Irina Korzhanenko

Irina Nikolaevna Korschanenko (Russian Ирина Николаевна Коржаненко, English transcription Irina Korzhanenko, . Born May 16, 1974 in Azov ) is a retired Russian shot putter, who was stripped of an Olympic gold medal for doping.

1995 Korschanenko was Russian champion for the first time. At the World Championships in Gothenburg she won in the same year with 17.88 m twelfth place, and at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, she was 1.78 m tall and 85 kg athlete with 18,68 m Eighth.

At the World Indoor Championships in Paris in 1997, she won the bronze medal with 19.49 meters behind Wita Pawlysch from Ukraine and the German Astrid Kumbernuss. In the same year she won at the Universiade in Catania with 19.39 meters. At the 1997 World Championships in Athens, she could not qualify for the final with 17,80 m.

At the European Indoor Championships in Valencia in 1998, she won with 20.25 m the title and had 25 centimeters ahead of Wita Pawlysch. Outdoors at the European Championships 1998 in Budapest, she pushed the ball to 19.71 m. With almost two meters behind Pawlysch she won the silver medal.

At the World Indoor Championships in Maebashi in 1999, the two athletes placed far away from the rest of the field. Pawlysch came with 21.43 meters farthest Korschanenko reached 20.56 m. However, both athletes of doping were transferred, so that the Russian Svetlana Kriweljowa was declared the winner with 19.08 m in retrospect.

After the two- year suspension Korschanenko occurred at the 2001 World Championships in Edmonton back in and finished with 19.35 m for fifth place, it was six inches behind the back also start legitimate Pawlysch, won the bronze. 2002 won Irina Korschanenko then the title at the European Championships in Munich in 2002. With 20,64 m it was 62 cm in front of Pawlysch who won silver.

At the World Indoor Championships 2003 in Birmingham Korschanenko won with 20.56 m in front of the Belarusian Nadseja Astaptschuk with 20,31 m. Outdoors at the 2003 World Championships in Paris / Saint- Denis Korschanenko was with 19,17 m fourth.

After Wita Pawlysch had been disqualified for doping again at the World Indoor Championships in 2004 and waited for the announcement of the life ban Korschanenko was in the inner circle of favorites for the Olympic Games 2004. Competitions in the shot put were thereby discharged not in Athens but at a historical site in Olympia.

Korschanenko was clearly superior to all other athletes and won with 21.06 m in front of the Cuban Yumileidi cumba with 19.59 m, the German Nadine Kleinert with 19,55 m and 19,49 m with Svetlana Kriweljowa. During the Olympic Games was announced that Korschanenko of doping had been transferred with stanozolol. She was disqualified, and the other three channels poking moved on while Korschanenko refused to return their already received medal at the IOC. Later Korschanenko has been banned as a repeat offender for life.

Irina Korschanenko is 1,78 m tall and weighed about 85 kg competition times.