Alena Zavarzina facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Alena Zavarzina
Алёна Заварзина

Zavarzina in 2009
Personal information
Full name	Alena Igorevna Zavarzina
Nickname(s)	Superzina
Nationality	Russian
Born	(1989-05-27) 27 May 1989 (age 36) Novosibirsk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height	1.77 m
Weight	66 kg
Sport
Country	Russia
Sport	Snowboarding
Event(s)	Parallel slalom, parallel giant slalom
Club	Krasnoyarsk Academy of Winter Sports
Coached by	Denis Tikhomirov
Retired	31 August 2018 (age 29)
Achievements and titles
World finals	Gold medal in parallel giant slalom at La Molina 2011 Silver medal in parallel giant slalom at Kreischberg 2015 Bronze medal in Sierra Nevada 2017
Olympic finals	Bronze medal in parallel giant slalom at Sochi 2014
Highest world ranking	1st in Parallel Giant Slalom World Cup (2017) 2nd in Parallel World Cup (2017)
Medal record Women's snowboarding Representing  Russia International snowboarding competitions Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 0 0 1 World Championships 1 1 1 Junior World Championships 0 1 1 World Cup Event 1st 2nd 3rd Parallel Slalom 1 1 3 Parallel Giant Slalom 3 3 2 Olympic Games Bronze 2014 Sochi Parallel giant slalom World Championships Gold 2011 La Molina Parallel giant slalom Silver 2015 Kreischberg Parallel giant slalom Bronze 2017 Sierra Nevada Parallel slalom Junior World Championships Silver 2009 Nagano Parallel slalom Bronze 2008 Valmalenco Parallel giant slalom

Alena Igorevna Zavarzina (born 27 May 1989) is a former Russian snowboarder. She was known for her skills in parallel slalom and parallel giant slalom. Alena became a World champion in 2011 and won a bronze medal at the 2014 Winter Olympics. She also won the overall title for parallel giant slalom in the 2016/17 World Cup season.

Alena Zavarzina's Snowboarding Journey

Alena Zavarzina started snowboarding at age 10 in her hometown of Novosibirsk. She first competed in "big air" events. Later, she switched to "alpine snowboarding," which involves racing down a slope. She made her first national championship appearance in 2000, at just 11 years old.

Starting Out: Europa Cup Success

Alena made her first World Cup appearance in 2006. For the next few years, she mostly competed in the Europa Cup. This is a series of races for up-and-coming snowboarders. She won three Europa Cup races in 2007/08 and finished third overall.

In 2008, she won a bronze medal at the Junior World Championships. The next year, she finished second overall in the Europa Cup. These strong results helped her get a spot at the 2009 World Championships. She also won a silver medal at the 2009 Junior World Championships in Nagano.

Big Wins: World Champion Title

The 2009/10 season was a big step for Alena. She became a regular competitor in the World Cup. She won her first World Cup race in Telluride, Colorado. This was also her first time standing on a World Cup podium. She finished the season in eighth place overall.

At the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver, Alena just missed qualifying for the final rounds. However, her teammate Yekaterina Ilyukhina won a silver medal.

Alena started the 2010/11 season very well, with two podium finishes in her first two races. She even helped Russia achieve a "podium sweep" in a parallel slalom race. This means Russian athletes took all three top spots!

At the 2011 World Championships in La Molina, Alena won the gold medal in parallel giant slalom. She was the second Russian snowboarder ever to become a World champion. Sadly, during the parallel slalom event, she injured her right knee. This injury ended her season early. After her World Championship win, Alena was given the special title of Honoured Master of Sports of Russia.

Coming Back: Olympic Bronze Medal

After her injury, Alena worked hard to get back in shape. She struggled a bit in the 2011/12 season. But in the 2012/13 season, her results started to get better. She didn't win any World Cup medals, but she finished fourth twice.

At the 2013 World Championships, she couldn't defend her World title. She was knocked out in the quarter-finals.

Alena Zavarzina with Vladimir Putin after the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi.

The start of the 2013/14 season was tough for Alena. A month before the Olympics, she broke her left arm during a race. Even with a brace on her arm, she competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics in Sochi. She won a bronze medal in parallel giant slalom! Just minutes before, her husband, Vic Wild, won a gold medal in the same event. This was a rare moment where a husband and wife won medals in the same Olympic event.

Three days later, in the first-ever Olympic parallel slalom event, she finished thirteenth. Her husband, Vic Wild, won another gold medal in the men's event. After the Olympics, Alena received an award for her great contribution to sports.

