In the world athletics, there has long been an unspoken distribution of forces. In long-distance running, no one is equal to athletes from Kenya, Ethiopia. Black athletes from North America reign supreme in the sprint. Even in their natural physical characteristics, they have a deliberate advantage over their fair-skinned rivals. Nevertheless, from time to time there are exceptional, phenomenal athletes who challenge nature and compete on equal terms with the invincible athletes from the United States and Jamaica.
One of such unique ones is Anastasia Alexandrovna Kapachinskaya. The biography of this athlete is quite complicated, it is a series of ups and downs.
Childhood, first steps in sports
Kapachinskaya Anastasia Alexandrovna - native Muscovite. Born in 1979 in a sports family. Her mother was a famous athlete specializing in high jumps. Dad earned the title of master of sports in short-distance running. With such parents, Anastasia could not go to the athletics section.
Mom seriously loaded her daughter with workouts, sometimes even made her overcome laziness and unwillingness to train. From the age of 10, Kapachinskaya goes to training camps with her mother’s students, and is engaged in a general group of athletes.
The athlete gradually went to the choice of her favorite distance. Initially, she specialized in ultrashort segments. At a distance of 60 m, she set several youth records in the country. Then she switched to a hundred-meter race, but did not achieve high results, since she did not have the necessary explosive speed for this short section.
The coaches advised her to pay attention to the 400-meter distance, but it didn’t work out here either. So she came to the golden middle - 200 m. Anastasia Kapachinskaya will still return to the long sprint, but 200 m will become her crown discipline for the next few years.
Sport of high achievements. Unexpected victory
Almost immediately, her sporting biography begins with high results. Anastasia Kapachinskaya for the first time takes part in the world championships in 2001. In Edmonton, as part of the relay team, she wins a bronze medal.
The victory in the team, and even in non-core discipline, could not satisfy the ambitious athlete. The most important victory in her life happened two years later - in Paris. A surprise was getting into the finals of an unknown athlete. Anastasia’s rivals were the most serious. Among them were Jeanne Blok, who had already taken a bronze medal in the tournament at a distance of 100 m, the hostess of the stadium Frenchwoman Muri Yurti, silver medalists of the world championships from Jamaica. At the same time, many experts noted shortcomings in Anastasia's running. Possessing a less explosive speed, she “stayed up” at the start, not so confidently took turns as her rivals.
On the other hand, all this provided an opportunity for further progress and improved results. In general, Anastasia Kapachinskaya was ahead of all rivals at the finish line, with the exception of Kelly White. However, after some time, the American was caught doping and was deprived of a gold medal. Thus, Anastasia Kapachinskaya became the world champion, becoming one of the few athletes from Europe, ahead of the strongest black runners.
Doping scandal
Anastasia was in full swing preparing for the Athens Olympics in 2004, but she suffered the fate of Kelly White. The doping test taken after the competition in Budapest gave a positive result. This was followed by disqualification until 2006.
Many noted that the examination was carried out in violation of the procedure, but this decision was not challenged in time, and the athlete was left behind major tournaments for two years.
Again in the arena
Returning to sports after an unplanned vacation was not easy. The competitors did not stand still and at their favorite distance of 200 m. Nevertheless, Anastasia Kapachinskaya spent all the time in gyms and earned a call to the national team for the Beijing Olympics. Performance at the Olympic Games is the crown of a career for every athlete. It was in Beijing that Anastasia reminded the world of herself. As part of the relay team, she won silver at a distance of 4 x 400 m.
After that, Kapachinsky concentrated her attention precisely on the distance of 400 m. For the next four seasons, she with her results invariably was among the ten strongest in the world.
She even approached the 2011 World Cup in the status of the leader of the season and seriously counted on victory. Nevertheless, the bronze medal was a success for the athlete, which many have already written off. Anastasia added team bronze to her personal award. The Olympics in London was a repeat of Beijing. Again - silver in the relay 4 x 400 m.
The end of his sports career was greased by another doping trouble. In 2016, violations were detected in a sample taken in 2008. Anastasia was deprived of all the awards won this season, including the bronze Olympic medal.
Personal life
Anastasia devoted most of her life to professional sports. Only at the end of her career did she seriously think about the family. At the age of 35, she had the long-awaited son Fedor.
Finally, she was able to devote more time to her favorite cooking and not think about stressful starts.
Not everything went smoothly in Anastasia’s life. There were doping scandals, insulting misfires at competitions. However, she remained in the fans' memory as a unique athlete, able to compete on equal terms with the invincible sprinters from North America.