Irina Tchachina

244
Irina Tchachina bigraphy, stories - Gymnast

Irina Tchachina : biography

24 April 1982 –

Irina Viktorovna Tchachina (also Chashchina or Tchashchina) ( born 24 April 1982 in Omsk, Russia) is an individual rhythmic gymnast. She is the 2004 Olympic silver medalist in all-around. The 2001 World silver medalist (later disqualified), two time (2003, 2005) World all-around bronze medalist and 2004 European all-around bronze medalist.

Post-retirement

After her retirement, Tchachina was invited to the Russian television project "Dances on Ice", partnering with Olympic bronze medalist ice dancer Ruslan Goncharov. She also appeared on the project "Circus with stars" along with other athletes, including Svetlana Khorkina. Tchachina then starred as the lead heroine in the Russian film The Way with Artem Mikhalkov. Tchachina also wrote an autobiography called Irina Tchachina: Being Yourself. Commenting on her sport, she said: "Besides your body, you should train your mind too. Intelligence is crucial to rhythmic gymnastics." In late 2011, Tchachina married Russian businessman Evgeny Arkhipov.

On May 2013, Tchachina opened up her rhythmic gymnastics school named after her in Barnaul, Altai Krai. The Opening Ceremony was attended by other rhythmic gymnasts Liubov Charkashyna, Natalia Godunko and Olga Kapranova.

Detailed Olympic results

Year Competition Description Location Music Apparatus Score-Final Score-Qualifying
2004 Olympics Athens All-around 107.325 105.675
Malagueña Salerosa ( Remix ) Ribbon 26.300 26.725
Harem by Sarah Brightman Ball 27.100 26.700
Pirates of the Caribbean by Klaus Badelt Hoop 27.100 26.450
Laissez moi me griser by Maurice El Medioni Clubs 26.825 25.800

Career

Tchachina is born to a Russian family and the oldest of three children (Irina has a younger brother and sister). She started her sports career at the age of 6 in her home town of Omsk (also the hometown of former World Champion and the first ever European Champion Galima Shugurova and 2 time Olympic Gold medalist Evgenia Kanaeva). After she became impressed watching the World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships on television, her grandfather, a devoted amateur sportsman, took her to a sports school. Her early days were filled with music lessons, swimming and rhythmic gymnastics. Faced with a choice at age 11, she chose gymnastics. She was coached by Vera Efremovna Shtelbaums and her daughter Elena Arais since the age of five. Her favourite gymnasts are Elena Vitrichenko and Yanina Batyrchina.

Tchachina’s first victory was at age 8 at the Omskaya oblast championship; by age 12 she was already on Russia’s national team and routinely travelled to Moscow to take part in the training camps. As a junior, she took first place at the CIS Spatakiada, and won the Russian women’s championships twice in a row.

In August 1999, Tchachina began training at the Olympic Preparatory School under the guidance of famous coach Irina Viner, and around the same time she won the World Championships in Osaka, Japan.

In 2001 she won the gold in the hoop and silver in the individual all-around, ball, clubs and rope at the 2001 World Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships in Madrid, Spain, but Irina and her teammate Alina Kabaeva tested positive to a banned diuretic and were stripped of their medals.

Irina Viner, the Russian head coach, who also served as the Vice President of the FIG Rhythmic Gymnastics Technical Committee at the time, said her gymnasts had been taking a food supplement called "Hyper" which contained mild diuretics, which, according to Viner, the gymnasts were taking for pre-menstrual syndrome. When the supply ran out shortly before the Goodwill Games, the team physiotherapist restocked at a local pharmacy. According to Viner, the supplement sold there was fake and contained furosemide. The commission requested the Goodwill Games organizing committee to nullify Kabaeva and Tchachina’s results.