Sport pride of Russia
The theme of our research is “The Sport Pride of Russia”. Sport is an important part of our life. It helps us in different ways. Sport builds character, helps people to keep in good health. It teaches to win and to lose. It makes us strong, fast and patient. It teaches us about life. Sport is a good way to meet people, even from other countries. An English proverb says: «In sports and journeys men are known».
Sport is very popular in Russia. More then 30 million people go to sport centers. Russian sportsmen are the European, World and Olympic records holders in different disciplines. This work is devoted to the study of achievements and biography of some known modern sportsmen and sportswomen of Russia. We are proud of them because they make our motherland more powerful and respected. We think our work will be helpful and useful for students who study English and are fond of sports.
The aim of our work is to describe achievements and biography of some known modern sportsmen and sportswomen of Russia. The objectives of our research are:
1.to find out which Russian sportsmen are the most popular among the young people;
2.to make into a whole the information about Russian sportsmen from different sources.
To achieve the objectives of this work we used the following methods of research: sociological questioning, analysis, generalization of information.
The 1st part of our work presents the results of the questioning of schoolchildren.
The 2nd one contains descriptions of Russian sportsmen’s biographies and achievements.
Chapter 1. Results of the questioning of schoolchildren
We asked 80 pupils of the 7th and 8th form of our school to write down ten Russian popular sportsmen’s names. On the bases of this questioning we have made a list of ten most popular Russian sportsmen:
1.Igor Akinfeev - 51 pupils
2.Ilia Kovalchuk - 47
3.Elena Isinbaeva - 38
4.Andrei Kirilenko - 35
5.Dinara Safina - 33
6.Alexandra Kostenyuk - 29
7.Sergey Khorokhordin - 27
8.Ekaterina Gamova - 21
9.Andrei Silnov - 15
10.Aleksey Tishchenko - 14
Chapter 2. Biographies and achievements of some modern Russian sportsmen
2.1. Aleksey Tishchenko
Aleksey Tishchenko, a Russian boxer was born on the 29th of May, 1984, in the Siberian city of Omsk, which is not far from the border of Kazakhstan. He moved at a young age with his family to the city of Rubtsovsk, where he first picked up boxing. Originally trained by his father, Victor, Tishchenko won the first official tournament he entered; he was 12 years old. He took part in many competitions and achieved good results. Now Aleksey’s coach is Leonid Kiselyov. Tishchenko became a Russian champion of boxing, then he won the World junior championship and at last he became an Olympic champion.
He won gold in Athens at 57kg, defeating North Korea's Kim Song Guk in the final. Tishchenko again won gold at the 2005 World Championships, taking down Bulgaria's Alexey Shaydulin in the title bout. But in 2006, the Russian chose to jump up a weight class. He promptly won the European Championships at this new weight, but was upset in the semifinals at the 2007 World Championships by England's Frankie Gavin, who went on to win gold; Tishchenko took a bronze (both semifinal losers get a bronze medal).
Aleksey joined the national Olympic team when he was 20 years old. The main coach of the national team Nikolai Khromov was going to take an other boxer – more experienced Raimkul Malahbekov from Elista, but he lost in the quarterfinal of the European championship. And Tishchenko got a chance to enter the national team but only after winning the International tournament in Warsaw. And he won it.
Tishchenko’s coach Leonid Kiselyov says: “Aleksey has good future, he is modest and hardworking. I am very proud of him and I am sure that he will glorify our country many times. He is a true patriot worrying about Russian sport, a real champion of boxing.
2.2. Andrei Silnov
Andrei Silnov, a Russian high jumper, was born on the 9th of September in the town of Shakhti. Some times he was the winner of the Russian junior championship.2006 was very successful for Andrei: he became a bronze winner of Russian winter championship, the champion of Russia, the winner of the team European Cup. At the European Championship of track-and-field athletics in Sweden in 2006 he won a gold medal with a result of 2.36 m (record of competitions). At the competitions in London on the 25th of July, 2008 he set up his personal record 2.38m, that’s why at the last moment he was invited to join the national Russian team. Silnov’s performance in the Olympic Games in Peking was impressive: he set up a record of 2.36m and became an Olympic champion. After that Andrei won the Super Grand Prix in Switzerland in September.
Andrei Silnov has very good coaches – Sergey Starykh and Evgeny Zagorulko.
The trainees of Zagorulko took part in all Olympics starting from Monreal-1976 when the coach was 34 years old. Since that time they won three gold medals: Gennady Avdeenko (Seoul-1988), Elena Elesina (Sydney-2000), Andrei Silnov (Beijing-2008).
