Orlovsky, with a brutal knockout. Then the Affliction league, supported by Donald Trump, ceased to exist, and Emelianenko signed up for Strikeforce, a large American organization that agreed to co-promote with M-1 Global.

In November 2009, Emelianenko knocked out Brett Rogers, and then came a series of setbacks. In June 2010, Fedor suffered his first undisputed defeat — from Fabricio Werdum. The Brazilian enclosed the Russian in a “triangle”, after which Emelianenko signaled surrender. In February 2011, Fedor lost to Antonio Silva (starooskolets was not released for the third round due to bruises on his face), and in July 2011 he lost by technical knockout to Dan Henderson. The contract with Emelianenko in Strikeforce was not extended — then the controlling stake in the promotion already belonged to the parent company of UFC — Zuffa.

In November 2011, Emelianenko defeated Jeff Monson (M-1 Global show) by unanimous decision at the Olympic sports complex in Moscow, and in December 2011 he knocked out Olympic judo champion Satoshi Ishii at the joint Dream and M-1 Global tournament in Saitama. In June 2012, Fedor won another knockout victory over Pedro Rizzo, after which he announced the end of his fighting career. However, in July 2015, Emelianenko announced his return to MMA.

In December 2015, Emelianenko had his first fight in 3.5 years, easily defeating Jaideep Singh (the kickboxer surrendered after punches in the stalls) in Saitama at the Rizin show, and in June 2016, Fedor performed at the Fight Nights tournament in St. Petersburg. The fight with ex-UFC fighter Fabio Maldonado turned out to be extremely stubborn. Emelianenko almost went down in the first round, but stood up and took the next two rounds. As a result, the judges gave the victory to the Last Emperor.

In November 2016, Emelianenko signed a contract with the American Bellator promotion, where he made his debut in June 2017, losing by knockout to Matt Mitrione. Then Fedor showed up at the Bellator Heavyweight Grand Prix, where he managed to reach the finals. He knocked out Frank Mir in the quarterfinals and Chel Sonnen in the semifinals. The final with Ryan Bader, unfortunately, did not last long — the 42-year-old Emelianenko fell already at the 35th second of the fight. Nevertheless, Fedor decided to continue his fighting career by signing a new contract with Bellator. On December 30, 2019, the Last Emperor knocked out former Pride and UFC star Quinton Jackson. In total, Emelianenko has 39 wins and 6 losses in MMA.

Emelianenko won a duel with American Timothy Johnson in the main match of the Bellator 269 tournament. The competition was held at VTB Arena in Moscow on October 23. Emelianenko knocked out his opponent in the first round.

Khabib Nurmagomedov

At the age of six, Nurmagomedov began to practice freestyle wrestling under the guidance of his father. In his teens, he began to master judo, his mentor was Jafar Jafarov.

At the age of 17, under the guidance of his father, he took up combat sambo. In 2009, he became the champion of Russia and the world champion in this sport in the weight category up to 74 kg. In 2010, he won the world title again, but in the weight category up to 82 kg.

Since September 2008, Nurmagomedov has been competing in mixed martial arts (MMA) tournaments. He held his first fight in Poltava, defeating Azerbaijani Vusal Bayramov.

In January 2012, he made his debut in the UFC (Ultimate Fighting Championship) promotion, having fought against Iranian Kamal Shalorus and won his first victory.

In the same year, he began training in the USA under the guidance of Javier Mendes.

Later, his rivals in the UFC were Brazilians Gleison Tibao, Tiago Tavaris, Rafael dos Anos, Edson Barbosa, Americans Abel Trujillo, Pat Healy, Darrell Horcher, Michael Johnson.

In 2016, before the fight with Darrell Horcher, Nurmagomedov entered the octagon for the first time under the composition of Sabina Kors “Dagestan”. Thanks to the athlete, this song became a hit in the republic. Also, an indispensable attribute of Nurmagomedov before going into battle was a papakha. In an interview with Forbes, he said that the manager offered him to go out in a baseball cap on which advertising could be placed, but the athlete categorically refused, saying that for him “a daddy is more important than money”.

In April 2018, Khabib Nurmagomedov became the UFC lightweight champion, defeating American Al Yaquinta. He later defended the title three times:

– in October 2018, he defeated the Irishman Conor McGregor;

– in September 2019, he defeated the American Dustin Porrier;

– in October 2020, he defeated the American Justin Gatzhi.