More Medals and a World Cup Title

After more than four years, Alena returned to the World Cup podium in 2014. She finished third in a parallel slalom race. At the 2015 World Championships, she won a silver medal in parallel giant slalom. She finished fifth in the parallel slalom.

In the 2015/16 season, Alena won her second World Cup race, this time in parallel slalom. She finished eighth overall that season.

The 2016/17 season was Alena's best for World Cup results. She won two parallel giant slalom races. She also earned a bronze medal in parallel slalom at the 2017 World Championships. With this, she had won a gold, silver, and bronze medal from the World Championships. At the end of the season, Alena won the parallel giant slalom "crystal globe." This means she was the top-ranked athlete in that discipline for the season.

Final Olympics and Retirement

Alena started the 2017/18 season well, finishing fourth in her first race. She later earned a podium spot in January.

Alena was one of the Russian athletes allowed to compete at the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang under a neutral flag. This meant she couldn't represent Russia directly. She said it was a difficult time, with "unequal conditions" for Russian athletes. At the Olympics, she qualified for the main round in parallel giant slalom. But she fell in the semi-final and bronze medal race, finishing fourth. She mentioned that she had many doping tests during her time in Pyeongchang.

After the Olympics, Alena continued to compete. She finished second in two more World Cup races before the season ended.

On 31 August 2018, Alena Zavarzina announced her retirement from competitive snowboarding. She explained that she had not been paid since 2017. She also said that new medical rules made it impossible for her to continue competing, even though her health hadn't changed. She felt there was a lack of support for the sport from officials.

Alena Zavarzina's Life Off the Snow

Alena Zavarzina and Vic Wild in 2017.

Alena was born in Novosibirsk. She studied visual arts and later management at different universities. After retiring from snowboarding, she went to Central Saint Martins College of Arts and Design to study art direction. She graduated in 2022.

In 2011, Alena married Vic Wild, who later became a double Olympic champion. Vic Wild was a former U.S. snowboarder who became a Russian citizen in 2012. Before the 2014 Winter Olympics, Alena and Vic signed a contract with a watch company. Alena became the face of their ads. In December 2021, Alena announced on social media that she and Vic had divorced.

Alena has been a brand ambassador for companies like Toyota Russia and Tag Heuer. In 2017, she was chosen to be a member of the International Ski Federation (FIS) Athletes' Commission. She also helped promote the 2019 Winter Universiade, a big sports event for university students. In her free time, Alena enjoys photography and painting.

World Cup Results

Alena Zavarzina in 2009.

All results are from the International Ski Federation (FIS).

Season Titles

• 1 title – (1 parallel giant slalom)

Season Standings

Race Podiums

• 4 wins – (1 PSL, 3 PGS)
• 13 podiums – (5 PSL, 8 PGS)

No.	Season	Date	Location	Discipline	Place
1	2009–10	17 December 2009	Telluride, United States	Parallel Giant Slalom	1st
2		24 January 2010	Stoneham, Canada	Parallel Giant Slalom	2nd
3	2010–11	10 October 2010	Landgraaf, Netherlands	Parallel Slalom	3rd
4		10 December 2010	Limone Piemonte, Italy	Parallel Giant Slalom	2nd
5	2014–15	18 December 2014	Montafon, Austria	Parallel Slalom	3rd
6		14 March 2015	Winterberg, Germany	Parallel Slalom	3rd
7	2015–16	6 March 2016	Winterberg, Germany	Parallel Slalom	1st
8	2016–17	15 December 2016	Carezza, Italy	Parallel Giant Slalom	3rd
9		5 February 2017	Bansko, Bulgaria	Parallel Giant Slalom	1st
10		12 February 2017	Bogwang, South Korea	Parallel Giant Slalom	1st
11	2017–18	21 January 2018	Rogla, Slovenia	Parallel Giant Slalom	3rd
12		10 March 2018	Scuol, Switzerland	Parallel Giant Slalom	2nd
13		17 March 2018	Winterberg, Germany	Parallel Slalom	2nd
Source:

Olympic Results

• 1 medal – (1 bronze)

Year	Age	Parallel  Slalom	Parallel Giant Slalom
2010 Vancouver	20	N/A	17
2014 Sochi	24	13	3
2018 Pyeongchang	28	N/A	4
Source:

World Championships Results

• 3 medals – (1 gold, 1 silver, 1 bronze)

Year	Age	Parallel  Slalom	Parallel Giant Slalom
2009 Gangwon	19	—	21
2011 La Molina	21	32	1
2013 Stoneham	23	9	5
2015 Kreischberg	25	5	2
2017 Sierra Nevada	27	3	5
Source:

See also

In Spanish: Aliona Zavárzina para niños