"I try to bring my trainees up the way so that they were impudent on the field and decent in everyday life," said Zagorulko. "All my Olympic champions are kind, considerate, honest people and I can be proud of it."
"Andrei Silnov should in the next two-three years try to cover at first the European record – 2,43 and then the world one – 2,45."
"I think about 30 my sportsmen had medals of European and World championships and Olympics. I have about two dozens of USSR champion medals – the coach of the winners was also awarded."
2.3. Ekaterina Gamova
Ekaterina Gamova was born on October, 17th ,1980, in Chelyabinsk. She is a Russian volley-ball player, a champion of the world, a member of the national Russian team which won silver medals in the summer Olympic Games-2000 in Sidney and in 2004 in Athens. In 2006 she with the national team won a gold medal of the World Championship in Japan. Ekaterina Gamova lives in Ekaterinburg. Her first coach was her mother L. Gamova. Ekaterina joined the national team in 1998. Now she is playing for the Moscow team “Dinamo”.
She is one of the tallest sportswomen of the world. Her height is 2.02m. She has 5 gold, 6 silver and 4 bronze medals.
Ekaterina Gamova’s achievements:
2004 The best player of Europe
2004 The best blockading
2004 The most effective
2003 The most effective
2001 The best blockading
2001 The most effective
2000 The best blockading
Medals:
2007 the Championship of Europe— bronze
2006 the Championship of the world— gold
2005 the Championship of Europe— bronze
2004 Olympics—silver
2003 «Grand Prix» — silver
2002 « Grand Prix» — gold
2002 the Championship of the world— bronze
2001 «Grand Prix» — bronze
2001 the Championship of Europe — gold
2001 the World Cups of Champions — silver
2000 Olympics— silver
2000 «Grand Prix» — silver
1999 the World Cups— silver
1999 the Championship of Europe — gold
1999 « Grand Prix » — gold
2.4. Sergey Khorokhordin
Sergey Khorokhordin, a Russian gymnast was born on October 9, 1985 in Barnaul city. His height is 167 cm, weight is 71 kg. Student of Altai Akademy of Economics and Law. Hobby – music, driving. He began doing gymnastics when he was 5 years old. Sergey’s first coach was L. Monarev, then he was training by Evgeni Kozhevnikov. Now Sergey Khorokhordin is a member of «Dynamo» sport club, Moscow region. He is in the national team since 1999. He prefers multiple events, his star apparatus are the bar and the bars.
In 2003 at the championship of Russia Sergey Khorokhordin with the team of Siberians won the first place. Competing with such famous sportsmen as Aleksey Nemov, Nikolai Kryukov and others, in the multiple events Sergey shared 3-4th place, in the exercises on the bar he became the fourth. In October, 2003, Sergey Khorokhordin with the national team took part in the World cup competitions for the first time. On the bar and bars he was the best among Russian sportsmen. After that he had a chance to participate in the Olympic Games in Athens but he was injured and came back to the national team only in 2005. He continued his sport career: the fourth place at the European championship in the multiple events, a bronze medal in the exercise on the bar at the World universities competitions, the first place in the multiple events at the Russia Cup tournament, the fifth place at the World championship in Australia. In 2006 Sergey was acknowledged as the best sportsman of Altai Krai.
Main achievements:
European Championship – 1st place, team – 2006.
World championship– 2nd place, team – 2006.
Russian championship – 1st place, all around – 2006.
Winner of Russian cup of gymnastics – 2007.
Member of the Russian Olympic team –2008.
European Championship – 1st place, team – 2008.
In the Olympic Games in Peking Sergey Khorokhordin was the fifth in the multiple events, got 91.700 points.
2.5. Alexandra Kostenyuk
The chess player Alexandra Kostenyuk is the first Russian champion woman of the world. Sasha began playing chess when she was 5 years old. Her father and coach Konstantin Kostenyuk gave up his work for the sake of his daughter and started her training. Sasha was successful in playing chess and already at the age of 10 she won the first serious championship. Now she is a silver medalist of the Olympic Winter Games in Turin and the champion of the world.
But chess is not the only occupation of Alexandra. The beautiful and clever woman, she acted in the film of Stanislav Govorukhin “Bless the woman”, she is often photographed for glossy magazines. Besides, she wrote a book “How to become a grandmaster at the age of 14 years old”.
Alexandra’s personal life develops well too. She is very happy with her husband and little daughter.
Sudostroitelny Bank presented a photo-exhibition "A Date with Chess Queen" devoted to chess player Alexandra Kostenyuk.
