Igor Zhelezovski
Igor Nikolayevich Zhelezovski or Ihar Mikałajevič Žalazoŭski (Russian: Игорь Николаевич Железовский; Belarusian: Ігар Мікалаевіч Жалязоўскі; 1 June 1963 – 12 June 2021) was a Soviet and Belarusian speed skater.
 Zhelezovski in 1994 | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Birth name | Igor Nikolayevich Zhelezovski | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nickname(s) | Bear from Minsk [1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Belarusian | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born | 1 June 1963 Orsha, Byelorussian SSR, Soviet Union | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 12 June 2021 (aged 58) Minsk, Belarus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.86 m (6 ft 1 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 95 kg (209 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |  Soviet Union.svg.png.webp){kind=small} CIS.svg.png.webp){kind=small} Belarus | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Speed skating | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | SK VS Minsk | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 1982 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 1994 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| 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
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon}
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon}
.svg.png.webp){kind=icon}
Biography
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]
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, 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, Zhelezovski 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, Zhelezovski became president of the skating union of Belarus, a position which he held for several years.
Zhelezovski died on 12 June 2021, at the age of 57.[4]
Medals
An overview of medals won by Zhelezovski 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
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:
| Event | Time | Date | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1500 m | 1:54.26 | 26 March 1983 | Alma-Ata |
| 1500 m | 1:52.50 | 5 December 1987 | .svg.png.webp){kind=small} Calgary |
| 1000 m | 1:12.58 | 25 February 1989 |  Heerenveen |
| Sprint combination | 145.945 | 26 February 1989 | Heerenveen |
Source: SpeedSkatingStats.com[5]
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.[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 Zhelezovski's personal record on the 500 m was not recognised as a world record by the International Skating Union (ISU).
Zhelezovski has an Adelskalender score of 164.015 points.
References
- Igor Zjelezovski, 'De beer uit Minsk', op 58-jarige leeftijd overleden
- 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.
- "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.
- Умер многократный чемпион мира по конькобежному спорту Железовский (in Russian)
- "Igor Zhelezovsky". SpeedSkatingStats.com. Archived from the original on 19 May 2014. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
- "Igor Zhelezovski". SpeedskatingResults.com. Archived from the original on 20 June 2015. Retrieved 29 August 2012.
External links
- Igor Zhelezovski in SpeedSkatingBase.eu
- Igor Zhelezovski at SpeedSkatingNews.info
- Igor Zhelezovski at SpeedSkatingStats.com
- Igor Zhelezovski at Olympics.com
- Igor Zhelezovski at Olympedia
- Igor Zhelezovski at the International Skating Union
- Personal records from Jakub Majerski's Speedskating Database
- Evert Stenlund's Adelskalender pages at the Wayback Machine (archived 12 February 2007)
- Results of Championships of Russia and the USSR from SpeedSkating.ru Archived 24 February 2020 at the Wayback Machine
- Historical World Records. International Skating Union at the Wayback Machine (archived 5 February 2012)