Irina Viner-Usmanova

Irina Alexandrovna Viner-Usmanova (Russian: Ирина Александровна Винер-Усманова; born July 30, 1948) is a Russian rhythmic gymnastics coach who is head coach of the Russian national team, president of the Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation, and former vice president of the Rhythmic Gymnastics Technical Committee of the International Gymnastics Federation.

Irina Alexandrovna Viner-Usmanova
Born
Irina Alexandrovna Viner

(1948-07-30) July 30, 1948
Samarkand, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union
OccupationHead Coach of Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics 2001 - present
Known forHead Coach of the Olympic Training Center of rhythmic gymnastics in Novogorsk and coach of multiple Olympic/World champions
Spouse(s)Alisher Usmanov
ChildrenAnton Viner
Parent(s)Zoya Zinovyevna Viner (mother), Alexander Efimovich Viner (father)
Awards

In 2015, Viner was awarded the Olympic Order in recognition of her outstanding achievements in global sports, making Viner the first gymnastics coach in history to receive the award. Thomas Bach, the President of the International Olympic Committee, personally handed her the necklace and presented the award.[1]

Viner is one of the most successful gymnastics coaches of all time, her pupils include the past five Olympic all-around champions: Margarita Mamun (2016), Evgeniya Kanaeva (2008 and 2012), Alina Kabaeva (2004), and Yulia Barsukova (2000).[2]

She is married to business magnate Alisher Usmanov, Russia's richest man, who has a net worth of more than $14 billion.[3]

Personal life

Viner was born in Samarkand, Uzbek SSR, Soviet Union. Her father, Alexander, was a People's Artist of the USSR. Her mother, Zoya, was a doctor. Viner is Jewish,[4] and is interested in Kabbalah (but does not practice it).[5] She told that her pupils venerates myrrh-pouring icons before every competition.[6] Among her many state awards, she was given the "Living Legend" prize by the Federation of Jewish Communities of Russia in 2007.[7]

Viner is married to Russian tycoon Alisher Usmanov, who was also born in Uzbekistan, and is Muslim.[8] She and Usmanov originally met in their youth at a sports hall in Tashkent, where he was involved in fencing; they reconnected many years later in Moscow.[2] She has a son from a previous marriage, Anton, who was born in 1973 and later adopted by Usmanov.[9]

Career
(L-R) Viner with rhythmic gymnasts Yana Lukonina, Daria Dmitrieva, Evgenia Kanaeva, former President Dmitri Medvedev, Daria Kondakova and RG coach Anna Shumilova

As a young girl Viner wanted to take ballet but was discouraged, so she took up gymnastics at the age of 11.[2] Viner was a three-time champion of the Uzbek SSR and graduated from the Uzbek State Institute of Physical Culture. She worked as coach of the national team in rhythmic gymnastics in Tashkent, and under her tutelage, Venera Zaripova became her first successful gymnast. In 1990, Viner briefly moved to Great Britain to coach the British national team.[10]

In 1992, Viner was invited to become head coach of the Russian national team and moved to Moscow. Since 2001, Viner has been the head coach of the Olympic Training Center of the Russian national rhythmic gymnastics in Novogorsk, and in 2008 she became president of the Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation.[11]

In 2015, Viner was awarded the Olympic Order in recognition of her outstanding achievements in global sports, making Viner the first gymnastics coach to receive the award. Thomas Bach, the President of the International Olympic Committee personally handed the necklace to her and presented the award.[1]

Viner said: "I never expected that I would be awarded such an important Order. It was an honor that President of IOC, Thomas Bach arrived here. Sport is the only war that has a peaceful end. I believe that the whole world of gymnastics was awarded, for women and girls. It is important that we train together and help other countries - That is why a lot of representatives of other countries train in Russia. We will do our best in order that this kind of sport remains in the Olympic program. I think we will never be thrown to the sidelines and rhythmic gymnastics will remain in the Olympic Family".[12]

Viner featured in the 2017 documentary Over the Limit, which covered her training of Margarita Mamun in the run-up to the 2016 Olympics. The film depicts her controversial training methods including sustained verbal abuse, with statements and insults directed at Mamun such as "You're going to die bitch" and "Go f*** yourself with your shaking".[13][14]