The fight between Khabib Nurmagomedov and Conor McGregor became the highest-grossing in the history of MMA (UFC revenues from the fight amounted to $ 86.4 million) and one of the most scandalous. Nurmagomedov dominated throughout the fight and forced McGregor to surrender in the fourth round. After the fight, Nurmagomedov jumped out of the octagon and rushed at Dennis Dillon, McGregor’s jiu-jitsu coach, who was in the stands. The conflict immediately escalated into a mass brawl, during which members of Nurmagomedov’s team found themselves in the ring and attacked McGregor. Later, the Russian fighter explained his behavior by saying that he was provoked by the Irishman himself and members of his team, who insulted him before the tournament and during the fight. Because of the brawl, both athletes were disqualified for several months.

After the match with Justin Gatzhi on October 24, 2020, Nurmagomedov announced his retirement. “When I arranged the fight with Gatzhi, I talked to my mother for three days. She didn’t want me to fight without my father. This is my last fight,” he said (Nurmagomedov’s father died three and a half months before the fight).

After defeating Gatzhi, Nurmagomedov topped the ranking of the best UFC fighters, regardless of weight category. On March 19, 2021, the president of the promotion, Dana White, announced that the Russian had officially ended his sports career. A few days later, he was eliminated from all UFC ratings.

In total, Nurmagomedov fought 29 fights in MMA (13 of them in the UFC), without suffering a single defeat.

The UFC tried to organize his fight with American Tony Ferguson five times, but each time the fight was canceled for one reason or another. After Nurmagomedov’s career ended, Ferguson accused him of cowardice and said that the Russian was deliberately avoiding a duel with him.

In March 2022, Nurmagomedov was inducted into the UFC Hall of Fame. The ex-champion also became involved in coaching, led a team of fighters who performed in the UFC and Bellator. In particular, it was Nurmagomedov who prepared Islam Makhachev for a fight with Brazilian Charles Oliveira, in which Makhachev won the UFC lightweight title.

In January 2023, it became known about Nurmagomedov’s decision to leave the MMA industry in order to devote more time to his family, however, in March 2024, he stated that he had not completed his coaching career and was still passing on experience to his brothers (his cousins Umar, Usman and Abubakar Nurmagomedov continue their careers in MMA). “It’s not that I’m done coaching, but with being in the corner during fights, I’m really done. But I continue to share my knowledge, this is one of the most important things in my life right now, until I turned 40,” Nurmagomedov said.

Success in sports in Russia

A sporting history in Russia has gained a lot of success on the different directions like, for example, tennis or figure skating, thus, showing power of Russians on the international arena and reinforcing the glory of Russia in global sports.

Olympic games

A history of Russia in the Olympic games has evidenced a lot of achievements on so many different kinds of sport. Being a part of both the Soviet Union and the Russian Federation Russian athletes got the superiority in gymnastics, wrestling, and athletics. Thus, Russians got a lot of golden, silver and bronze medals showing the Russian excellence in all the kinds of sports.

Ice hockey success

When it comes to ice hockey, Russia started to have the greatest triumph at both the Olympic Games and in the global tournaments like the World championships. There are only the best players from the Kontinental Hockey League and NHL to be included in the Russian national team who often win the gold medals and demonstrate skills and teamwork worldwide.

Tennis success

If we talking about the international tennis stars like Maria Sharapova, Yevgeny Kafelnikov, and Daniil Medvedev they got a glory and major titles like Grand Slam showing a deep talent and moral spirit in this kind of sport.

Martial Arts success

If we consider Russian glory in combat sport it is evident that some athletes like Fedor Emelianenko and Nikolai Valuev got the absolute stars in MMA and boxing. Moreover, they not only have titles in sports abut also inspired a new generation of athletes, forming Russia reputation internationally.

Nikolai Valuev

Boxing appeared in Valuev’s biography only at the age of twenty. It’s too late to achieve professional success, but as time has shown, Nikolai quickly made up for lost time and achieved incredible success. Initially, he trained with Oleg Shalaev, showing excellent results. Six months later, he became a master of sports. Valuev entered the ring for the first time a few months after the start of training. It was 1993.

Nikolai held his first competition in Berlin, where his opponent was the American John Morton. The Russian hero managed to win the victory. In 1999, he again emerged victorious in a duel with Russian boxer Alexei Osokin, and won the national heavyweight championship. A year later, Valev won the RAV championship title from the Ukrainian boxer Yuri Elistratov, who is called a “Murderer”.

In 2004, Nikolai became the intercontinental champion after defeating Richard Bango in the ring.

