Igor Zhelezovski
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| Olympic medal record | |||
| Men’s Speed Skating | |||
|---|---|---|---|
Competitor for  Soviet Union |
|||
| Bronze | 1988 Calgary | 1,000 m | |
Competitor for  Belarus |
|||
| Silver | 1994 Lillehammer | 1,000 m | |
Igor Nikolayevich Zhelezovski (Russian: Игорь Николаевич Железовский) (born 1 July 1963 in Orsha, Belarus) is a former speed skater, considered to be one of the best all-time sprinters, which resulted in his nickname "Igor the Terrible". Originally competing for the Soviet Union, he became World Sprint Champion a record number of 6 times, a record still unequalled as of (and including the Championships of 2006). In Soviet time he trained at Armed Forces sports society in Minsk.
Igor Zhelezovski became World Sprint Champion in 1985, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1992, and 1993. He finishing 8th in the 1987 edition, having just recovered from an illness, and decided to skip the 1988 edition in favour of preparing for the Winter Olympics in Calgary that same year. These, however, turned out to be a disappointment for him, finishing 6th on the 500 m, "only" 3rd on his favourite 1,000 m, and 4th on the 1,500 m. The remaining two World Sprint Championships he participated in, in 1990 and 1994, he finished 3rd and 6th, respectively.
His final two seasons, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Zhelezovski skated for Belarus. After ending his skating career in 1994, Zhelezovski became president of the skating union of Belarus, a position he held for several years.
[edit] World records
Over the course of his career, Zhelezovski skated 4 world records, one of which equalled Pavel Pegov's 6 year old world record on the 1,000 m:
| Distance | Result | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1,500 m | 1:54.26 | 26 March 1983 | Medeo |
| 1,500 m | 1:52.50 | 5 December 1987 | Calgary |
| 1,000 m | 1:12.58 | 25 February 1989 | Heerenveen |
| Sprint combination | 145.945 | 26 February 1989 | Heerenveen |
[edit] Personal records
| Distance | Result | Date | Location |
|---|---|---|---|
| 500 m | 36.49 | 21 December 1985 | Medeo |
| 1,000 m | 1:12.58 | 25 February 1989 | Heerenveen |
| 1,500 m | 1:52.50 | 5 December 1987 | Calgary |
| 3,000 m | 4:12.85 | 9 January 1988 | Davos |
| 5,000 m | 7:09.84 | 25 March 1983 | Medeo |
| 10,000 m | 15:40.82 | 26 March 1983 | Medeo |
Zhelezovski has an Adelskalender score of 164.015 points.
[edit] References
Categories: 1963 births | Living people | Soviet speed skaters | Belarusian speed skaters | Olympic speed skaters of the Soviet Union | Olympic bronze medalists for the Soviet Union | Olympic competitors for Belarus | Olympic silver medalists for Belarus | Speed skaters at the 1988 Winter Olympics | Speed skaters at the 1992 Winter Olympics | Speed skaters at the 1994 Winter Olympics | Winter Olympics medalists | Spartak athletes
