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>.