In the course of the exhibition for all visitors and chess fans there was a quiz. Participants who had solved Aleksandra's chess tasks got prizes. The luckiest ones had the right to participate in a display of multi-board chess-play and play chess with the most beautiful chess player in the world.
2.6. Dinara Safina
Dinara Safina, a Russian tennis player was born on April 27, 1986, in Moscow. She is the daughter of Rauza and Mikhail, respectively coach and ex tennis junior champion, and owner of the "Spartak Tennis Club". She is the younger sister of the famous Russian tennis player Marat Safin. The little girl grew up on the courts, hitting her first balls at 3 years old and starting to practise seriously at 8.
Height 5' 11 1/2" (1.82 m)
Weight 154 1/2 lbs. (70 kg)
Plays Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Now Dinara is living in Monaco.
Silver winner of Roland Garros – 2008 in single titles
Winner of the Open USA Championship – 2007 in double titles (with Nathalie Deshi)
Winner of 9 Sony Ericsson WTA Tours singles titles and 8 Sony Ericsson WTA Tours doubles titles. <WTA – Women’s Tennis Association>
Prize winner of the Olympic Games in Peking-2008.She won a victory playing with the Chinese Li Na (7-6 7-5).
On the 17th of August at the Olympic Games in Peking she won a silver medal in single titles.
Ranking History
Season-Ending Singles 2008-3 ; 2007-15 ; 2006-11 ; 2005-20 ; 2004-44 ; 2003-54 ; 2002-68 ; 2001-394
WTA Career-High Singles No. 2 (October 13, 2008)
WTA Career-High Doubles No. 8 (May 12, 2008).
2.7. Andreу Kirilenko
Andreу Kirilenko, a Russian basketball player, was born on the 18th of February, 1981, in the town of Izhevsk. In 10 years Andreу came to Frunzenskaya
Sport School of Saint-Petersburg. Here he started his sport career:
Russian Champion – 1995 as a member of the Saint Petersburg team for boys born in 1981 and after.
Russian Champion – 1996 as a member of the Saint Petersburg team for boys born in 1980 and after.
Youngest player in the history of the Russian Superleague (15 years old)
In 1998 he goes to the CSKA.
Silver Medalist at the All-World Youth Games – 1998.
Winner of the Slam Dunk Contest at the Russian All-Star Game in 1999.
Russian All-Star Game participant in 1999 and 2000.
Two-time Russian Champion as a member of CSKA Moscow (1998/99 and 1999/2000 seasons)
Most valuable player of the World Championships for Young Men in 1999.
Silver Medalist at the European Championships for Junior Men in 1999. MVP of the tournament.
Youngest participant ever of the European All-Star Game (18 years, 10 months and 10 days)
Selected by Utah Jazz in the 1st round (24th overall) of the 1999 NBA Draft
Youngest European player in the history of basketball selected in the NBA Draft (18 years, 4 months, and 12 days).
Participant in the Final Four of the FIBA Euroleague in 2000/01 Season.
Named best basketball player in Europe for the 2000/01 Season by Basket News.
Was named one of the five best players of the tournament, where he scored 18 points, made 8,6 rebounds, 2,2 steals and 1,8 blocks per game. He led in steals and became third in blocks.
Named to the All-Tournament Team of the Rocky Mountain Revue – 2001.
Participant in the NBA Rookie All-Star Game – 2001/02.
2004, 2006—Andreу is acknowledged as the best basketball player of Russia.
2005 – Andreу Kirilenko became the captain of the national Russian team.
Champion of the European Championship 2007. MVP of the tournament.
Height: 2.06 m (6'9")
Weight: 102.5 kg (226 lbs)
Position: Small Forward
NBA Experience: 5th Season
Team: Spartak SP (1996-97, 1997-98), CSKA (1998-99 - 2000-01), Utah Jazz (2001-02 - 2005-06)
2.8. Elena Isinbaeva
Elena Isinbaeva, a Russian pole-vaulter, was born on the 3rd of June of 1982, in Volgograd.
Elena is the Olympic champion of 2004 and 2008; she set up 24 world records among women.
On the 22nd of July at the competitions in London for the first time in the history she overcame the height of 5 meters.
On the 30th of July in 2008 in Monaco she set up her another world record – 5.04m.
On the 18th of August, 2008, at the Olympic Games in Peking she won a gold medal after setting up first – Olympic (4.95m) and then world record (5.05m).
Final conference of All-Russian Track-and-Field Federation was held on October 1 in Moscow. Names of the best athletes and coaches of 2008 were announced at the meeting. The winners are pole-vaulter and high jumper Andrei Silnov.
