Antonina Krivoshapka
Encyclopedia
Antonina Vladimirovna Krivoshapka (Russian
: Антонина Владимировна Кривошапка; born 21 July 1987) is a Russia
n sprinter
who specializes in the 400 metres
. She holds 400 m personal bests of 49.29 s outdoors and 50.55 s indoors.
Hailing from Rostov-on-Don
, Krivoshapka won the silver medal in the 400 m at the 2003 World Youth Championships
in a time of 53.54 s, and won bronze in the Medley Relay
. However she had little success in the following years, placing only fifth in the heats of the 2004 World Junior Championships
. She did not improve on her personal best in 2005 or 2006, and only competed on the national level. However, she began to steadily improve her performances in 2007 and 2008, posting seasonal bests of 52.32 s and 51.24 s respectively.
Krivoshapka's international breakthrough came in 2009, where she set a personal best of 50.55 s over 400 m indoors to win the Russian indoor championships, and subsequently won the 400 m gold medal at the 2009 European Indoor Championships
. At the same championships she won a gold medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay
, together with teammates Natalya Antyukh
, Darya Safonova
and Yelena Voynova. Later that year, during the semifinals at the Russian national championships in Cheboksary
, she lowered her outdoor 400 m personal best by nearly a full second by running 49.29 s, the second fastest time in the world that year. She went on to win the national title in 49.71 s. With these strong performances, Krivoshapka was considered one of the favorites for a medal in the 400 m at the World Championships
in Berlin
. In the 400 m final, she won the bronze medal in 49.71 s, behind Sanya Richards
and Shericka Williams
. She later won another bronze medal in the 4x400 m relay, where she anchored the Russian team.
She suffered an injury in an unusual fashion in early 2010 – while doing sprint training on a track in Volgograd
, a young boy walked into her path and she strained her back in the ensuing collision. She missed the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships
as a result but had fully recovered in time for the outdoor season. Later that year, at the 2010 European Athletics Championships she claimed the 400 m bronze medal and helped the Russian women to defend their title in the relay, as well as winning a silver medal as part of the Europe 4x400 m relay team at the 2010 IAAF Continental Cup
.
Russian language
Russian is a Slavic language used primarily in Russia, Belarus, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan, Tajikistan and Kyrgyzstan. It is an unofficial but widely spoken language in Ukraine, Moldova, Latvia, Turkmenistan and Estonia and, to a lesser extent, the other countries that were once constituent republics...
: Антонина Владимировна Кривошапка; born 21 July 1987) is a Russia
Russia
Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...
n sprinter
Sprint (race)
Sprints are short running events in athletics and track and field. Races over short distances are among the oldest running competitions. The first 13 editions of the Ancient Olympic Games featured only one event—the stadion race, which was a race from one end of the stadium to the other...
who specializes in the 400 metres
400 metres
The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...
. She holds 400 m personal bests of 49.29 s outdoors and 50.55 s indoors.
Hailing from Rostov-on-Don
Rostov-on-Don
-History:The mouth of the Don River has been of great commercial and cultural importance since the ancient times. It was the site of the Greek colony Tanais, of the Genoese fort Tana, and of the Turkish fortress Azak...
, Krivoshapka won the silver medal in the 400 m at the 2003 World Youth Championships
2003 World Youth Championships in Athletics
The 2003 World Youth Championships in Athletics is the 2003 version of the World Youth Championships in Athletics. It was held in Sherbrooke, Quebec, Canada from the 9th to the 13th of July.-Boys:-Girls:-Medals table:-External links:*...
in a time of 53.54 s, and won bronze in the Medley Relay
Distance Medley Relay
The distance medley relay is an athletic event in which four athletes compete as part of a relay. Unlike most track relays, each member of the team runs a different distance. A distance medley relay is made up of a 1200 meter leg, or three laps on a standard 400 meter track; a 400 meter leg, or one...
. However she had little success in the following years, placing only fifth in the heats of the 2004 World Junior Championships
2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics
The 2004 World Junior Championships in Athletics was the 2004 version of the World Junior Championships in Athletics. It was held in Grosseto in Italy.-Men:-Women:-Medals table:-References:*. GBR Athletics. Retrieved on 2010-06-06....
