Olga Kaniskina facts for kids
Kaniskina at Osaka 2007
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| Born | January 19, 1985 Napolnaya Tavla, Kochkurovsky District, Mordovian ASSR, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
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| Height | 1.59 m (5 ft 2+1⁄2 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 43 kg (95 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Russia |
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| Sport | Women's athletics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | 20 km walk | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Medal record
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Olga Nikolayevna Kaniskina was born on January 19, 1985, in Napolnaya Tavla, a village in Russia. She is a former race walker and now works as a coach. Race walking is a sport where athletes walk as fast as they can, but one foot must always be on the ground.
Olga won a silver medal in the 20 km walk at the 2006 European Athletics Championships. She then won a gold medal at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics. Her biggest win was a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. She also set a championship record at the 2008 IAAF World Race Walking Cup. Later in her career, some of her results were cancelled.
Contents
Olga Kaniskina's Race Walking Journey
Early Success in Race Walking
Olga Kaniskina started her journey in race walking with great promise. In 2006, she finished fifth at the 2006 IAAF World Race Walking Cup. Later that year, she earned her first big medal, a silver, at the 2006 European Athletics Championships.
The next year, 2007, was even better for Olga. She won her first world title. She took the gold medal in the women's 20 km walk at the 2007 World Championships in Athletics. She was faster than her teammate, Tatyana Shemyakina, to win the race.
Setting Records and Olympic Gold
The year 2008 was a very important one for Olga. She tried to break a world record in the 20 km walk at the Russian Championships. She finished with a very fast time. However, for a world record to be official, three special judges must be at the race. Because there were not enough judges, her record could not be officially counted.
Even so, she went on to set a new championship record at the 2008 IAAF World Race Walking Cup. This event was held in Russia, and Olga finished with an amazing time of 1 hour, 25 minutes, and 42 seconds.
At the 2008 Olympics in Beijing, Olga achieved her biggest dream. She won the gold medal in the 20 km walk. She also broke the Olympic record for the fastest time in this event. She finished the 20 km walk in 1 hour, 26 minutes, and 31 seconds. She was 36 seconds faster than the silver medalist. The old Olympic record was set by Wang Liping in 2000.
Continuing Victories
Olga continued her winning streak after the Olympics. In 2009, she won her second World gold medal at the 2009 World Championships in Athletics. This made her the first woman to win this title two times in a row.
In 2010, Olga won a competition in Poland. She beat another athlete, Melanie Seeger, by just two seconds. She also improved her performance from 2006 at the 2010 European Athletics Championships. She won the gold medal in the women's 20 km title. Her 2011 season started with another win in Portugal.
At the 20 km walk during the 2012 Summer Olympics in London, Olga led the race from the very beginning. However, in the last kilometer, another athlete, Elena Lashmanova, passed her. Olga finished with a silver medal.
Results Later Cancelled
Olga Kaniskina was part of a training group. Some athletes from this group later had their results cancelled. On January 20, 2015, it was announced that some of Olga's results from certain periods were cancelled. This included her results between July 15, 2009, and September 16, 2009, and also between July 30, 2011, and November 8, 2011. This meant that some of her medals from those times were no longer counted.
There was also a discussion about which medals she should keep.
International Competitions
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Result | Notes |
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| 2005 | European U23 Championships | Erfurt, Germany | 2nd | 20 km | 1:33:33 | |
| 2006 | World Race Walking Cup | A Coruña, Spain | 5th | 20 km | 1:28:59 | |
| European Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 2nd | 20 km | 1:28:35 | ||
| 2007 | European Race Walking Cup | Leamington Spa, United Kingdom | 2nd | 20 km | 1:28:13 | |
| World Championships | Osaka, Japan | 1st | 20 km | 1:30:09 | ||
| 2008 | World Race Walking Cup | Cheboksary, Russia | 1st | 20 km | 1:25:42 | CR |
| Olympic Games | Beijing, China | 1st | 20 km | 1:26:31 | OR | |
| 2009 | World Championships | Berlin, Germany | DQ | 20 km | 1:28:09 | Results Cancelled |
| 2010 | European Championships | Barcelona, Spain | DQ | 20 km | 1:27:44 | Results Cancelled |
| 2011 | World Championships | Daegu, South Korea | DQ | 20 km | 1:29:42 | Results Cancelled |
| 2012 | Olympic Games | London, United Kingdom | DQ | 20 km | 1:25:09 | Results Cancelled |
See also
In Spanish: Olga Kanískina para niños