Notable pupils
Viner with President Vladimir Putin in May 2015

Viner has trained many Russian Olympic/World/European/World Cup medal winners,[3] including:

Individual rhythmic gymnasts:

Notable group rhythmic gymnasts:

She has also trained the Russian Group that won the 2012 Summer Olympics Gold in Group All-around:
(Ksenia Dudkina, Uliana Donskova, Anastasia Bliznyuk, Alina Makarenko, Anastasia Nazarenko, Karolina Sevastyanova)

Counselor/Coordinator for Russian Group:

2016 Summer Olympics Group gold medalists
(Maria Tolkacheva, Anastasiia Tatareva, Anastasia Maksimova, Anastasia Bliznyuk, Vera Biryukova)

2008 Summer Olympics Group gold medalists
(Margarita Aliychuk, Anna Gavrilenko, Tatiana Gorbunova, Elena Posevina, Daria Shkurikhina, Natalia Zueva)

2004 Summer Olympics Group gold medalists
(Olesya Belugina, Olga Glatskikh, Tatiana Kurbakova, Natalia Lavrova, Yelena Posevina, Elena Murzina)

2000 Summer Olympics Group gold medalists
(Irina Belova, Yelena Chalamova, Natalia Lavrova, Mariya Netesova, Vyera Shimanskaya, Irina Zilber)

International gymnasts:

Head of Famous Russian rhythmic gymnast coaches

Although Viner is the Head of the Russian National rhythmic gymnastics Federation. the Russian gymnasts have their own personal coaches and trainers supervising their daily training and in competitions. Notable Russian rhythmic gymnast coaches include:

Awards
  • In the 2020 edition of the national sports award Pride of Russia, in the nomination Coach of the Year[28]

References
  1. "Thomas Bach, President of IOC handed Irina Viner the awarded of the Olympic Order". Stadium.ru. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  2. "Непобедимая Ирина Винер отмечает юбилей". Vesti (in Russian). July 30, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  3. "Powerful people: Alisher Usmanov". Forbes. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  4. "YIVO | Sport: Jews in Sport in the USSR". yivoencyclopedia.org.
  5. Sabina Dadashova (January 13, 2014). "Ирина Винер о спорте, любви и мудрости" (in Russian). HELLO! Magazine. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  6. "Ирина Винер:". MIGnews.com - Новости Израиля и Ближнего Востока, Арабо-израильский конфликт.
  7. "Ирина Винер и Леонид Рошаль получили премию "Человек года"". Lenta (in Russian). December 10, 2007. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  8. Anita Raghavan. "The Hard Man of Russia". Forbes. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  9. "Антон Винер". Kommersant (in Russian). March 26, 2013. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  10. Keith Elliott (January 15, 1993). "Gymnastics: Rhythmic section seeking high notes". The Independent. Retrieved January 5, 2015.
  11. "Russian culture". August 15, 2013.
  12. "Irina Viner-Usmanova: Thomas Bach awarded the entire artistic gymnastics". vestnikkavkaza. Retrieved July 19, 2015.
  13. Lodge, Guy (November 23, 2017). "Film Review: 'Over the Limit'".
  14. Catsoulis, Jeannette (October 11, 2018). "Review: A Russian Gymnast Goes 'Over the Limit' (Published 2018)" – via NYTimes.com.
  15. As stated in her record Archived 2013-10-21 at the Wayback Machine at FIG
  16. As stated in her record at FIG
  17. As stated in her record Archived 2013-10-05 at the Wayback Machine at FIG
  18. As stated in her record at FIG
  19. As stated in her record at FIG
  20. As stated in her record at FIG
  21. As stated in her record Archived 2012-08-06 at the Wayback Machine at FIG
  22. As stated in her record at FIG
  23. As stated in her record Archived 2013-11-02 at the Wayback Machine at FIG
  24. As stated in her record Archived 2014-02-22 at the Wayback Machine at FIG
  25. As stated in her record at FIG
  26. As stated in her record Archived 2011-12-05 at the Wayback Machine at FIG
  27. As stated in her record at FIG
  28. В России вручили награды номинантам Национальной спортивной премии. Спортсменами года стали Кулижников и Сидорова
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