Irina Press facts for kids

Irina Press at the 1964 Olympics
Quick facts for kids Personal information
Born	10 March 1939 Kharkiv, Ukrainian SSR, Soviet Union
Died	21 February 2004 (aged 64) Moscow, Russia
Height	1.68 m (5 ft 6 in)
Weight	75 kg (165 lb)
Sport
Sport	Pentathlon, sprint running, shot put
Club	Dynamo St. Petersburg Dynamo Moscow
Medal record Representing  Soviet Union Olympic Games Gold 1960 Rome 80 metre hurdles Gold 1964 Tokyo Pentathlon

Irina Natanovna Press (born March 10, 1939 – died February 21, 2004) was an amazing athlete from the Soviet Union. She was good at many sports, like running and throwing. Irina competed in the Olympic Games in 1960 and 1964.

In 1960, she won a gold medal in the 80-meter hurdles race. She also came in fourth place in the 4 × 100-meter relay race. Four years later, at the 1964 Olympics, she won another gold medal. This time, it was in a new event called the pentathlon. The pentathlon combines five different sports. She also placed fourth in hurdles and sixth in shot put that year.

A Family of Champions

Irina had an older sister named Tamara Press. Tamara was also a very talented athlete. Together, the Press sisters broke 26 world records between 1959 and 1966. This shows how incredibly skilled they both were in track and field. Irina won her last championship in the USSR in 1967.

Changes in Sports Rules

Both Irina and Tamara suddenly stopped competing in sports. This happened when new rules about checking athletes' gender were put in place. These rules were introduced to make sure competitions were fair for everyone.

Life After Sports

After she stopped competing, Irina Press continued to be involved in sports. She studied physical education and became a coach at her club, Dynamo Moscow. She also worked in sports leadership roles for the Soviet and later Russian governments. From 2000 until she passed away in 2004, she led the Moscow Committee of Physical Culture and Sports.

See also

In Spanish: Irina Press para niños