Irina Mikitenko

Irina Mikitenko, "née" Volynskaya _ru. Ирина Волынская (Микитенко), born August 23, 1972 in Bakanas, Kazakh SSR) is a German long-distance runner of Kazakh descent. Her most significant success to date is victory in the 2008 Berlin Marathon in 2 hours 19 minutes 19 seconds.

Her father Leonid participated in the 1968 Summer Olympics in Mexico City, with a personal-best time of 13:36 minutes over 5,000 metres. Irina began participating in long-distance running at the age of 14.

Under her maiden name, Volynskaya represented Kazakhstan in the 5,000 metres at the 1996 Olympic Games, but only progressed as far as the heats. Since she has German ancestors, she and her husband immigrated in 1996 to the German state of Hesse.

In 1998, she became the German record holder in the 10,000 metres, and the year after, in the 5,000 metres. In the 5,000 metres, she bettered Kathrin Wessel's time of 14:54.32 minutes with her fourth-place time of 14:50.17 at the 1999 World Athletics Championships. On September 7 of the same year, she set the current German record of 14:42.03 minutes, in Berlin.

A year later, Mikitenko became the German record holder in cross-country running, defending her national title over 5,000 metres. In August 2000, she broke the 17-year-old record of Brigitte Kraus in the 3,000 metres. She placed fifth in the 5,000 metres at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, and finished in the same position at the 2001 World Athletics Championships in Edmonton.

In 2003, she won the Paderborner Osterlauf, a 10-km road-running race in Germany, finishing in a record time of 31:28 minutes. She also won the Bietigheimer Silvesterlauf race that year, and participated in the 5,000 metres at the 2004 Olympic Games.

After having a baby, Mikitenko returned to competition in 2006, again becoming the German champion in the 5,000 and 10,000 metres. In the 2006 European Championships, she placed ninth, one place behind her long-time rival Sabrina Mockenhaupt. This defeat was to be short lived though, with both runners making their half marathon debut in the Cologne Marathon later that year.

In 2007, she placed second, behind Benita Johnson, in the Berlin Half Marathon, achieving a personal-best time of 1:09:46 hours. In September 2007 she gave her Marathon debut at the Berlin Marathon, finished second and qualified for the 2008 Summer Olympics.

In April 2008, at only her second international marathon, she won the women's London Marathon, with a time of 2:24:12. This performance qualified her for the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, but she announced her withdrawal due to hip problems causing pain whilst running on August 1, 2008. Healthy again, on September 28, she improved her own German record at the Berlin Marathon almost by five minutes to 2:19:19, making her number four on the women's marathon all-time list.

Irina Mikitenko is 1.58 metres tall, weighs 49 kg, and is married to her trainer Alexander Mikitenko, with whom she has had two children. In 1999, she switched from "TV Gelnhausen" to LG Eintracht Frankfurt. Since January 1, 2006, she has competed for TV Wattenscheid 01.

References

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* [http://www.leichtathletik.de/dokumente/athleten_portrait.asp?ID=705 Profile at leichtathletik.de] de icon
* [http://www.tv-wattenscheid-01.de/index.php?menuid=15&reporeid=454 Profile at TV Wattenscheid 01] de icon
* [http://www.ndr.de/paris2003/sportler/portrait.phtml?id=4397 Profile at] the NDR de icon