European and World Track-and-Field Federations also recognize Elena Isinbaeva as the best athlete of 2008.
In October of 2008 Isinbaeva is acknowledged as a woman of the year by the magazine Glamour.
Main achievements:
Olympic Games:
Gold Athens 2004
Gold Peking 2008
World Championships
Bronze Paris 2003
Gold Helsinki 2005
Gold Osaka 2007
Gold Budapest 2004
Gold Moscow 2006
Gold Valencia 2008
Gold South Korea 2008
European Championships
Silver Munich 2002
Gold Gutenberg 2006
Gold Madrid 2005
2.9. Ilia Kovalchuk
Ilia Kovalchuk, a Russian hockey player was born on the 15th of April, 1983, in Tver. In his childhood his idols were hockey players whom Ilia watched on TV. Like his father the boy was a fan of this play and once he decided to try his chance on the ice.
Since the age of 15 he was training by the coach of the national young team Vladimir Plyushchev. Ilia began playing in the NHL when he was 18 years old. His height is 186cm, weight – 100kg. Left forward of “Atlanta”. In the first season scored about 40 goals. Ilia is big, handsome, calm, confident, very strong and healthy. His play is beautiful.
Main achievements:
The bronze winner of the Olympic Games – 2002.
The champion of the World Championship for Young Men in 2001 (the best player of the tournament).
At the draft of novices Ilia was chosen as number one (the first time in the history of Russian hockey).
In 2004 he was acknowledged as the best sniper of NHL and the most popular player of the League.
He was the most valuable player of the match “Young Stars”- 2002 (scored 6 goals).
2.10. Igor Akinfeev
CSKA Moscow and Russian national team goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev has taken the 8th place on results of questioning of the Italian newspaper “Tuttosport” which select the best European based under-21 player according to the media-poll of 30 European editions. Akinfeev entered European Top-10 two times in a row. This year he was the only goalkeeper among 40 nominees. So Igor Akinfeev is named the best young goalkeeper in Europe. He is a champion of Russia of 2003, 2005, 2006. He won a cup of UEFA in 2005 and 3 cups of Russia in 2005, 2006, 2008. Bronze winner of the Europe championship in 2008. Igor Akinfeev is awarded the order of Friendship.
Igor Akinfeev was born on April, 8, 1986 in the town of Vidnoe not far from Moscow. When he was 4, his parents brought him to the CSKA sport school, because the little boy liked very much watching football matches on TV and adored the goalkeeper of the club “Spartak” Stanislav Cherchesov. At the second training Igor tried to be a goalkeeper and he understood that it was his vocation. For football he sacrificed everything: free time, personal contacts with relatives. But he didn’t want to give up his hobby and become an ordinary, plain boy. He wasn’t tall but coaches let him take part in important matches, didn’t make him a reserve. And Igor is very thankful them for it. His dream was to join the main staff of CSKA team. Soon it has been realized. In 2002 Akinfeev graduated the CSKA football academy and accepted a contract with the CSKA club. That year he began playing for the Russian national junior football team.
In May, 2003, Igor was just seventeen. Before the match with the “Wings of Soviets” the main CSKA team goalkeeper had got ill and the coach Valeri Gazzaev was forced to replace him with “a novice”. But “the schoolboy” Akinfeev played perfectly and could repulse some difficult balls. In 2003 Akinfeev is the youngest goalkeeper in the history of Russian football – the national champion! In 2004 he was acknowledged as the best goalkeeper of Russia. Later he received this title three times. In spring of 2007 there was information that London club “Arsenal” wanted to make a contract with Akinfeev, but Igor said that the CSKA was the sense of his life and nearest four-five years he wasn’t going to leave the club. In April of 2008 Igor Akinfeev became the new captain of the CSKA football team. In some interviews he confesses that it’s very difficult to be a goalkeeper. The goal on the field is the place where you must not do mistakes, but football is team sport and the goalkeeper alone cannot save a match.
Conclusion
Sport is an important part of our life. It helps us in different ways. Russian sportsmen are the European, World and Olympic records holders in different disciplines. We are proud of them because they make our motherland more powerful and respected. On the bases of the questioning of schoolchildren we have made a list of ten most popular Russian sportsmen and have described their achievements:
1.Igor Akinfeev - а Russian national team goalkeeper.
2.Ilia Kovalchuk - a hockey player.
3.Elena Isinbaeva – a pole-vaulter.
4.Andrei Kirilenko - a basketball player.
5.Dinara Safina - a tennis player.
6.Alexandra Kostenyuk – a chess player.
7.Sergey Khorokhordin – a gymnast.