In December 2005, Nikolai had to fight for the world super heavyweight title with boxer John Ruiz. The venue of the battle was Berlin. Before the competition, Valuev attended a Sunday service at the Alexander Nevsky Church in Potsdam, which was conducted by Archpriest Anatoly Kolyada. At the end of the liturgy, the priest gave the athlete his blessing for this fight.

The fight lasted all twelve rounds. Two of the three referees were on the side of the Russian boxer, one suggested a draw. But still, Valuev won this match. In 2006, Nikolai fought a title defense with Owen Beck (Jamaica), and managed to retain the title of champion. In 2007, a similar duel took place, only Jamil McCline became the opponent of the Russian. And again, the title was saved.

In the same year, 2007, Valuev suffered a fiasco in a fight with Uzbek boxer Ruslan Chagaev. Chagaev was awarded the victory on points. A year later, Nikolai had to defend the title of champion again, this time in a duel with John Ruiz, and he won again.

The best fight in Valuev’s sports biography was the fight in 2009, when he entered the ring against Englishman David Haye, despite the fact that he lost it. The Englishman almost managed to knock Nikolai out. The press was flooded with reports that Valuev had problems with his knee joints, and that he would soon announce the end of his sports career. At first, the boxer tried to deny this information, but soon everything was confirmed.

In 2010, Valuev and Vitali Klitschko were supposed to fight, but it was canceled, to the general chagrin of the fans. A year later, Nikolai Valuev announced his retirement.

In total, the boxer fought 53 fights, and lost only three of them. Due to his unique physical characteristics, tall stature and large arm span, Valuev showed incredible results. In the memory of the fans, there was that duel during which Nikolai simply stretched out his hand and did not even let the opponent get close to him. American Evander Holyfield then simply admitted defeat.

Sports events in Russia

There was a lot of international events in Russia to prove Russian abilities in sports globally. Such events like Winter Olympic Games in 2014 and FIFA World Cup have become a good proof of Russian proudness and hospitality in the international arena, thus, hosting international events.

Illustrious Russian athletes

Russia has made a huge number of renowned athletes who contribute to their kinds of sport, getting a glory on both national and international levels.

Alexander Ovechkin

Alexander Ovechkin is a hockey superstar who has had his career in the NHL with the Washington Capitals. He is well-known for his powerful scoring ability and has won numerous awards like the Stanley Cup and the Hart Memorial Trophy.

At home, Ovechkin played only for Dynamo Moscow. The striker made his debut in the main team on November 4, 2001 in a match against Krylia Sovetov (2:1). In the 2001/02 season, Alexander played 21 games in the regular season, scored two goals and made two assists, played three games without scoring in the playoffs.

In the 2002-03 season, Ovechkin played 40 matches, eight goals and seven assists in the regular season, and took part in five games in the playoffs. In the 2003-04 season, Alexander played 53 matches with 13 goals and 11 assists in the regular season and three playoff matches.

In the 2004-05 season, Ovechkin scored 13 goals and made 13 assists in 37 regular season matches. In the playoffs, he has 10 matches, two goals and four assists to his credit. Dynamo, with Alexander in the squad, became the champion of Russia.

During the NHL lockout in the first half of the 2012-13 season, Ovechkin played for Dynamo again and made his KHL debut. Before returning to the United States, the forward played 31 matches, scored 19 goals and made 21 assists. And although the striker then missed the second part of the blue and white championship season and the playoffs, he is the owner of the Gagarin Cup.

Ovechkin had a bright season, in early 2006 he first scored the first hat trick in the NHL and then scored one of the most memorable goals of his career. Alexander scored three times against Anaheim on January 13 during the away series, and three days later scored a double against Phoenix. The Coyotes were coached by legendary Canadian hockey player, NHL record holder Wayne Gretzky. The second goal of the Russian against the Great club became a masterpiece: after a breakthrough and a fall in the fight against an opponent, the forward managed to send the puck into the goal from an acute angle with a stick in one hand wound behind his head. This moment was simply called a “Goal”.

Ovechkin was named the best rookie of the NHL season, in which he made his league debut on the same day as the first pick of the 2005 draft by Canadian center forward Sidney Crosby. Alexander played 81 games in the regular season, scored 52 goals and made 54 assists, scored 106 points. At the same time, the capital’s team remained one of the outsiders and did not make the playoffs.

In the 2006-07 season, Ovechkin played 82 regular season games with 46 goals and 46 assists, scored 92 points. His club missed the Stanley Cup again.

