Natalia Ivanova (wrestler)

Natalia Ivanova (Russian: Наталья Иванова; born May 11, 1969 in Angarsk, Russian SFSR) is a retired amateur Russian and Tajik freestyle wrestler, who competed in the women's middleweight category.[1] Considered one of Russia's top female wrestlers of her decade, Ivanova has yielded a remarkable tally of six career medals, including two silver at the World Championships (1995 and 1996), before she acquired a dual citizenship to compete for Tajikistan in 2002. Since then, she scored a sixth spot in the 63-kg division at the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea, and also finished eleventh at the 2004 Summer Olympics. Ivanova is also a member of the wrestling squad for Pobeda Sports and Military Games Club in Angarsk, under her personal coach Valery Saiziev.[2]

Natalia Ivanova
Personal information
Full nameNatalia Ivanova
Nationality Russia
 Tajikistan
Born (1969-05-11) 11 May 1969
Angarsk, Russian SFSR,
Soviet Union
Height1.63 m (5 ft 4 in)
Weight63 kg (139 lb)
Sport
SportWrestling
StyleFreestyle
ClubSCHVCM Pobeda (RUS)
CoachValery Saiziev (RUS)
Medal record
Women's freestyle wrestling
Representing  Russia
World Championships
1995 Mpscow61 kg
1996 Sofia61 kg
1994 Sofia61 kg
European Championships
2001 Budapest62 kg
1996 Oslo61 kg
2000 Budapest62 kg

While competing for the Russian team, Ivanova emerged herself into a sporting fame at the 1995 World Women Championships in Moscow, Russia, where she captured a silver medal in the 61-kg division, losing to Austria's Nikola Hartmann. By the following year, she campaigned for her runner-up defense in the same tournament in Sofia, Bulgaria, and then boasted for the bronze at the European Championships in Oslo, Norway. Before leaving for the Tajik squad in 2002, Ivanova held a remarkable record of six medals; three of which came from the World Championships, and the rest from the European Championships.[3] When she entered the 2002 Asian Games in Busan, South Korea as a crowd favorite in the women's middleweight category (63 kg), Ivanova missed a chance to capture another medal to her career hardware, placing sixth in the process.

When women's wrestling made its debut at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Ivanova qualified for her naturalized Tajik squad in the inaugural 63 kg class. Earlier in the process, she placed third and guaranteed a spot on the Tajik wrestling team from the Olympic Qualification Tournament in Tunis, Tunisia.[4] Ivanova lost two straight matches each to Belarus' Volha Khilko (1–4) and eventual Olympic bronze medalist Lise Legrand of France (0–3), leaving her on the bottom of the pool and placing eleventh in the final standings.[5]

References
  1. Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Natalia Ivanova". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 18 April 2020. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  2. Наталья Иванова стала директором СДЮСШОР по борьбе «Победа» [Natalia Ivanova becomes the director of wrestling for SDYUSSHOR Pobeda] (in Russian). Zhivoy Angarsk. 14 January 2014. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  3. МУСУЛЬБЕС И САЙТИЕВ ПОБЕДИЛИ ОДНОЙ ЛЕВОЙ [Musulbes and Saitiev won a medal each for Pobeda] (in Russian). Sport Express. 25 April 2001. Retrieved 8 August 2014.
  4. Abbott, Gary (20 July 2004). "Olympic Games preview at 63 kg/138.75 lbs. in women's freestyle". USA Wrestling. The Mat. Retrieved 29 September 2013.
  5. "Wrestling: Women's Freestyle 63kg". Athens 2004. BBC Sport. 15 August 2004. Retrieved 30 September 2013.


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