Yuliya Chepalova facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Yulia Chepalova
Chepalova in September 2005
Country	Russia
Full name	Yulia Anatolyevna Chepalova
Born	(1976-12-23) 23 December 1976 (age 48) Komsomolsk-on-Amur, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union
Height	1.64 m (5 ft 5 in)
Ski club	Dynamo Moscow
World Cup career
Seasons	12 – (1996–2002, 2004–2006, 2008–2009)
Individual wins	18
Team wins	13
Indiv. podiums	33
Team podiums	25
Indiv. starts	174
Team starts	48
Overall titles	1 – (2001)
Discipline titles	1 – (DI: 2006)
Medal record Women's cross-country skiing Representing  Russia International nordic ski competitions Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 3 2 1 World Championships 2 2 2 Olympic Games Gold 1998 Nagano 30 km freestyle Gold 2002 Salt Lake City Individual sprint Gold 2006 Turin 4 × 5 km relay Silver 2002 Salt Lake City 10 km classical Silver 2006 Turin 30 km freestyle Bronze 2002 Salt Lake City 15 km freestyle World Championships Gold 2001 Lahti 4 × 5 km relay Gold 2005 Oberstdorf 15 km double pursuit Silver 2005 Oberstdorf 10 km freestyle Silver 2005 Oberstdorf 4 × 5 km relay Bronze 2001 Lahti Individual sprint Bronze 2005 Oberstdorf Team sprint Junior World Championships Gold 1993 Harrachov 4 × 5 km relay Gold 1994 Breitenwang 15 km freestyle Gold 1995 Gällivare 15 km freestyle Gold 1995 Gällivare 4 × 5 km relay Gold 1996 Asiago 15 km freestyle Gold 1996 Asiago 4 × 5 km relay Silver 1993 Harrachov 15 km freestyle Bronze 1996 Asiago 5 km classical European Youth Olympic Festival Gold 1993 Aosta 7.5 km freestyle Silver 1993 Aosta 5 km classical

Yulia Anatolyevna Chepalova is a famous former Russian cross-country skier. She was born on December 23, 1976, in Komsomolsk-on-Amur, which was then part of the Soviet Union. Yulia became a top athlete, winning many medals in major competitions.

About Yulia Chepalova

Yulia's father was a cross-country skiing coach. She started skiing almost as soon as she could walk! Her father, Anatoly Chepalov, coached her from a young age. He even sold his belongings to help support her skiing career.

Yulia is connected with the Dynamo Moscow. She lives in Syktyvkar with her husband, Vasily Rochev, who is also a skier. They have a daughter named Vaselina, born in 2007. Yulia also has another daughter, Olesya. Today, she works as a sports instructor. Besides Russian, she also speaks some German.

Her Amazing Skiing Career

Yulia Chepalova began her professional skiing journey in the 1995–1996 season. She was almost always among the top 15 skiers in the world. The only time she wasn't was in the 2002–2003 season when she took time off to have her daughter, Olesya.

She even finished as the number one overall skier in the 2000–2001 season! In 2005–2006, she was third overall and first in the long-distance races.

Olympic Games Success

Yulia had incredible success at the Winter Olympics.

• At the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano, she won a gold medal in the women's 30 km freestyle event. She was the youngest person ever to win this event!
• Four years later, at the 2002 Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City, she won three medals. She earned a gold in the individual sprint, a silver in the 10 km classical race, and a bronze in the 15 km freestyle.
• At the 2006 Winter Olympics in Turin, Yulia added two more medals to her collection. She won a gold medal in the 4 × 5 km relay race and a silver in the 30 km freestyle mass start.

World Championship Medals

Yulia also won many medals at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships.

• In 2001, she won a gold medal in the 4 × 5 km relay and a bronze in the individual sprint.
• In 2005, she earned another gold in the 15 km double pursuit. She also won two silver medals in the 10 km freestyle and the 4 × 5 km relay. Plus, she took home a bronze in the team sprint.

Holmenkollen Festival Wins

Yulia won the women's 30 km race at the famous Holmenkollen ski festival three times (in 1999, 2004, and 2006). This made her one of only two Russian skiers to achieve this. In 2004, she was honored with the Holmenkollen medal, a very special award in skiing.

Later Career and Retirement

Yulia took a break from the World Cup in the 2006–2007 season because she was pregnant.

In 2009, Yulia faced a challenge when she was found to have violated sports rules during a competition. Because of this, she was unable to compete for two years. Soon after this news, her father and coach, Anatoly Chepalov, announced her retirement from skiing.

Yulia later spoke out about her situation. She felt that the rules were not applied fairly in her case. She tried to clear her name, but her efforts were not successful. She also expressed her disappointment with some sports leaders for not supporting athletes more.

Skiing Achievements Summary

Yulia Chepalova had a remarkable career with many victories and podium finishes. She won 18 individual races and was on the podium 33 times. In team events, she helped her team win 13 times and reach the podium 25 times.

Overall Race Record

Here is a summary of her overall performance in races:

See also

In Spanish: Yúliya Chepálova para niños