8.Ekaterina Gamova - a volley-ball player.
9.Andrei Silnov - a high jumper.
10. Aleksey Tishchenko - a boxer.
Sport is very popular in Russia. More then 30 million people go to sport centers. Russian sportsmen are the European, World and Olympic records holders in different disciplines. This work is devoted to the study of achievements and biography of some known modern sportsmen and sportswomen of Russia. We are proud of them because they make our motherland more powerful and respected. We think our work will be helpful and useful for students who study English and are fond of sports.
The aim of our work is to describe achievements and biography of some known modern sportsmen and sportswomen of Russia. The objectives of our research are:
1.to find out which Russian sportsmen are the most popular among the young people;
2.to make into a whole the information about Russian sportsmen from different sources.
To achieve the objectives of this work we used the following methods of research: sociological questioning, analysis, generalization of information.
The 1st part of our work presents the results of the questioning of schoolchildren.
The 2nd one contains descriptions of Russian sportsmen’s biographies and achievements.
Chapter 1. Results of the questioning of schoolchildren
We asked 80 pupils of the 7th and 8th form of our school to write down ten Russian popular sportsmen’s names. On the bases of this questioning we have made a list of ten most popular Russian sportsmen:
1.Igor Akinfeev - 51 pupils
2.Ilia Kovalchuk - 47
3.Elena Isinbaeva - 38
4.Andrei Kirilenko - 35
5.Dinara Safina - 33
6.Alexandra Kostenyuk - 29
7.Sergey Khorokhordin - 27
8.Ekaterina Gamova - 21
9.Andrei Silnov - 15
10.Aleksey Tishchenko - 14
Chapter 2. Biographies and achievements of some modern Russian sportsmen
2.1. Aleksey Tishchenko
Aleksey Tishchenko, a Russian boxer was born on the 29th of May, 1984, in the Siberian city of Omsk, which is not far from the border of Kazakhstan. He moved at a young age with his family to the city of Rubtsovsk, where he first picked up boxing. Originally trained by his father, Victor, Tishchenko won the first official tournament he entered; he was 12 years old. He took part in many competitions and achieved good results. Now Aleksey’s coach is Leonid Kiselyov. Tishchenko became a Russian champion of boxing, then he won the World junior championship and at last he became an Olympic champion.
He won gold in Athens at 57kg, defeating North Korea's Kim Song Guk in the final. Tishchenko again won gold at the 2005 World Championships, taking down Bulgaria's Alexey Shaydulin in the title bout. But in 2006, the Russian chose to jump up a weight class. He promptly won the European Championships at this new weight, but was upset in the semifinals at the 2007 World Championships by England's Frankie Gavin, who went on to win gold; Tishchenko took a bronze (both semifinal losers get a bronze medal).
Aleksey joined the national Olympic team when he was 20 years old. The main coach of the national team Nikolai Khromov was going to take an other boxer – more experienced Raimkul Malahbekov from Elista, but he lost in the quarterfinal of the European championship. And Tishchenko got a chance to enter the national team but only after winning the International tournament in Warsaw. And he won it.
Tishchenko’s coach Leonid Kiselyov says: “Aleksey has good future, he is modest and hardworking. I am very proud of him and I am sure that he will glorify our country many times. He is a true patriot worrying about Russian sport, a real champion of boxing.
2.2. Andrei Silnov
Andrei Silnov, a Russian high jumper, was born on the 9th of September in the town of Shakhti. Some times he was the winner of the Russian junior championship.2006 was very successful for Andrei: he became a bronze winner of Russian winter championship, the champion of Russia, the winner of the team European Cup. At the European Championship of track-and-field athletics in Sweden in 2006 he won a gold medal with a result of 2.36 m (record of competitions). At the competitions in London on the 25th of July, 2008 he set up his personal record 2.38m, that’s why at the last moment he was invited to join the national Russian team. Silnov’s performance in the Olympic Games in Peking was impressive: he set up a record of 2.36m and became an Olympic champion. After that Andrei won the Super Grand Prix in Switzerland in September.
Andrei Silnov has very good coaches – Sergey Starykh and Evgeny Zagorulko.
The trainees of Zagorulko took part in all Olympics starting from Monreal-1976 when the coach was 34 years old. Since that time they won three gold medals: Gennady Avdeenko (Seoul-1988), Elena Elesina (Sydney-2000), Andrei Silnov (Beijing-2008).
"I try to bring my trainees up the way so that they were impudent on the field and decent in everyday life," said Zagorulko. "All my Olympic champions are kind, considerate, honest people and I can be proud of it."
