Another
Privalova
Nikolay Ivanov for the IAAF
25 January 2002 - The
famous Russian sprinter and 2000 Olympic champion at 400 m hurdles Irina Privalova missed
last year because of a serious injury but she did not waste her time. She used it in the
best way she could. Irina became a mother. Her daughter Maria was born in Moscow on 25
December. Privalova surprised very much the Moscow doctors with the most natural birth in
the hospital during recent years.
“I was almost disappointed because it happened so well without pain or any problems. When I was taken to hospital, I was just waiting and spent the time doing crosswords. It was not an elite hospital, I was treated the same as all the other patients in a room for two women. My doctor later told us that he had nearly missed the birth. It is rare nowadays for the modern woman to give birth without any outside interference, “ says Irina.
“In three days I returned home.”
And when they stopped the car near the house Irina asked her husband and coach Vladimir Paraschuk the permission to run a short distance to the door. She just wanted some movement and could not control the urge to run.
The specialists say that her athletics training and good physical form helped Irina to give birth to Maria, particularly the strong tummy muscles she had developed through years of heavy training.
Irina was partly helped by the injury, which was one of the worst in her life. She had been operated on May 17. Her right knee got a new ligament. After it she could only wait she could not run and had the time to prepare for her next visit to hospital. The month before the birth she was just swimming and walking 5 km a day.
“But I know very well how to come back,” says Irina. “In my first indoor training in two weeks after the birth I ran 800 meters in 4.06. I wanted to test my knee. Everything was good and in a few days I was back at work. At first I had three training sessions a week. One was at my gym at home, next one was a cross country run and the third indoor running. But I still have to get rid of 6 kilos I put on during the pregnancy.
Privalova has decided to stop running the 400 m hurdles. She does not want to return to this event after an injury suffered over the hurdles. Now she will go for a new distance, the 800 m. She hopes to reach top form for the world indoor championships 2003 to win the 800 m there and become the only woman with world indoor championships gold medals on all distances from 60 m to 800 m.
“Now it is a good time to enter this event,” says Privalova. “There is some kind of stagnation in 800 meters running. On the world stage, Mutola has stopped other world class runners. In Russia the same role was played by Svetlana Masterkova. Now there is no one of her level in my country.”
Privalova says good-bye to her beloved sprint without regret. She thinks that she has given to it all her potential and in return got everything she could. But it is quite possible that we’ll see her once again in 400 m.
“If I’ll manage to return my top form there is a chance for me to participate in 4x400 at the World Cup in Madrid. I am sure that our team will support me. But I cannot predict for sure how much time my recovery will take, it is not something that you can hurry,” said Irina in our latest talk. “In September the leaders will be losing their speed, that is why I want to use this situation to test myself in a real competition. I‘ll be taking every new step very carefully, as I did in previous times. And I hope that to run 800 meter is not more difficult than the 400 meter hurdles.”
Don’t you think that it will be more difficult then previously because of your small daughter?
“No. She will give a new great stimulation to fulfil my aims. I must do something for my Masha and to earn money for our family. She is a very calm girl and all our parents are now helping us.”
Why did you name her Maria?
“I just like that name, it is wonderful to call my girl Masha.”
Which athletes impressed you most of all last year when you were sitting in front of your TV set?
“The greatest moment was the victory of Olga Yegorova in 5000 metres in Edmonton. As an athlete I know what she passed through. And I was impressed by the achievements of Yuriy Borzakovskiy, who did not get big titles but his running is outstanding. Now he is closer to greater things.”