. She did not improve on her personal best in 2005 or 2006, and only competed on the national level. However, she began to steadily improve her performances in 2007 and 2008, posting seasonal bests of 52.32 s and 51.24 s respectively.
Krivoshapka's international breakthrough came in 2009, where she set a personal best of 50.55 s over 400 m indoors to win the Russian indoor championships, and subsequently won the 400 m gold medal at the 2009 European Indoor Championships
2009 European Indoor Championships in Athletics
The 30th European Athletics Indoor Championships was held in Turin, Italy, from Friday, 6 March to Sunday, 8 March 2009. The championships took place at the Oval Lingotto indoor arena which has a seating capacity of 6,600 people....
. At the same championships she won a gold medal in the 4 x 400 metres relay
4 x 400 metres relay
The 4 x 400 meters relay or long relay is an athletics track event in which teams comprise four runners who each complete 400 meters or one lap. It is traditionally the final event of a track meet. At top class events, the first 500 meters is run in lanes...
, together with teammates Natalya Antyukh
Natalya Antyukh
Natalya Nikolayevna Antyukh is a Russian athlete who primarily competed in the 400 metres and 400 metre hurdles.In addition to winning medals in individual contests, she has been a very successful relay runner, winning a silver medal at the 2004 Olympics....
, Darya Safonova
Darya Safonova
Darya Safonova is a Russian sprinter who specializes in the 400 metres.In 2005 she was found guilty of pemoline doping. She was suspended from the sport between March 2005 to March 2007....
and Yelena Voynova. Later that year, during the semifinals at the Russian national championships in Cheboksary
Cheboksary
-Twin towns/sister cities:Cheboksary is twinned with: Eger in Hungary Antalya in Turkey Santa Clara in CubaAlso Partnerships are shown with: Rundu in Namibia -External links:****...
, she lowered her outdoor 400 m personal best by nearly a full second by running 49.29 s, the second fastest time in the world that year. She went on to win the national title in 49.71 s. With these strong performances, Krivoshapka was considered one of the favorites for a medal in the 400 m at the World Championships
2009 World Championships in Athletics
The 12th IAAF World Championships in Athletics were held in Berlin, Germany from 15–23 August 2009. The majority of events took place in the Olympiastadion, while the marathon and racewalking events started and finished at the Brandenburg Gate....
in Berlin
Berlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
. In the 400 m final, she won the bronze medal in 49.71 s, behind Sanya Richards
Sanya Richards
Sanya Richards-Ross is a track and field athlete who competes internationally for the United States. She won an Olympic gold medal in the 4×400 meters relay at the 2008 Olympic Games in Beijing, China, an individual bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics for the 400 m, and a gold medal in the 2009...
and Shericka Williams
Shericka Williams
Shericka Williams is a Jamaican sprinter and former student of St. Elizabeth Technical High School....
. She later won another bronze medal in the 4x400 m relay, where she anchored the Russian team.
She suffered an injury in an unusual fashion in early 2010 – while doing sprint training on a track in Volgograd
Volgograd
Volgograd , formerly called Tsaritsyn and Stalingrad is an important industrial city and the administrative center of Volgograd Oblast, Russia. It is long, north to south, situated on the western bank of the Volga River...
, a young boy walked into her path and she strained her back in the ensuing collision. She missed the 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships
2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships
The 2010 IAAF World Indoor Championships in Athletics was held between 12 and 14 March at the ASPIRE Dome in Doha, Qatar. The championships was the first of six IAAF World Athletics Series events to take place in 2010.-Bidding and organisation:...
as a result but had fully recovered in time for the outdoor season. Later that year, at the 2010 European Athletics Championships she claimed the 400 m bronze medal and helped the Russian women to defend their title in the relay, as well as winning a silver medal as part of the Europe 4x400 m relay team at the 2010 IAAF Continental Cup
2010 IAAF Continental Cup
The 1st IAAF Continental Cup was an international track and field sporting event held under the auspices of the International Association of Athletics Federations. Originally scheduled as the 11th IAAF World Cup in Athletics, it was renamed in 2008 when the IAAF revamped the competition format...
.