"Andrei Silnov should in the next two-three years try to cover at first the European record – 2,43 and then the world one – 2,45."
"I think about 30 my sportsmen had medals of European and World championships and Olympics. I have about two dozens of USSR champion medals – the coach of the winners was also awarded."
2.3. Ekaterina Gamova
Ekaterina Gamova was born on October, 17th ,1980, in Chelyabinsk. She is a Russian volley-ball player, a champion of the world, a member of the national Russian team which won silver medals in the summer Olympic Games-2000 in Sidney and in 2004 in Athens. In 2006 she with the national team won a gold medal of the World Championship in Japan. Ekaterina Gamova lives in Ekaterinburg. Her first coach was her mother L. Gamova. Ekaterina joined the national team in 1998. Now she is playing for the Moscow team “Dinamo”.
She is one of the tallest sportswomen of the world. Her height is 2.02m. She has 5 gold, 6 silver and 4 bronze medals.
Ekaterina Gamova’s achievements:
2004 The best player of Europe
2004 The best blockading
2004 The most effective
2003 The most effective
2001 The best blockading
2001 The most effective
2000 The best blockading
Medals:
2007 the Championship of Europe— bronze
2006 the Championship of the world— gold
2005 the Championship of Europe— bronze
2004 Olympics—silver
2003 «Grand Prix» — silver
2002 « Grand Prix» — gold
2002 the Championship of the world— bronze
2001 «Grand Prix» — bronze
2001 the Championship of Europe — gold
2001 the World Cups of Champions — silver
2000 Olympics— silver
2000 «Grand Prix» — silver
1999 the World Cups— silver
1999 the Championship of Europe — gold
1999 « Grand Prix » — gold
2.4. Sergey Khorokhordin
Sergey Khorokhordin, a Russian gymnast was born on October 9, 1985 in Barnaul city. His height is 167 cm, weight is 71 kg. Student of Altai Akademy of Economics and Law. Hobby – music, driving. He began doing gymnastics when he was 5 years old. Sergey’s first coach was L. Monarev, then he was training by Evgeni Kozhevnikov. Now Sergey Khorokhordin is a member of «Dynamo» sport club, Moscow region. He is in the national team since 1999. He prefers multiple events, his star apparatus are the bar and the bars.
In 2003 at the championship of Russia Sergey Khorokhordin with the team of Siberians won the first place. Competing with such famous sportsmen as Aleksey Nemov, Nikolai Kryukov and others, in the multiple events Sergey shared 3-4th place, in the exercises on the bar he became the fourth. In October, 2003, Sergey Khorokhordin with the national team took part in the World cup competitions for the first time. On the bar and bars he was the best among Russian sportsmen. After that he had a chance to participate in the Olympic Games in Athens but he was injured and came back to the national team only in 2005. He continued his sport career: the fourth place at the European championship in the multiple events, a bronze medal in the exercise on the bar at the World universities competitions, the first place in the multiple events at the Russia Cup tournament, the fifth place at the World championship in Australia. In 2006 Sergey was acknowledged as the best sportsman of Altai Krai.
Main achievements:
European Championship – 1st place, team – 2006.
World championship– 2nd place, team – 2006.
Russian championship – 1st place, all around – 2006.
Winner of Russian cup of gymnastics – 2007.
Member of the Russian Olympic team –2008.
European Championship – 1st place, team – 2008.
In the Olympic Games in Peking Sergey Khorokhordin was the fifth in the multiple events, got 91.700 points.
2.5. Alexandra Kostenyuk
The chess player Alexandra Kostenyuk is the first Russian champion woman of the world. Sasha began playing chess when she was 5 years old. Her father and coach Konstantin Kostenyuk gave up his work for the sake of his daughter and started her training. Sasha was successful in playing chess and already at the age of 10 she won the first serious championship. Now she is a silver medalist of the Olympic Winter Games in Turin and the champion of the world.
But chess is not the only occupation of Alexandra. The beautiful and clever woman, she acted in the film of Stanislav Govorukhin “Bless the woman”, she is often photographed for glossy magazines. Besides, she wrote a book “How to become a grandmaster at the age of 14 years old”.
Alexandra’s personal life develops well too. She is very happy with her husband and little daughter.
Sudostroitelny Bank presented a photo-exhibition "A Date with Chess Queen" devoted to chess player Alexandra Kostenyuk.
In the course of the exhibition for all visitors and chess fans there was a quiz. Participants who had solved Aleksandra's chess tasks got prizes. The luckiest ones had the right to participate in a display of multi-board chess-play and play chess with the most beautiful chess player in the world.
