Irina Bliznova

Irina Yuryevna Bliznova (Russian: Ирина Юрьевна Близнова, born 6 October 1986) is a Russian handball player, who plays for Lada Togliatti.[1] She won the gold medal at the 2005 and 2007 world championships and 2016 Rio Olympics, placing second in 2008 and eighth in 2012.[2][3] She announced her retirement shortly after the 2016 Olympics.[4]

Irina Bliznova
Bliznova with Vladimir Putin in 2016
Personal information
Full name	Irina Yuryevna Bliznova
Born	(1986-10-06) 6 October 1986 Krasnodar, Russia
Nationality	Russian
Height	1.82 m (5 ft 11+1⁄2 in)
Playing position	Right back
Club information
Current club	Lada Togliatti
Number	6
Senior clubs
Years	Team
2004-2012	Lada Togliatti
2014-2016	Lada Togliatti
2019-	Lada Togliatti
National team
Years	Team	Apps	(Gls)
2005–2016	Russia	124	(369)
Medal record Olympic Games 2016 Rio de Janeiro Team 2008 Beijing Team World Championship 2005 Russia 2007 France European Championship 2006 Sweden

Bliznova is married to Alexander and has a daughter Arina (born 2010) and a son Arkhip (born 2014).[3]