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Igor Zhelezovski

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Ihar Zhalyazouski
Zhalyazouski in 1994
Personal information
Birth nameIhar Mikalaevich Zhalyazouski
NicknameBear from Minsk [1]
NationalityBelarusian
Born(1963-06-01)1 June 1963
Orsha, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union
Died12 June 2021(2021-06-12) (aged 58)
Minsk, Belarus
Height1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight95 kg (209 lb)
Sport
Country Soviet Union
 CIS
 Belarus
SportSpeed skating
ClubSK VS Minsk
Turned pro1982
Retired1994
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)500 m: 36.49 (1988)
1000 m: 1:12.58 (1989)
1500 m: 1:52.50 (1987)
3000 m: 4:12.85 (1988)
5000 m: 7:09.84 (1983)
10 000 m: 15:40.82 (1983)
Medal record
Men's speed skating
Olympic Games
Representing the  Soviet Union
Bronze medal – third place 1988 Calgary 1000 m
Representing  Belarus
Silver medal – second place 1994 Lillehammer 1000 m
World Sprint Championships
Representing the  Soviet Union
Gold medal – first place 1985 Heerenveen Sprint
Gold medal – first place 1986 Karuizawa Sprint
Gold medal – first place 1989 Heerenveen Sprint
Bronze medal – third place 1990 Tromsø Sprint
Gold medal – first place 1991 Inzell Sprint
Representing  CIS
Gold medal – first place 1992 Oslo Sprint
Representing  Belarus
Gold medal – first place 1993 Ikaho Sprint

Ihar Mikalaevich Zhalyazouski or Igor Nikolayevich Zhelezovski or Ihar Mikałajevič Žalazoŭski (Belarusian: Ігар Мікалаевіч Жалязоўскі; Russian: Игорь Николаевич Железовский; 1 June 1963 – 12 June 2021) was a Soviet and Belarusian speed skater.

Biography

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His imposing physical appearance resulted in the nicknames "Igor the Terrible" and "The bear from Minsk". Originally competing for the Soviet Union, then for the Commonwealth of Independent States, and finally for Belarus, he became World Sprint Champion a record six times. In Soviet times, he trained at Armed Forces sports society in Minsk.[2]

Zhalyazouski won silver at the World Junior Allround Championships in 1982. Specialising in the sprint, he became World Sprint Champion in 1985, 1986, 1989, 1991, 1992, and 1993. He finished eighth in the 1987 edition, and decided to skip the 1988 edition in favour of preparing for the Winter Olympics in Calgary that same year. These, however, turned out to be a disappointment for him, finishing sixth in the 500 m, only third in 1000 m, and fourth in the 1500 m. In the remaining two World Sprint Championships he participated in, in 1990 and 1994, he finished third and sixth, respectively.

In his final two seasons, which followed the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Zhalyazouski represented Belarus. It was during this time that he achieved a career highlight of winning the silver medal in the 1000 m event at the 1994 Winter Olympics in Lillehammer, Norway.[3] At the opening ceremony of the 1994 Winter Olympics, he was the Belarusian flag bearer.

After ending his skating career in 1994, Zhalyazouski became president of the skating union of Belarus, a position which he held for several years.

Zhalyazouski died on 12 June 2021, at the age of 57 due to complications from COVID-19.[4]

Medals

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Ihar Zhalyazouski in 1985

An overview of medals won by Zhalyazouski at important championships he participated in, listing the years in which he won each:[2]

Championships Gold medal Silver medal Bronze medal
Winter Olympics 1994 (1000 m) 1988 (1000 m)
World Sprint 1985
1986
1989
1991
1992
1993
1990
World Cup 1991 (1000 m)
1992 (1000 m)
1993 (1000 m)
1993 (500 m)
1994 (1000 m)
World Junior Allround 1982
Soviet Allround
Soviet Sprint 1985
1986
1989
1990
1991
1984

Records

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World records

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Over the course of his career, Zhalyazouski skated four world records, one of which equalled Pavel Pegov's six-year-old world record on the 1000 m:

Event Time Date Venue
1500 m 1:54.26 26 March 1983 Soviet Union Alma-Ata
1500 m 1:52.50 5 December 1987 Canada Calgary
1000 m 1:12.58 25 February 1989 Netherlands Heerenveen
Sprint combination 145.945 26 February 1989 Netherlands Heerenveen

Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com[5]

Personal records

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To put these personal records in perspective, the WR column lists the official world records on the dates that Zhalyazouski skated his personal records.[2]

Event Result Date Venue WR
500 m 36.49 21 December 1985 Alma-Ata 36.57
1000 m 1:12.58 25 February 1989 Heerenveen 1:12.58
1500 m 1:52.50 5 December 1987 Calgary 1:52.70
3000 m 4:12.85 9 January 1988 Davos 3:59.27
5000 m 7:09.84 25 March 1983 Alma-Ata 6:54.66
10000 m 15:40.82 26 March 1983 Alma-Ata 14:23.59
Big combination 166.201 26 March 1983 Alma-Ata 162.973

Source: SpeedskatingResults.com[6]

Note that Zhalyazouski's personal record on the 500 m was not recognised as a world record by the International Skating Union (ISU).

Zhalyazouski has an Adelskalender score of 164.015 points.

References

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  1. ^ Igor Zjelezovski, 'De beer uit Minsk', op 58-jarige leeftijd overleden
  2. ^ a b c Evans, Hilary; Gjerde, Arild; Heijmans, Jeroen; Mallon, Bill; et al. "Igor Zhelezovsky". Olympics at Sports-Reference.com. Sports Reference LLC. Archived from the original on 17 December 2012.
  3. ^ "Speed Skating at the 1994 Lillehammer Winter Games: Men's 1,000 metres | Olympics at Sports-Reference.com". www.sports-reference.com. Archived from the original on 17 April 2020. Retrieved 12 January 2022.
  4. ^ Умер многократный чемпион мира по конькобежному спорту Железовский (in Russian)
  5. ^ "Igor Zhelezovsky". SpeedSkatingStats.com. Archived from the original on 19 May 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  6. ^ "Igor Zhelezovski". SpeedskatingResults.com. Archived from the original on 20 June 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
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