Irena Szewińska

Irena Szewińska

Irena Szewińska in 2012
Personal information
Born	24 May 1946 (1946-05-24) (age 70) Leningrad, Russia
Height	1.76 m (5 ft 9 in)
Weight	60 kg (130 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Club	Polonia Warszawa
Medal record Representing  Poland Event 1st 2nd 3rd Olympic Games 3 2 2 European Championships 5 1 4 European Indoor Championships 2 2 2 Summer Universiade 2 0 0 Total 12 5 8 Olympic Games 1964 Tokyo 4×100 m 1968 Mexico City 200 m 1976 Montréal 400 m 1964 Tokyo 200 m 1964 Tokyo Long jump 1968 Mexico City 100 m 1972 Munich 200 m European Championships 1966 Budapest 200 m 1966 Budapest Long jump 1966 Budapest 4×100 m 1974 Rome 100 m 1974 Rome 200 m 1966 Budapest 100 m 1971 Helsinki 200 m 1974 Rome 4×100 m 1978 Prague 400 m 1978 Prague 4×400 m European Indoor Championships 1969 Belgrade 50 m 1969 Belgrade Long jump 1969 Belgrade 4x400 m relay 1971 Sofia Long jump 1974 Gothenburg 60 m 1975 Katowice 60 m Universiade 1965 Sofia 200 m

Irena Szewińska, née Kirszenstein (Polish pronunciation: [iˈrɛna ʂɛˈviɲska]; born 24 May 1946) is a Polish retired sprinter who was one of the world's foremost athletes for nearly two decades, in multiple events.

Irena Kirszenstein was born in Leningrad to a Jewish family. Her father came from Warsaw and mother from Kiev. They met in Leningrad where they studied at the time, and in 1947 moved to Warsaw.

In 1967 she married her coach, Janusz Szewiński, who also competed in hurdles at the national level and later worked as a sports photographer. They have two sons, Andrzej Szewiński (born 1970), who played volleyball for the national team and later became a senator, and Jaroslaw (born 1981).

In 1970 Szewińska graduated from the University of Warsaw with an MSc degree in economics.

Between 1964 and 1980 she participated in five Olympic Games, winning seven medals, three of them gold. She also broke six world records and is the only athlete (male or female) to have held a world record in the 100 m, 200 m and the 400 m events. She also won 10 medals in European Championships. Between 1965 and 1979 she gathered 26 national titles and set 38 records in the 100–400 m sprint and long jump.

At her first Olympics in Tokyo in 1964, she took a Silver medal in the Long Jump and 200 metres, and ran the second leg of the Gold medal winning 4 X 100 meter relay team.

She was a double sprint winner at the World Student Games in Budapest in 1965.

In 1966, at the European Athletics championships she won Gold in the long jump, 200 meters and 4 x 100 meter relay; and took a Silver in the 100 meter sprint.

At her second Olympics in Mexico, She won a bronze in the 100 meters, but failed to qualify for the Long Jump final. She recovered from that disappointment, to win the Gold medal in the 200 meters in a new World Record time. In the sprint relay the Polish team dropped the baton on the final exchange in the semi-final and finished last.

After giving birth to her son, in 1971 - she managed a bronze medal in the long jump at the European Championships in Helsinki. She would compete in the 3 events at the Munich Olympics in 1972, the 2 sprints and the long jump. She would come away with a bronze medal in the 200 meters.