Irina Dimitrievna Vaag (nee Salomikova ; February 28, 1961 , Moscow ) - the Soviet and Russian kayak-kayaker , played for the USSR and Russia in the 1980s - 1990s. A winner of world championships, a multiple winner of all-Union and republican championships, a participant in two summer Olympic games. At the competition she represented the sports society " Spartak ", Honored Master of Sports of the USSR (1984).
| Irina Vaag | |
|---|---|
| personal information | |
| Floor | |
| A country |  Russia  USA |
| Specialization | kayak , 500 m |
| Club | Spartacus |
| Date of Birth | February 28, 1961 |
| Place of Birth | Moscow |
| Date of death | 2015 |
| Growth | 182 cm |
| Weight | 74 kg |
Biography
Born February 28, 1961 in Moscow . She studied at secondary school No. 831, began to actively engage in rowing in early childhood, and was a member of the voluntary sports societies Trud and Spartak . The first serious success was achieved in 1983, when she won two gold medals of the adult all-Union championship, in the four-kilometer canoe four-kilometer race and in the 4 × 500 m relay. A year later she was again the best in the same disciplines, she had to participate in the Olympic Games in Los Angeles, however, the countries of the socialist camp boycotted this Olympics, and instead the athlete performed at the Friendship-84 tournament in the GDR, where she won the first place with four. For this achievement, according to the results of the season, she was awarded the honorary title " Honored Master of Sports of the USSR " and was awarded the medal " For Labor Valor ".
In 1985, at the championship of the Soviet Union, Salomykova won the half-kilometer race of the twos, then at the world championship in the Belgian city of Mechelen, she finished in four-seater kayaks five hundred meters second. In the 1987 season, she went to the world championship in Duisburg, Germany, from where she brought a bronze dignity medal, won in the same discipline. A year later, she became the champion of the all-Union championship in three categories at once: among singles, twos and fours at a distance of 500 meters. At the same time, at the World Championships in Bulgarian Plovdiv, she took two bronzes, with double and quadruple crews. Thanks to a series of successful performances, she won the right to defend the country's honor at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul , participated in the half-kilometer heats of twos and fours - in both cases she reached the finals, but in fifth and fourth places respectively.
The season of 1989, Irina Salomykova began with two victories in the standings of the All-Union Championship, defeated all single rivals by 5000 meters, was the best among double and quadruple kayaks by 500 meters. The following year, she won the five-kilometer distance again and tried to perform in this discipline at the World Championships in Poznan, Poland - as a result, she added another bronze medal to the world championship in her track record.
After the collapse of the USSR, it represented Russia. In 1992, she became part of the so-called united team assembled from athletes of the former Soviet republics to participate in the Olympic Games in Barcelona . She performed, nevertheless, worse than the results of four years ago - on a single kayak she managed to reach the semi-finals only, with four she went to the finals, but finished only ninth. Subsequently, she repeatedly participated in the championships of Russia, won medals of various denominations. She remained an active athlete until 2000, after an unsuccessful attempt to qualify for the Olympics in Sydney, she decided to end the career of a professional athlete, losing her place in the national team to young Russian rowers.
She has higher education, in 1999, almost 20 years after admission, she graduated from the Russian State Academy of Physical Culture (now the Russian State University of Physical Education, Sports, Youth and Tourism ). Since 1996, she became a highly qualified trainer, worked as a teacher at the Republican School of Olympic Reserve in Bronnitsy , was a member of the Russian Federation of Kayaking and Canoeing, where she was responsible for organizing marathon regattas. Later emigrated to the United States, lived in the city of Chesapeake , Virginia .
Tragically died in mid-April 2015 as a result of an accident. Irina and her husband are buried in New York.
Interesting Facts
- In 1985, she starred in the feature film " Rivals ", played the cameo role of the German rowing dog Gerda Krause.
Links
- Irina Salomykova-Vaag - Olympic statistics on the website Sports-Reference.com (English)
- Irina Vaag - page on the site "Sports Russia"
- Vaag Irina Dmitrievna (unavailable link from 06/14/2016 [1146 days]) - a brief biographical information on the Yandex.Dictionaries website
- List of USSR kayaking and canoeing champions (unavailable link from 06/14/2016 [1146 days])
- Lists of kayaking and canoeing champions and prize winners (1936-2007 )
- https://web.archive.org/web/20160305152101/http://zazerkalie.mirtesen.ru/blog/43138862196/POGIBLA-NASHA-RENKA---IRINA-VAAG,-PREKRASNYIY-CHELOVEK,-SPORTSME