Nadezhda Chizhova facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Personal information
Born	29 September 1945 (1945-09-29) (age 79) Usolye-Sibirskoye, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height	1.74 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	90 kg (198 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	Shot put
Club	Spartak St. Petersburg
Coached by	Viktor Alekseyev
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	21.45 m (1973)
Medal record Representing  Soviet Union Olympic Games Bronze 1968 Mexico City Shot put Gold 1972 Munich Shot put Silver 1976 Montreal Shot put European Championships Gold 1966 Budapest Shot put Gold 1969 Athens Shot put Gold 1971 Helsinki Shot put Gold 1974 Rome Shot put European Athletics Indoor Championships Bronze 1966 Dortmund Shot put Gold 1967 Prague Shot put Gold 1968 Madrid Shot put Gold 1970 Vienna Shot put Gold 1971 Sofia Shot put Gold 1972 Grenoble Shot put Silver 1974 Gothenburg Shot put Summer Universiade Silver 1965 Budapest Shot put Gold 1970 Turin Shot put Gold 1973 Moscow Shot put

Nadezhda Chizhova (born September 29, 1945) is a famous Russian shot put athlete. She won three medals at the Olympic Games and four titles at the European Championships. She also set seven new world records in her sport. Nadezhda was the first woman ever to throw the shot put over 20 meters and then over 21 meters! After she stopped competing in 1976, she became an athletics coach in Saint Petersburg.

Early Life and Training

Nadezhda Chizhova was the fourth child in her family. She started playing shot put when she was 16 years old. After finishing medical school, she moved to Saint Petersburg in 1963. There, she trained with Viktor Alekseyev, a very important Soviet coach. He had trained many other top shot putters before her.

Becoming a Champion

Just two years later, in 1965, Nadezhda won the European junior title in both shot put and discus throw. In 1966, she won the main European title in shot put.

By 1968, Nadezhda was the world record holder. Many people thought she would win a gold medal at the Olympics. However, she got a knee injury during training and finished third, winning a bronze medal instead.

After her injury healed, she continued to win. She won European titles in 1969 and 1971. Then, in 1972, she achieved her dream and won an Olympic gold medal! She competed in her last Olympics in 1976, where she won a silver medal.

Life After Competing

Nadezhda stopped competing in 1977. She said she retired because she wasn't as motivated anymore. Also, her coach, Viktor Alekseyev, passed away in 1977, which was very sad for her.

After retiring, Nadezhda had a daughter. She also had a long career as an athletics coach. One of her students, Larisa Peleshenko, won a silver medal in shot put at the 2000 Olympics.

Amazing World Records

Nadezhda Chizhova set many world records during her career. A world record is the best performance ever recorded in a sport. Here are some of her incredible achievements:

• 16.60 m (54.5 ft) in 1964 (This was a world junior record!)
• 18.67 m (61.3 ft) on April 28, 1968, in Sochi
• 19.72 m (64.7 ft) on May 30, 1969, in Moscow
• 20.09 m (65.9 ft) on July 13, 1969, in Chorzów
• 20.43 m (67.0 ft) on September 16, 1969, in Athens
• 20.63 m (67.7 ft) on May 19, 1972, in Sochi
• 21.03 m (69.0 ft) on September 7, 1972, in Munich
• 21.20 m (69.6 ft) on August 28, 1973, in Lviv

Her last record of 21.20 meters was the world's best until September 21, 1974. On that day, Helena Fibingerová from Czechoslovakia threw even further, reaching 21.57 meters.

External links

• Sporting Heroes

Records
Preceded by —	Women's Shot Put World Record Holder 7 September 1972 – 21 September 1974	Succeeded by Helena Fibingerová

See also

In Spanish: Nadezhda Chizhova para niños