Kseniya Olegovna Ryzhova, née Vdovina (Russian: Ксения Олеговна Рыжова; born April 19, 1987) is a Russian track and field sprint athlete, originally from Lipetsk. She was the 2013 World Champion in 4 × 400 m relay (running the third leg).

Kseniya Ryzhova

Ryzhova in Zagreb in 2010
Medal record
Women's athletics
Representing  Russia
World Championships
Disqualified 2013 Moscow 4 × 400 m relay
World Indoor Championships
Disqualified 2010 Doha 4x400 m relay
European Indoor Championships
Gold medal – first place 2011 Paris 4x400 m relay

On March 7, 2014, at the 2014 World Indoor Championships, Ryzhova was tested for illegal substances, and the test subsequently revealed trimetazidine. She was disqualified for nine months.[1]

Competition record edit

Year Competition Venue Position Event Notes
Representing   Russia
2006 World Junior Championships Beijing, China 19th (sf) 200m 24.68 (wind: -2.8 m/s)
7th (h)[2] 4 × 100 m relay 44.92
2007 European U23 Championships Debrecen, Hungary 14th (sf) 200m 23.80 (wind: -0.6 m/s)
1st 4 × 100 m relay 43.67
Universiade Bangkok, Thailand 12th (sf) 200 m 24.40
4th 4 × 100 m relay 44.16
2009 European U23 Championships Kaunas, Lithuania 1st 4 × 400 m relay 3:27.59
2010 World Indoor Championships Doha, Qatar DSQ (2nd) 4 × 400 m relay DSQ (3:27.44)
2011 European Indoor Championships Paris, France 1st 4 × 400 m relay 3:29.34
World Championships Daegu, South Korea 1st (h) 4 × 400 m relay 3:20.94
2013 World Championships Moscow, Russia 7th 400 m 50.98
DSQ (1st) 4 × 400 m relay DSQ (3:20.19)
2014 World Indoor Championships Sopot, Poland DSQ (4th) 4 × 400 m relay DSQ (3:28.39)
2015 World Championships Beijing, China 4 × 100 m relay DNF
4th 4 × 400 m relay 3:24.84

2013 Moscow kiss edit

During the medal ceremony for the women's 4×400 metres relay images of Kseniya Ryzhova and Yuliya Gushchina[n 1] sharing a kiss on the lips spread through social media and were interpreted as a protest against the anti-gay laws.[4] Both Ryzhova and Gushchina denied any intention to make such a protest, rather they were simply happy with their athletic success, and stated that they were married to men.[5] Although reports were principally focused on the pair, all four of the Russia relay runners briefly kissed each other on the podium.[6] Ryzhova described her assumed connection to LGBT as insulting.[7] The Russian Minister for Sport, Vitaly Mutko, said that Western media had over-emphasised the issue, noting that same-sex relations are not illegal in Russia and sparser coverage of the issue in domestic media.[8]

Notes edit

  1. ^ Several sources misidentified the pictures of Gushchina as fellow relay medallist Tatyana Firova.[3][4]

References edit

  1. ^ "Russian athlete Ksenya Ryzhova disqualified for nine months for doping". ITAR-TASS. Archived from the original on 13 June 2014. Retrieved 13 June 2014.
  2. ^ Competed only in the heat.
  3. ^ Sara Malm and Stuart Woledge (2013-08-19)
  4. ^ a b Hart, Simon (2013-08-18). World Athletics Championships 2013: gay row 'invented by Western media' insists Russian sports minister. Daily Telegraph. Retrieved on 2013-08-19.
  5. ^ Luhn, Alec (2013-08-19). Russian athlete denies kiss with relay partner was in protest at anti-gay law. The Guardian. Retrieved on 2013-08-19.
  6. ^ VIDEO: Russian relay team kiss on podium in Moscow, World Athletics Championships 2013 Archived 2013-10-16 at the Wayback Machine. 3 News. Retrieved on 2013-08-19.
  7. ^ "Рыжова: западные СМИ оскорбили и нас с Юлей, и всю федерацию". Газета.Ru. Retrieved 26 April 2015.
  8. ^ Russia's anti-gay law uproar an 'invented problem' – sports minister. The Guardian/Reuters (2013-08-19). Retrieved on 2013-08-19.

External links edit