Iryna Yatchenko facts for kids

Iryna Yatchenko on a 2004 Belarusian stamp. She was later found to have been doping and lost the medal.
Quick facts for kids Personal information
Native name	Ірына Ятчанка
Birth name	Iryna Vasiliyevna Yatchenko
Nationality	Belarusian
Born	31 October 1965 (1965-10-31) (age 59) Homel, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union
Years active	1990–2010
Height	1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight	105 kg (231 lb)
Sport
Country	Soviet Union (1990–1991)  Unified Team (1992)  Belarus (1993–2009)
Sport	Discus throw
Club	Trud Grodno RTsFVS Homel
Turned pro	1990
Retired	2010
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	69.14 m (2004)
Medal record Women's Athletics Representing  Belarus Olympic Games Bronze 2000 Sydney Discus World Championships Gold 2003 Paris Discus

Iryna Vasiliyevna Yatchenko (born October 31, 1965) is a former discus thrower from Belarus. She is well-known for winning two Olympic bronze medals. She earned these at the 2000 Summer Olympics and the 2004 Summer Olympics. However, she later lost her 2004 medal because of a rule violation related to fair play in sports. Iryna also became a world champion at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics. Her best-ever throw was 69.14 meters, which she achieved in July 2004.

Her Sports Career

Iryna Yatchenko was born in Gomel, a city in Belarus. She had a very long career in sports, competing at the highest level for almost 20 years. She started her international journey at the 1990 European Athletics Championships.

Iryna competed in the discus throw at five different Olympic Games. She took part in every Olympics from the 1992 Barcelona Games to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She also competed in the World Championships in Athletics eight times, showing her dedication to the sport.

Her last big competition was the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. After this, she retired from international sports in June 2010. The National Olympic Committee of Belarus held a special event to celebrate her long and successful career. At 44 years old, she was one of the last athletes to retire who had also competed for the Soviet Union.

Iryna is married to Igor Astapkovich. He is also an Olympic medalist from Belarus, but he competed in the hammer throw.

Fair Play Rules

In 2012, sports officials re-checked samples from the 2004 Summer Olympics. They found that Iryna Yatchenko's sample showed she had broken rules about fair play. Because of this, her results from the Athens Olympics were cancelled. She had to return her bronze medal and the certificate she received. The international sports group also stopped her from competing for two years. This ban lasted from August 21, 2004, to August 20, 2006.

Major Achievements

Iryna Yatchenko achieved many great things during her long career. Here are some of her most important results:

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Notes
Representing  Soviet Union
1990	Goodwill Games	Seattle, United States	2nd	67.04 m
	European Championships	Split, Yugoslavia	5th	65.16 m
1991	World Championships	Tokyo, Japan	7th	64.92 m
Representing  Unified Team
1992	Olympic Games	Barcelona, Spain	7th	63.74 m
	IAAF Grand Prix Final	Turin, Italy	3rd	Second on season's points
Representing  Belarus
1995	World Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	9th	60.48 m
1996	Olympic Games	Atlanta, United States	12th	60.46 m
1997	World Championships	Athens, Greece	5th	62.58 m
1998	European Championships	Budapest, Hungary	8th	61.20 m
1999	World Championships	Seville, Spain	9th	62.99 m
2000	Olympic Games	Sydney, Australia	3rd	65.20 m
2001	World Championships	Edmonton, Canada	9th	59.45 m
2003	World Championships	Paris, France	1st	67.32 m
	World Athletics Final	Monte Carlo, Monaco	8th
2004	Olympic Games	Athens, Greece	DSQ (3rd)	66.17 m
	World Athletics Final	Monte Carlo, Monaco	DSQ (3rd)
2006	European Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	10th	59.65 m
2007	World Championships	Paris, France	10th	62.63 m
2008	Olympic Games	Beijing, China	11th	59.27 m
2009	World Championships	Berlin, Germany	NM	No mark