2.6. Dinara Safina
Dinara Safina, a Russian tennis player was born on April 27, 1986, in Moscow. She is the daughter of Rauza and Mikhail, respectively coach and ex tennis junior champion, and owner of the "Spartak Tennis Club". She is the younger sister of the famous Russian tennis player Marat Safin. The little girl grew up on the courts, hitting her first balls at 3 years old and starting to practise seriously at 8.
Height 5' 11 1/2" (1.82 m)
Weight 154 1/2 lbs. (70 kg)
Plays Right-handed (two-handed backhand)
Now Dinara is living in Monaco.
Silver winner of Roland Garros – 2008 in single titles
Winner of the Open USA Championship – 2007 in double titles (with Nathalie Deshi)
Winner of 9 Sony Ericsson WTA Tours singles titles and 8 Sony Ericsson WTA Tours doubles titles. <WTA – Women’s Tennis Association>
Prize winner of the Olympic Games in Peking-2008.She won a victory playing with the Chinese Li Na (7-6 7-5).
On the 17th of August at the Olympic Games in Peking she won a silver medal in single titles.
Ranking History
Season-Ending Singles 2008-3 ; 2007-15 ; 2006-11 ; 2005-20 ; 2004-44 ; 2003-54 ; 2002-68 ; 2001-394
WTA Career-High Singles No. 2 (October 13, 2008)
WTA Career-High Doubles No. 8 (May 12, 2008).
2.7. Andreу Kirilenko
Andreу Kirilenko, a Russian basketball player, was born on the 18th of February, 1981, in the town of Izhevsk. In 10 years Andreу came to Frunzenskaya
Sport School of Saint-Petersburg. Here he started his sport career:
Russian Champion – 1995 as a member of the Saint Petersburg team for boys born in 1981 and after.
Russian Champion – 1996 as a member of the Saint Petersburg team for boys born in 1980 and after.
Youngest player in the history of the Russian Superleague (15 years old)
In 1998 he goes to the CSKA.
Silver Medalist at the All-World Youth Games – 1998.
Winner of the Slam Dunk Contest at the Russian All-Star Game in 1999.
Russian All-Star Game participant in 1999 and 2000.
Two-time Russian Champion as a member of CSKA Moscow (1998/99 and 1999/2000 seasons)
Most valuable player of the World Championships for Young Men in 1999.
Silver Medalist at the European Championships for Junior Men in 1999. MVP of the tournament.
Youngest participant ever of the European All-Star Game (18 years, 10 months and 10 days)
Selected by Utah Jazz in the 1st round (24th overall) of the 1999 NBA Draft
Youngest European player in the history of basketball selected in the NBA Draft (18 years, 4 months, and 12 days).
Participant in the Final Four of the FIBA Euroleague in 2000/01 Season.
Named best basketball player in Europe for the 2000/01 Season by Basket News.
Was named one of the five best players of the tournament, where he scored 18 points, made 8,6 rebounds, 2,2 steals and 1,8 blocks per game. He led in steals and became third in blocks.
Named to the All-Tournament Team of the Rocky Mountain Revue – 2001.
Participant in the NBA Rookie All-Star Game – 2001/02.
2004, 2006—Andreу is acknowledged as the best basketball player of Russia.
2005 – Andreу Kirilenko became the captain of the national Russian team.
Champion of the European Championship 2007. MVP of the tournament.
Height: 2.06 m (6'9")
Weight: 102.5 kg (226 lbs)
Position: Small Forward
NBA Experience: 5th Season
Team: Spartak SP (1996-97, 1997-98), CSKA (1998-99 - 2000-01), Utah Jazz (2001-02 - 2005-06)
2.8. Elena Isinbaeva
Elena Isinbaeva, a Russian pole-vaulter, was born on the 3rd of June of 1982, in Volgograd.
Elena is the Olympic champion of 2004 and 2008; she set up 24 world records among women.
On the 22nd of July at the competitions in London for the first time in the history she overcame the height of 5 meters.
On the 30th of July in 2008 in Monaco she set up her another world record – 5.04m.
On the 18th of August, 2008, at the Olympic Games in Peking she won a gold medal after setting up first – Olympic (4.95m) and then world record (5.05m).
Final conference of All-Russian Track-and-Field Federation was held on October 1 in Moscow. Names of the best athletes and coaches of 2008 were announced at the meeting. The winners are pole-vaulter and high jumper Andrei Silnov.
European and World Track-and-Field Federations also recognize Elena Isinbaeva as the best athlete of 2008.
In October of 2008 Isinbaeva is acknowledged as a woman of the year by the magazine Glamour.
