Mariya Savinova

            Mariya Savinova is a Russian athlete who was born August 13, 1985 in Chelyabinsk. She played badminton in her hometown until she was 15, and this is how she was noticed by her first coach. She began running the sprints, but then found that the 800 meter was her best event. In 2006, she decided to switch coaches because she didn’t feel like she had improved with her previous coach. In 2009, she won her first National Indoor Championship and made it to the European Indoor Championship. At the European Championships, she won the 800 meter race with a personal best of 1:58.10. In the summer of 2009, in Cheboksary, she won the National Outdoor Championship in the 800 meter race for the first time in her career with a time of 1:59.01. However, she placed 5^th in at the World Championship. In 2010, she won the National Indoor Title and the World Indoors in Doha.

            In 2010, she married Alexey Farnosov who trained in the same group with Savinova. After their wedding ceremony, they decided to go to the track and run because that’s where they spent most of their time. The next summer, she won the European Team Championships in Stockhlom with a personal best of 1:56.95. At the World Championship in Daegu, she earned the nickname “Bolt in a skirt” because she was also smiling when she won and because she had the slowest reaction times in the start of a race. She ran a time of 1:55.87 and became a favorite as she made her way to the London Olympics. She ran a time of 1:56.19 at the 2012 Olympics, taking home her first Olympic gold medal.

"IAAF: Athlete Profile for Mariya Savinova." Iaaf.org. International Association of Athletics Federation, n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/russia/mariya-savinova-231384#biography>.

"Detailed Statistics for All-Access Pass Holders:." Profile of Mariya SAVINOVA. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://www.all-athletics.com/node/145580>.

"Mariya Savinova Photos: Olympics Day 12 - Athletics." Zimbio. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Apr. 2014. <http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Mariya%2BSavinova/Olympics%2BDay%2B12%2BAthletics/tKtiBve0VC4>.

Natalya Antyukh

Natalya Antyukh is a Russian athlete who primarily competes in the 400 meter dash and 400 meter hurdles. She was born on June 26, 1981 in Saint Petersburg. In 1998, 17-year-old Antyukh won the Moscow World Youth Games (the event that twelve years later turned into the Youth Olympics), and she became the Russian Junior Champion in hurdles in 2000. In 2001, she made it to the final of the National Indoor Championships. In the first outing of her outdoor season, Antyukh ran under 52 seconds and was chosen as the third member of the national team for the World Championships in Edmonton. In July of 2004, she won the silver at the National Olympic Trials with a time of 49.85. At the Olympic Games in Athens, she placed third in the 400 meter dash and second in the 4-by-400 meter relay. The next years turned out to be grueling for Natalya. She started to race much more often than before, simply wearing out her body, and she also lost her mother. This loss left her shocked and emotionally drained. She kept working hard, winning national medals and being a part of the successful 4x400 relay team, but didn’t see any personal progress. 

Antyukh soon had a breakthrough just a couple of weeks before the 2009 World Championships, at the Russian Cup, when she made her senior debut over 400 meters high hurdles . She ran 54.19 – the best time in Russia that season and the fourth in the world. Even though Natalya ran a fast time at the 2009 Russia Cup, nobody expected her to make miracles in Berlin, but not having too much pressure on her allowed her to exceed all expectations, making it to the finals and taking the 6th place. In 2010, she won the European Championship in the 400-meter dash with a time of 52.92 seconds. The season of the Daegu World Championships went smoothly for Antyukh. She ran a time of 53.85 in the 400-meter dashing, taking home a bronze medal. At the 2012 London Olympic Games, she finally took home her first gold medal in the 400-meter hurdles and a silver medal in the 4-by-400 meter relay. 

"Natalya Antyukh." Iaaf.org. International Association of Athletics Federations, 20 July 2012. Web. 02 Apr. 2014. <http://www.iaaf.org/athletes/russia/natalya-antyukh-178158#biography>.

"Nataliya Antyukh, Russian Athlete – Olympic Champion." Russian Personalities. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014. <http://beautifulrus.com/nataliya-antyukh-russian-athlete-olympic-champion/>.

"Natalya Antyukh»Photostream." Zimbio. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Apr. 2014. <http://www.zimbio.com/photos/Natalya%2BAntyukh/Olympics%2BDay%2B9%2BAthletics/t7VhrSeieaS>.