Irena Kirszenstein-Szewińska
Biographical information
| Roles | Competed in Olympic Games • Administrator |
|---|---|
| Sex | Female |
| Full name | Irena•Kirszenstein-Szewińska |
| Used name | Irena•Kirszenstein-Szewińska |
| Born | 24 May 1946 in St. Petersburg, St. Petersburg (RUS) |
| Died | 29 June 2018 in Warszawa (Warsaw), Mazowieckie (POL) |
| Measurements | 176 cm / 60 kg |
| Affiliations | Polonia Warszawa, Warszawa (POL) |
| NOC |  Poland |
| Medals | OG |
| Gold | 3 |
| Silver | 2 |
| Bronze | 2 |
| Total | 7 |
Biography
With a total of seven Olympic medals in track & field Poland’s Irena Szewińska-Kirszenstein equaled the record of Australian Shirley Strickland de la Hunty (later bettered by Merlene Ottey). Szewińska-Kirszenstein won gold medals in the 4×100 metres relay (1964), the 200 metres (1968) and the 400 metres (1976) and she also won two silver and two bronze medals. Her Olympic career ended in 1980 when, in her fifth Games, she pulled up with a muscle strain in the semi-finals of the 400 metres.
Her tally of 13 world records included her Olympic victories of 1968 (200 metres) and 1976 (400 metres) and at the European Championships she won a record 10 medals (five gold, one silver, four bronze). Born to Polish-Jewish parents in the Soviet city of Leningrad, she returned to Poland at an early age and during an outstanding career set 38 Polish records. In 1967 she married her coach, Janusz Szewiński. In 1998, Irena Szewińska was named a member of the International Olympic Committee, serving until her death in 2018.
Personal Bests: 100 – 11.13 (1974); 200 – 22.21 (1974); 400 – 49.28 (1976); LJ – 6.67 (1968).
Results
| Games | Discipline (Sport) / Event | NOC / Team | Pos | Medal | As | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1964 Summer Olympics | Athletics | POL |
Irena Kirszenstein | |||
| 200 metres, Women (Olympic) | 2 | Silver | ||||
| 4 × 100 metres Relay, Women (Olympic) | Poland | 1 | Gold | |||
| Long Jump, Women (Olympic) | 2 | Silver | ||||
| 1968 Summer Olympics | Athletics | POL |
Irena Szewińska | |||
| 100 metres, Women (Olympic) | 3 | Bronze | ||||
| 200 metres, Women (Olympic) | 1 | Gold | ||||
| 4 × 100 metres Relay, Women (Olympic) | Poland | 7 h2 r1/2 | ||||
| Long Jump, Women (Olympic) | 16 r1/2 | |||||
| 1972 Summer Olympics | Athletics | POL |
Irena Szewińska | |||
| 100 metres, Women (Olympic) | 6 h2 r3/4 | |||||
| 200 metres, Women (Olympic) | 3 | Bronze | ||||
| 4 × 400 metres Relay, Women (Olympic) | Poland | |||||
| Long Jump, Women (Olympic) | ||||||
| 1976 Summer Olympics | Athletics | POL |
Irena Szewińska | |||
| 400 metres, Women (Olympic) | 1 | Gold | ||||
| 1980 Summer Olympics | Athletics | POL |
Irena Szewińska | |||
| 400 metres, Women (Olympic) | 8 h2 r2/3 | |||||
| 4 × 100 metres Relay, Women (Olympic) | Poland | |||||
| 4 × 400 metres Relay, Women (Olympic) | Poland |
Organization roles
| Role | Organization | Tenure | NOC | As | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Member | International Olympic Committee | 1998—2018 | POL |
Irena Kirszenstein-Szewińska |
Special Notes
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the Summer Universiade (2–1–0 1965 Budapest ATH gold: 100 m and 200 m, silver: 4×100 m relay (competed as Irena Kirszenstein))
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the European Athletics Championships (5–1–4 1966 Budapest gold: 200 m, 4×100 m relay, and long jump, silver: 100 m (competed as Irena Kirszenstein); 1971 Helsinki bronze: 200 m (competed as Irena Szewińska); 1974 Roma gold: 100 m and 200 m, bronze: 4×100 m relay (competed as Irena Szewińska); 1978 Praha bronze: 400 m and 4×400 m relay (competed as Irena Szewińska))
- Listed in Olympians Who Won a Medal at the European Athletics Indoor Championships (2–2–2 1969 Beograd gold: 50 m and long jump, silver: 1950 m (195-390-585-780) medley relay (competed as Irena Szewińska); 1971 Sofia silver: long jump (competed as Irena Szewińska); 1974 Göteborg bronze: 60 m (competed as Irena Szewińska); 1975 Katowice bronze: 60 m (competed as Irena Szewińska))
- Listed in Olympians Who Received a State Funeral ()
- Listed in Olympic Order Recipients (1981 (Bronze))
- Listed in Olympic Order Recipients (2018 (Silver))