In the 2007-08 season, Alexander scored 65 goals in 82 matches, made 47 assists and scored 112 points, set personal records for the number of goals scored and points for performance in the regular season. The forward became the league’s top scorer and sniper, collected four individual prizes — the Art Ross Trophy and Richard Trophy, as well as the Hart Trophy and Lester Pearson Award (the most valuable and outstanding player of the league according to journalists and hockey players themselves). The Russian made his debut in the NHL playoffs, scored 4 goals and 5 assists in 7 games, and scored 9 points.

In the 2008/09 season, Ovechkin scored 56 goals, 54 assists and 110 points in 79 games. He took the Richard Trophy, the Hart Trophy and the Pearson Award again. In the playoffs, the Russian has 14 matches, 11 goals and 10 assists, 21 points.

In the 2009/10 season, Alexander scored 50 goals in 72 matches, made 59 assists and scored 109 points with a score of “+45” and 89 penalty minutes (all figures, except for the number of games and goals scored, became personal records in the regular season). On January 5, 2010, after the exchange of Chris Clark to Columbus, the forward became the captain of the capital’s team, which in this regular season became the best club in the league and won the President’s Cup. In the playoffs, the Russian has 7 matches, 5 goals and 5 assists, 10 points.

In the 2010/11 season, Ovechkin faced a sniper crisis for the first time, scoring 32 goals, 53 assists and 85 points in 79 matches. In the playoffs – 9 matches, 5 goals and 5 assists, 10 points.

In the 2011/12 season, Alexander continued to experience performance problems, scoring 38 goals, 27 assists and 65 points in 78 matches. In the playoffs – 14 matches, 5 goals and 4 assists, 9 points.

In the 2012-13 season shortened due to the lockout, Ovechkin played 48 games in the NHL regular season, scored 32 goals and made 24 assists, scored 56 points. In the playoffs – 7 matches, 1 goal and 1 assist, 2 points.

In the 2013/14 season, Alexander scored 51 goals, 28 assists and 79 points in 78 matches. At the same time, Washington missed the Stanley Cup for the first time since 2007.

In the 2014/15 season, Ovechkin scored 53 goals, 28 assists and 81 points in 81 games. In the playoffs – 14 matches, 5 goals and 4 assists, 9 points.

In the 2015/16 season, Alexander scored 50 goals, 21 assists and 71 points in 79 matches. Washington became the best regular season team and received the President’s Cup. In the playoffs, the Russian has 12 matches, 5 goals and 7 assists, 12 points.

In the 2016/17 season, Ovechkin again experienced a sniper crisis: in 82 matches he scored 33 goals, made 36 assists and scored 69 points. On January 11, 2017, the forward scored a double in a game against Pittsburgh and passed the 1,000-point mark in the NHL (the 84th hockey player in the history of the league and the fourth Russian after Sergei Fedorov, Alexander Mogilny and Alexei Kovalev). Ovi was also named by the NHL among the 100 Greatest Players of All time for the league’s centennial anniversary. Washington became the best regular season team again and won the President’s Cup. In the playoffs, the Capitals captain has 13 games, 5 goals and 3 assists, 8 points.

In the 2017/18 season, Alexander scored 49 goals, 38 assists and 87 points in 82 matches. Washington won the Eastern Conference and played in the Stanley Cup Finals for the second time in the club’s history and for the first time in the career of its main star. The Capitals became champions for the first time, and the team captain was recognized as the most valuable hockey player of the playoffs. Ovi scored 15 goals, 12 assists and 27 points in 24 games.

In the 2018-19 season, Ovechkin scored 51 goals, 38 assists and 89 points in 81 games. On February 5, 2019, the forward surpassed Sergey Fedorov’s achievement of 1,179 points and became the most productive hockey player from Russia in the history of the NHL. In the playoffs, the captain of the Capitals has 7 matches, 4 goals and 5 assists, 9 points.

In the 2019/20 regular season, which was prematurely completed due to the coronavirus pandemic, Alexander scored 48 goals, made 19 assists and scored 67 points in 68 matches. Before the forced pause on February 22, 2020, the forward scored an abandoned puck in a game against New Jersey and scored the 700th goal of his NHL career. He became the best sniper of the regular season for the ninth time, sharing the Maurice Richard Trophy with David Pastrnyak. After the restart of the season in the playoffs, the Russian has 8 matches, 4 goals and 1 assist, 5 points.

