Athletics is a 'queen of sports', it's one of the most popular and mass sports. Presently, the athletic programme comprises 31 disciplines, 26 of which are Olympic.
Archeologists find many proofs that at the dawn of civilization our ancestors already practiced athletics. For example, in ancient Sparta athletics, alongside some gymnastic exercises, was included in the training programme for both boys and girls. Organised athletics are traced back to the Ancient Olympic Games from 776 BC.

Athletics in Republic of Tatarstan

Women
The list of Tatarstan's top female athletes includes many outstanding representatives of this beautiful sport, but only few of them are Olympic champions and medallists of world and European championships.
- Olga Rukavishnikova is the first medallist of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow; she won silver in pentathlon. Read more

Athletics is a 'queen of sports', it's one of the most popular and mass sports. Presently, the athletic programme comprises 31 disciplines, 26 of which are Olympic.
Archeologists find many proofs that at the dawn of civilization our ancestors already practiced athletics. For example, in ancient Sparta athletics, alongside some gymnastic exercises, was included in the training programme for both boys and girls. Organised athletics are traced back to the Ancient Olympic Games from 776 BC.

Athletics in Republic of Tatarstan

Women
The list of Tatarstan's top female athletes includes many outstanding representatives of this beautiful sport, but only few of them are Olympic champions and medallists of world and European championships.
- Olga Rukavishnikova is the first medallist of the 1980 Summer Olympics in Moscow; she won silver in pentathlon.
- Liliya Nurutdinova (Naberezhnye Chelny) won gold in the 4x400m relay and silver in the 800m event during the Barcelona 1992 Summer Olympic
- Nina Perevedentseva is a many-time participant of the world and European championships, champion of Russia, Master of Sport International Level. She won top spots during international sporting events more than once. Her 6.85 m (1998 IAAF World Championships) is still a long jump record in Tatarstan.
- Irina Vostrikova is Merited Master of Sport, medallist of the European championships, participant of two Summer Universiades (Japan and Italy).
They can be rightfully named stars of Tatarstan's athletics.

Men
Many Tatarstan athletes competed at international competitions.

The list of top male athletes of our republic includes such names as Igor Perevedentsev (4th place in the 110m hurdles at the 1986 Goodwill Games), Ruslan Gataullin (participant of world and European championships in triple vault event), Artem Masterov (participant of the 2000 Olympic Games in track disciplines), Alexander Salnikov (participant of the European championship in the shotput event), Sergey Manakov (participant of the European Championship and 1998 Goodwill Games in the 110m hurdles event), Ravil Kashapov (participant of the 1988 Seoul Olympic Games, European and World Cups in the marathon event).

However, Denis Kapustin, Merited Master of Sport, became the first and only triple jumper among Tatarstan's male athletes to win medal at the Olympic Games. From 1989 to 2003 Denis was on the roster of the teams of the USSR, CIS and Russia and successfully competed against stars of the world's athletics, like for example Olympic champion and defending record-holder of the world Jonathan Edwards from Great Britain. After his sports career has come to an end, he made a huge contribution to success of our athletes on the international scene, as he trained such famous athletes as Yulia Zinovyeva (Master of Sport International Level), Igor Spasokhodsky (Merited Master of Sport), Alsu Murtazina (Master of Sport International Level), Anna Kuropatkina (Master of Sport International Level).

Present. Stars of the new generation

The last edition of the Summer Olympics, Beijing 2008, was the most successful for the Republic of Tatarstan. Three our athletes earned Olympic gold medals. Gulnara Galkina-Samitova from Naberezhnye Chelny triumphed at the Beijing 2008 Games, as she set the world and Olympic records in the steeplechase (Her result 8.58.81 is included in the Guinness Book). Ekaterina Volkova from Nizhnekamsk is bronze medallist in the same medal event. Elena Migunova, a female athlete from Kazan, snatched silver in the 4x400 relay.
As for the world and European championships, our athletes maintain their reputation there as well. The already mentioned Ekaterina Volkova won the 2007 IAAF World Championships in Osaka, Japan.
At the 2009 World Championship the Republic of Tatarstan had the largest representation, with six athletes - runners Gulnara Galkina-Samitova, Ekaterina Volkova, Natalya Rusakova, Lyubov Morgunov, pole vault jumper Alexandra Kiryashova, javelin thrower Valeria Zabruskova – being included in the roster of Team Russia.
In 2011 Yulia Zaripova, another representative of the Republic of Tatarstan, won gold at the IAAF World Championships in Daegu, South Korea.

There is a range of sports facilities designed to facilitate the development of athletics in the republic:
- 7 indoor athletic training grounds,
- 18 stadiums with athletic running tracks and sectors,
- 62 athletics departments in specialised children and youth schools of the Olympic reserve, children and youth sports schools and children and youth physical education clubs.

Competitions held on the territory of the Republic of Tatarstan

1.    Krasilnikov Memorial Tournament. In 2011 the competition brought together over 700 athletes from all over Russia.
2.    All-Russian Athletics All-round Competitions
3.    Republic of Tatarstan Championships
4.    Six Teams' Cup (Veterans' Cup)
5.    Spring Shoes of the Young All-Russian Final Competitions

Photo fisu.net

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