Igor Zhelezovski

Igor Nikolayevich Zhelezovski or Ihar Mikalayevich Zhaliazoŭski (Russian: Игорь Николаевич Железовский; Belarusian: Ігар Мікалаевіч Жалязоўскі; born 1 July 1963) is a former speed skater, considered to be one of the best sprinters ever. 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 number of six times, a record still unequalled as of 2015. In Soviet times, he trained at Armed Forces sports society in Minsk.[1]

Igor Zhelezovski
Zhelezovski in 1994
Personal information
Birth nameIgor Nikolayevich Zhelezovski
Nickname(s)Bear from Minsk
NationalityBelarusian
Born (1963-07-01) July 1, 1963
Orša, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union
Height1.86 m (6 ft 1 in)
Weight95 kg (209 lb)
Sport
Country Soviet Union
 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: 14:40.82 (1983)
Medal record
Men's speed skating
Olympic Games
Representing the  Soviet Union
1988 Calgary1000 m
Representing  Belarus
1994 Lillehammer1000 m
World Sprint Championships
Representing the  Soviet Union
1985 HeerenveenSprint
1986 KaruizawaSprint
1989 HeerenveenSprint
1990 TromsøSprint
1991 InzellSprint
Representing  CIS
1992 OsloSprint
Representing  Belarus
1993 IkahoSprint

Igor Zhelezovski 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, having just recovered from an illness, 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 on the 500 m, "only" third on his favourite 1000 m, and fourth on the 1500 m. The remaining two World Sprint Championships he participated in, in 1990 and 1994, he finished third and sixth, respectively.

His final two seasons, after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Zhelezovski skated for Belarus. After ending his skating career in 1994, Zhelezovski became president of the skating union of Belarus, a position he held for several years.

Medals
Igor Zhelezovski in 1985

An overview of medals won by Zhelezovski at important championships he participated in, listing the years in which he won each:[1]

Championships Gold medalSilver medalBronze medal
Winter Olympics–1994 (1000 m)1988 (1000 m)
World Sprint1985
1986
1989
1991
1992
1993		–1990
World Cup1991 (1000 m)
1992 (1000 m)
1993 (1000 m)		–1993 (500 m)
1994 (1000 m)
World Junior Allround–1982–
Soviet Allround–––
Soviet Sprint1985
1986
1989
1990
1991		–1984

Records

World records

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

EventTimeDateVenue
1500 m1:54.2626 March 1983 Alma-Ata
1500 m1:52.505 December 1987 Calgary
1000 m1:12.5825 February 1989 Heerenveen
Sprint combination145.94526 February 1989 Heerenveen

Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com[2]

Personal records

To put these personal records in perspective, the WR column lists the official world records on the dates that Zhelezovski skated his personal records.[1]

EventResultDateVenueWR
500 m36.4921 December 1985Alma-Ata36.57
1000 m1:12.5825 February 1989Heerenveen1:12.58
1500 m1:52.505 December 1987Calgary1:52.70
3000 m4:12.859 January 1988Davos3:59.27
5000 m7:09.8425 March 1983Alma-Ata6:54.66
10000 m15:40.8226 March 1983Alma-Ata14:23.59
Big combination166.20126 March 1983Alma-Ata162.973

Source: SpeedskatingResults.com[3]

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

Zhelezovski has an Adelskalender score of 164.015 points.

References
  1. 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 2012-12-17.
  2. "Igor Zhelezovsky". SpeedSkatingStats.com. Archived from the original on 19 May 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
  3. "Igor Zhelezovski". SpeedskatingResults.com. Archived from the original on 20 June 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
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