Svetlana Boyarkina-Zhurova

Svetlana Zhurova made her international début in November 1989. In January 1994 she made her first World Cup podium, in November 1995 she won her first World Cup race, and in 1996 she was World Single Distance champion in the 500 metres. She would have been one of the favorites for the 500 m at Nagano in 1998, but she had problems adapting to the new clap skates and placed ninth. Later the same year she won silver at the World Single Distance Championships. Zhurova repeated this performance the two following years. In June 2001 she married Artemy Tchernenko, a former professional tennis player. She gave birth to the couple’s son in 2003, causing her to miss the 2003/04 season. She trained hard to get back into the world’s elite after giving birth, without much success in her first season. But 2006 would become her most successful year as a speed skater. In January she won the World Sprint Championships before winning the Olympic 500 m title in Torino three weeks later.

Shortly after retiring from skating, Zhurova joined Russia’s main political party, Edinaya Rossiya (United Russia). By late 2007, she was elected into the Duma (and re-elected in 2011), and made secretary to the presidium of her party. At the 2014 Sochi Olympics, Zhurova was made mayor of the Olympic Village in the mountain cluster.

Personal Bests: 500 – 37.55 (2001); 1000 – 1:15.02 (2002); 1500 – 1:58.64 (2002); 3000 – 4:25.02 (2001).