Main achievements:
Olympic Games:
Gold Athens 2004
Gold Peking 2008
World Championships
Bronze Paris 2003
Gold Helsinki 2005
Gold Osaka 2007
Gold Budapest 2004
Gold Moscow 2006
Gold Valencia 2008
Gold South Korea 2008
European Championships
Silver Munich 2002
Gold Gutenberg 2006
Gold Madrid 2005
2.9. Ilia Kovalchuk
Ilia Kovalchuk, a Russian hockey player was born on the 15th of April, 1983, in Tver. In his childhood his idols were hockey players whom Ilia watched on TV. Like his father the boy was a fan of this play and once he decided to try his chance on the ice.
Since the age of 15 he was training by the coach of the national young team Vladimir Plyushchev. Ilia began playing in the NHL when he was 18 years old. His height is 186cm, weight – 100kg. Left forward of “Atlanta”. In the first season scored about 40 goals. Ilia is big, handsome, calm, confident, very strong and healthy. His play is beautiful.
Main achievements:
The bronze winner of the Olympic Games – 2002.
The champion of the World Championship for Young Men in 2001 (the best player of the tournament).
At the draft of novices Ilia was chosen as number one (the first time in the history of Russian hockey).
In 2004 he was acknowledged as the best sniper of NHL and the most popular player of the League.
He was the most valuable player of the match “Young Stars”- 2002 (scored 6 goals).
2.10. Igor Akinfeev
CSKA Moscow and Russian national team goalkeeper Igor Akinfeev has taken the 8th place on results of questioning of the Italian newspaper “Tuttosport” which select the best European based under-21 player according to the media-poll of 30 European editions. Akinfeev entered European Top-10 two times in a row. This year he was the only goalkeeper among 40 nominees. So Igor Akinfeev is named the best young goalkeeper in Europe. He is a champion of Russia of 2003, 2005, 2006. He won a cup of UEFA in 2005 and 3 cups of Russia in 2005, 2006, 2008. Bronze winner of the Europe championship in 2008. Igor Akinfeev is awarded the order of Friendship.
Igor Akinfeev was born on April, 8, 1986 in the town of Vidnoe not far from Moscow. When he was 4, his parents brought him to the CSKA sport school, because the little boy liked very much watching football matches on TV and adored the goalkeeper of the club “Spartak” Stanislav Cherchesov. At the second training Igor tried to be a goalkeeper and he understood that it was his vocation. For football he sacrificed everything: free time, personal contacts with relatives. But he didn’t want to give up his hobby and become an ordinary, plain boy. He wasn’t tall but coaches let him take part in important matches, didn’t make him a reserve. And Igor is very thankful them for it. His dream was to join the main staff of CSKA team. Soon it has been realized. In 2002 Akinfeev graduated the CSKA football academy and accepted a contract with the CSKA club. That year he began playing for the Russian national junior football team.
In May, 2003, Igor was just seventeen. Before the match with the “Wings of Soviets” the main CSKA team goalkeeper had got ill and the coach Valeri Gazzaev was forced to replace him with “a novice”. But “the schoolboy” Akinfeev played perfectly and could repulse some difficult balls. In 2003 Akinfeev is the youngest goalkeeper in the history of Russian football – the national champion! In 2004 he was acknowledged as the best goalkeeper of Russia. Later he received this title three times. In spring of 2007 there was information that London club “Arsenal” wanted to make a contract with Akinfeev, but Igor said that the CSKA was the sense of his life and nearest four-five years he wasn’t going to leave the club. In April of 2008 Igor Akinfeev became the new captain of the CSKA football team. In some interviews he confesses that it’s very difficult to be a goalkeeper. The goal on the field is the place where you must not do mistakes, but football is team sport and the goalkeeper alone cannot save a match.
Conclusion
Sport is an important part of our life. It helps us in different ways. Russian sportsmen are the European, World and Olympic records holders in different disciplines. We are proud of them because they make our motherland more powerful and respected. On the bases of the questioning of schoolchildren we have made a list of ten most popular Russian sportsmen and have described their achievements:
1.Igor Akinfeev - а Russian national team goalkeeper.
2.Ilia Kovalchuk - a hockey player.
3.Elena Isinbaeva – a pole-vaulter.
4.Andrei Kirilenko - a basketball player.
5.Dinara Safina - a tennis player.
6.Alexandra Kostenyuk – a chess player.
7.Sergey Khorokhordin – a gymnast.
8.Ekaterina Gamova - a volley-ball player.
9.Andrei Silnov - a high jumper.
10. Aleksey Tishchenko - a boxer.
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