Irina Nikolaevna Belova (
Russian: Ирина Николаевна Белова; née Ilyichova born 27 March 1968 in
Angarsk) is a retired
heptathlete from
Russia. In her early career she represented USSR, with a fourth place at the
1990 European Championships and a bronze medal at the
1991 World Championships. Her career highlight came in 1992 as she won an Olympic silver medal. In February the same year she set the world record in indoor
pentathlon with 4991 points. She originally won the pentathlon at the
1993 World Indoor Championships, but failed a
drug test and received a four-year suspension.[1][2] Upon returning she won two silver medals at the European and World Indoor Championships respectively. She retired after the 2001 season.
Irina Nikolaevna Belova (
Russian: Ирина Николаевна Белова; née Ilyichova born 27 March 1968 in
Angarsk) is a retired
heptathlete from
Russia. In her early career she represented USSR, with a fourth place at the
1990 European Championships and a bronze medal at the
1991 World Championships. Her career highlight came in 1992 as she won an Olympic silver medal. In February the same year she set the world record in indoor
pentathlon with 4991 points. She originally won the pentathlon at the
1993 World Indoor Championships, but failed a
drug test and received a four-year suspension.[1][2] Upon returning she won two silver medals at the European and World Indoor Championships respectively. She retired after the 2001 season.