In the 2020/21 regular season shortened due to the pandemic, Ovechkin scored 24 goals, made 18 assists and scored 42 points in 45 matches. In the playoffs – 5 matches, 2 goals and 2 assists, 4 points.

In the full-fledged 2021/22 season, Alexander played 77 matches, scored 50 goals and made 40 assists, scored 90 points. On March 8, 2022, the forward scored a double in the game against Calgary and equaled Jaromir Jagr at 766 goals in the status of the third NHL sniper in history and the best from outside North America. On March 15, Ovi scored against the Islanders and surpassed the Czech’s achievement. On April 20, after scoring a goal in a match with Vegas, the striker repeated the record of Wayne Gretzky and Mike Bossi for the number of adjustments with at least 50 goals (9 seasons each). In the playoffs, the Russian has 6 matches, 1 goal and 5 assists, 6 points.

In the 2022/23 season, Ovechkin scored 42 goals, 33 assists and 75 points in 73 games. On November 5, 2022, the forward scored for Arizona and surpassed Gordie Howe’s record for the number of goals for one club at 787 goals — Mr. Hockey had 786 in 1687 games for Detroit from 1946 to 1971. The Russian repeated this achievement on November 3, when he scored in an away meeting with the Red Wings. On November 30, the Capitals captain scored against Vancouver and surpassed Gretzky’s record for the number of goals on the road — 403 against 402. On December 13, the striker scored a hat-trick away from Chicago and reached the 800 goal mark for the third time in the history of the league. Three days later, he made a double against Winnipeg and surpassed Howe’s sniper achievement — 802 goals against 801, only Gretzky’s landmark remained ahead — 894. On February 10, Ovi, after scoring a goal to Boston, overtook the Great in the number of goals in an empty net — 57. Washington for the first time since 2014 did not get into the Cup draw Stanley.

In the 2023/24 regular season, Alexander returned to his usual schedule after an ineffective first half of the season: in 79 matches he scored 31 goals, made 34 assists and scored 65 points. On April 9, the forward scored away to Detroit and surpassed Mike Gartner’s record for the number of regulation goals with at least 30 goals — 18 in 19 years of his career. The Capitals became one of the sensations of the league and got into the playoffs.

Yevgeny Kafelnikov:

Yevgeny Kafelnikov is a tennis player who got Grand Slam success, got the French Open and the Australian Open titles.

In the ITF junior tour, Evgeny held only four tournaments (one in 1991 and three in 1992) and quickly began competing at the adult level. He was able to win one tournament in Milan, and at the junior Roland Garros he reached the final of the doubles tournament.

Kafelnikov played for the first time in adult tournaments in 1991. A season later, Evgeny was already actively participating in competitions, made his first appearance on the ATP tour and at the end of the year won the first match in the ATP main draw at a home tournament in Moscow. By the end of the season, the Russian won his first adult title at a tournament in Hungary.

At the end of 1993, Kafelnikov rose to 102nd place in the world ranking, starting his ascent from the end of the third hundred. He also made his Grand Slam debut, having qualified for the French Open.

Evgeny won the first trophy at the Challenger series tournaments, winning the doubles in Dresden. By the end of the season, the Russian won the first and only challenger in his career in singles, and also took the second trophy in pairs.

1994 was a real breakthrough for Kafelnikov. He managed to win the first tournament of the season, winning the first purely Russian final in the Open Era — against Alexander Volkov in Adelaide. Later, Eugene won two more trophies — at tournaments in Copenhagen and Long Island. At the end of the season, he rose from 104th to 11th place in the world ranking and was awarded the ATP for the progress of the year.

In the 1995 season, Kafelnikov won four more singles titles and four doubles titles with three different partners. Evgeny wrote his name into history by being the first Russian to break into the top ten of the world ranking and the first representative of our country to qualify for the Final tournament. Since this year, the Russian tennis player has consistently been among the ten strongest in the world.

Kafelnikov started the first half of the 1996 season with four titles — two in singles and two in doubles. Evgeny was the first Russian to win a Grand Slam tournament in men’s singles — Roland Garros. The tennis player approached the “major” in Paris in excellent shape and with great confidence in his abilities.

Kafelnikov went through the first rounds of the French Open without loss in sets, lost the only set in the quarterfinals to Richard Krajicek, then passed the first racket of the world Pete Sampras and beat German Michael Stich in three games in the final. In doubles, Evgeny, along with Daniel Vacek, also managed to win the title and became the first tennis player since 1968 (since Ken Rosewall’s victories) who managed to simultaneously win singles and doubles at a Grand Slam tournament.

Kafelnikov finished the year on the third line of the world ranking. The Russian became the first player since 1989 who, at the end of the season, was among the top 5 tennis players in the world in singles and doubles.

The beginning of the 1997 season was partially blurred by an injury to the finger of her right hand. But still, this did not prevent him from winning two significant titles — at Roland Garros and the US Open in pairs. The Russian also reached the final of the Final tournament and lost only to Pete Sampras.

Following the results of 1998, the Russian tennis player dropped out of the top 10 of the world ranking and decided to make serious changes. He changed his coach and started working with American Larry Stefanki. Evgeny set himself the goal of topping the world ranking, and he succeeded.

At the start of the 1999 season, Kafelnikov won the second Grand Slam singles tournament in his career – he won the Australian Open. In the final, Eugene defeated Swede Thomas Enqvist, after losing the first set, taking the next three. On May 3, 1999, the Russian became the first racket of the world and stayed at the top for six weeks — until June 7.

In October 2000, Kafelnikov added one of the main titles to his piggy bank — winning the Olympic Games in Sydney. Evgeny became the first Olympic tennis champion in the history of Russia. In the final, the Russian defeated German Tommy Haas (7:6, 3:6, 6:2, 4:6, 6:3).

At the beginning of the noughties, Kafelnikov changed his coach again and worked with Sergei Ponomarev. In 2002, the tennis player managed to win the fourth Grand Slam doubles title in his career and the third at Roland Garros.

In the same year, together with the Russian national team, Evgeny won the Davis Cup for the first time. This tournament was the last goal on the Russian’s list of desired trophies. In the final against France, Kafelnikov lost in singles to Sebastian Grosjean, and then lost in pairs with Marat Safin. The Russians managed to take the title, having won back 1-2 in matches. Safin and Mikhail Yuzhny, who came on as a substitute, brought two victories to the team.

Evgeni Plushenko:

There is a figure skating icon Evgeni Plushenko who showed the excellent skills and artistry in his career. Moreover, he has got a lot of Olympic medals and World Championships.

In 1995, Evgeny made his international debut — it happened at the World Junior Championships. Then Plushenko became the sixth. In Mishin’s group, he trained with Alexei Urmanov and Alexei Yagudin — such a level could not but motivate.

Two years later, Evgeny became the world junior champion. And this allowed him to receive substantial prizes for the first time in his career. Plushenko then realized that a completely different life was beginning for him.

At the adult World Championship, Plushenko competed in 1998 — after Ilya Kulik refused to participate — and immediately took third place, and in the free skate he skated without quadruple jumps. Evgeny became the world champion for the first time in 2001, and after the victory he performed his famous demonstration number “Sexbomb” (“Sexbomb”).

In the same season, the skater won all the tournaments in which he took part, including the European Championship for the second time in a row (with two quadruple jumps, including in the cascade of jumps “quadruple — triple — double”). At the same time, Plushenko continued to complicate the content: at the stage of the Russian Grand Prix, for the first time in history, he performed the most difficult cascade of jumps to this day: quadruple toe loop — triple toe loop — triple rittberger (4+3+3 ).

However, at the main start of the fourth anniversary — the 2002 Olympics – Plushenko lost to his principal rival Alexei Yagudin, who at that time had already left Mishin’s group and trained with Tatyana Tarasova. Evgeny fell from the quadruple sheepskin coat in the short program, and in the free skate for the first time in history he performed a pure cascade “triple axel — oiler — triple flip”. But that didn’t help him get around Alexei.

After Yagudin’s retirement from sports, Plushenko won the 2003 and 2004 World Championships. The main start in Eugene’s career was still ahead. At the 2006 Olympic Games in Turin, in a short program to Puccini’s music, the figure skater flawlessly performed all the elements, among which was the cascade “quadruple toe loop — triple toe loop — triple axel”.

Before returning to the sport in 2007, Evgeny became an ambassador of the Sochi 2014 organizing committee and spoke at the IOC session in Guatemala, where Russia won the right to host the Winter Games. Immediately after that, Plushenko went into surgery to remove the injured meniscus. The figure skater also divorced his first wife Maria Ermak and began to appear in public with the famous producer Yana Rudkovskaya.

After returning, Evgeny became the champion of Russia for the eighth time, and then won the European Championship. At the 2010 Vancouver Games, Plushenko became the second, American Evan Lysacek managed to beat the technically stronger Russian by 1.31 points without quadruple jumps, despite the fact that both performed flawlessly. This situation provoked a scandal.

Nevertheless, Evgeny did not forget the dream of a second Olympic gold. Since 2011, ISU has restored Plushenko’s amateur status. In 2012, the skater won the European Championship again, but did not go to the World Championships due to a meniscus injury, which he subsequently underwent surgery in Germany.

The following year, Plushenko won the Russian championship for a record 10th time, and withdrew from the European Championship after a short program due to a back injury. As a result, the skater recovered within six months. He underwent surgery: His erased intervertebral disc was replaced with an artificial one and four screws were installed.

In the 2013/14 Olympic season, Evgeny won his first competition after surgery – he won the Volvo Open Cup in Riga and scored the necessary ISU technical minimum to participate in the Olympics. At the Russian championship, Plushenko lost to Maxim Kovtun, and then did not go to the European Championship, where his national team competitor finished fifth.

At his fourth Games, Plushenko became a two-time Olympic champion, winning the team tournament with the Russian national team. Alexey Mishin’s student took second place in the short program and brought the team 9 points, in the free skate he became the best and earned the maximum 10 points for his team.

After the Olympics, Evgeny underwent spinal surgery and de facto ended his career. Plushenko made an official statement about his final retirement from the sport only in 2017. But the debate about the participation of the star singles player in the Sochi Games and the subsequent withdrawal from the personal tournament remained relevant after that.

Female Athletes

Alina Zagitova:

She is a figure skating athlete who won gold medal at the Winter Olympic Games in 2018. She is known for her figure skating skills and technical skills.

In 2007, when the Zagitov family lived in Almetyevsk, Alina came to the ice for the first time at the age of four. The first training sessions of the future figure skater took place at the city sports palace under the guidance of Damira Pichugina. In 2008, after the family moved to Izhevsk, the athlete continued her studies at the children’s and youth sports school in Natalia Antipina’s group.

In the 2016/17 season, Zagitova performed for the first time at the stages of the junior Grand Prix series: she took first place in the first, and third in the second. And Alina won the final, setting three world records at the same time: in points in the short and free programs, as well as in the total amount.

In the same season, Zagitova won gold at the Russian Junior Championship, at the European Youth Olympic Festival in Turkey, and also became the world champion in her age category. Thus, in her first and only junior season, Alina won all sorts of titles and set five world records.

Zagitova also performed at the Russian Adult Championship, where she won silver, losing only to Evgenia Medvedeva. In May 2017, the figure skater moved to the adult category. Alina won her first tournament among adults — it was the Lombardy Cup.

Zagitova then won the stages of the Grand Prix series and qualified for the final, which she also won in December 2017. After that, Alina won the Russian championship for the first time and got the right to perform at the main starts of the season.

At the beginning of 2018, the figure skater continued her series of victories and became the European champion. And then, as part of the Russian national team, 15-year-old Alina went to the Olympic Games in Pyeongchang. There Zagitova won a silver medal in the team tournament, and also won the individual competition in a hard fight with Evgenia Medvedeva.

Alina failed to finish the season on a positive note. At the World Championships in Milan, Zagitova became only the fifth — the severe fatigue of the figure skater after the first adult season in her life affected her. Nevertheless, the athlete did not plan to end her career and entered the 2018/2019 season.

As a result, in conditions of heavy competition, Alina took fifth place in the Russian championship, which allowed her to get a ticket to the European and world championships. After a poor performance at the European championship in Minsk, Zagitova became the world champion in Saitama. And it was a very significant achievement in the figure skater’s career.

After her triumph at the World Championship, Zagitova continued her performances in the 2019/2020 season. However, her results were significantly lower than the previous ones: Alina won silver and bronze at the Grand Prix stages, and took last place in the Grand Prix final. This tournament was the last in the skater’s career at the moment.

In 2020, Alina refused control rentals and explained that it is much more interesting for her now to try herself as a presenter of “Glacial”.

Yelena Isinbayeva:

Yelena Isinbayeva is a figure skating icon who won some gold medals in the Olympic Games.

Isinbayeva’s parents contributed to her athletic future: they sent her and her sister to gymnastics. Inessa didn’t do well there, but Elena started studying at the Olympic reserve school after college.

There she was considered an athlete with no special prospects and was expelled. She was 15 years old at the time. And at the same time, Isinbayeva’s coach, Alexander Lisovoy, showed his ward to athletics specialist Evgeny Trofimov.

This became the way for Elena to pole vault — the female version of this sport had just received a residence permit at large competitions. Since 1998, Isinbayeva began to show outstanding results: First, she won the World Youth Games in Moscow, reaching the mark of 4.10 m. Then she won the junior World Championship with a record and became the fifth at the European Junior championship.

A couple of years later, Isinbayeva competed at her first Olympics. In Sydney, Elena failed to make it to the finals, but she was only 18 years old at the time. Gradually, the results of the athlete began to attract attention at the adult level.

Isinbayeva won the Junior European Championship in 2001 with a score of 4.40 m. Two years later, at the European Championship among athletes under the age of 23, the Russian woman won gold, having already overcome a height of 4.65 m. At the world Championships in the same year, Elena became only the bronze medalist, but her main successes were still ahead.

In 2004, the athlete won her first Olympic gold medal — and did it with special brilliance. At the Athens Olympics, Elena beat the first number of the Russian national team Svetlana Feofanova and set a new world record — 4.91 m. A year later, Isinbayeva became the undisputed leader of women’s pole vaulting and the first girl in history to break the bar at a height of 5 meters. After that, she broke up with her mentor Evgeny Trofimov and went to train in Italy with Vitaly Petrov.

At the next Olympic Games in Beijing, the Russian woman won gold again. And she did it again with world records: first, Elena set the Olympic (4.95 meters) and then the world (5.05 meters) highest result. The Beijing final, during which Elena tuned in to jump, hiding from the world with a towel, is one of the most memorable moments in the history of Russian sports.

After this triumph, Elena’s career began to decline, she took a break from her career to treat an injury. But even not in the best shape, the athlete continued to set records: in 2009, at the fifth stage of the Golden League in Zurich, she showed a result of 5.06 m, which is still a world record. In February 2012, she set the world’s highest indoor achievement of 5.01 m.

Before the London Games, Isinbayeva returned to coach Evgeny Trofimov, but won only bronze at the Olympics. After that, the athlete took a break from performing for the sake of having a child. But she has repeatedly talked about what she thinks about the Olympics in Rio.

Unfortunately, Elena was not allowed to attend the 2016 Games, like many other Russian athletes, due to the suspension of the membership of the All-Russian Athletics Federation (VFLA) in the International Athletics Federation (IAAF). Isinbayeva’s emotional speech at the reception of the President of the Russian Federation in the Kremlin after the non-admission of our national team was remembered by many Russians. Interestingly, during the same 2016 Games, Elena was elected to the Athletes’ commission of the International Olympic Committee (IOC).

In August 2016, Isinbayeva announced her retirement. By that time, the two-time Olympic champion had 28 world records on her account.

Natalia Ishchenko:

Natalia Ishchenko is a synchronized swimmer who has won numerous Olympic and World Championship titles. Her artistic talent in the water has made her a top athlete in synchronized swimming.

At the age of 14, Ishchenko moved to Moscow to train at the Olympic Aquatics Center on Tkatskaya Street.

In preparation for the 2006 European Championship, Ishchenko and the rest of the national team took part in the Russian Open Championship, where they presented their new solo programs. Ishchenko and her coach chose Saint-Saens music for the short program, and a melody from the film “The Passion of Christ” for the free program. Ishchenko won with a clear advantage, ahead of Ukrainian Daria Yushko and Muscovite Yulia Shepeleva. In the group exercises as part of the Russian national team, the athlete also won a gold medal.

At the 2006 European Championships in Budapest, Ishchenko took part in three out of four program types and became a three-time European champion within 24 hours. The most valuable was the victory in solo.

At the World Cup in Yokohama, she won gold medals in solo, group and combination.

Ishchenko’s first start in the 2007 season was the Open Cup of Russia, where she presented a new solo program “Memoirs of a Geisha” to music from the film of the same name. The program, according to the athlete herself, turned out to be “original — a mix of complex technical elements and artistic expression.” Ishchenko won the gold medal.

At the 2011 World Championships in Shanghai, she took gold in six of the seven types of the program.

At the Olympic Games in London 2012, she became a champion in a duet with Svetlana Romashina. The winner in group synchronized swimming, three-time Olympic champion.

To concluded, sports culture in Russia is different and interesting reflecting a historical heritage. There is a historical wrestling and skiing and also a modern ice hockey and tennis in Russia.

The country’s success in the international arena, marked by numerous Olympic medals and championship titles in various sports, underlines its continued commitment to sportsmanship and national pride.