There are only four Olympic champions in athletics during the period of modern Belarus. One of the most unexpected, all the more valuable of them is sprinter Yulia Nesterenko. At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, the athlete in the 100 m final unexpectedly for many experts and analysts beat more famous runners and finished first with a score of 10.93 to win the medal of the highest rank. It was (and still is) almost outstanding at the time. Largely because the 100-meter dash is considered "royalty" for both men and women and is run entirely by Americans or people from the Caribbean. Where did such a fast-footed athlete come from in Belarus (as they call her "White Lightning")
Julia Nesterenko
There are only four Olympic champions in track and field in modern Belarus. One of the most unexpected, all the more valuable of them is sprinter Yulia Nesterenko. At the 2004 Games in Athens, the athlete in the final 100 m race unexpectedly for many experts and analysts beat more famous runners and finished first with a score of 10.93 to win the medal of the highest rank. It was (and still is) almost outstanding at the time. Largely because the 100-meter dash is considered "royalty" for both men and women and is run entirely by Americans or people from the Caribbean. Where did such a fast-footed athlete come from in Belarus (as they call her "White Lightning").
Julia Viktorovna Nesterenko is a native of Brest region. She was born in 1979 in Brest. A true Belarusian athlete, who grew up, studied, graduated from Brest University a year before the Olympics, and in 2004 triumphantly made history by becoming the fastest on the planet. Coach Vladimir Zinchenko played a major role in the formation of the athlete. Yulia not only agreed on a training plan with him, but also listened to every advice and instruction. Personal coaches of the athlete were Sergei Salyamanovich and Victor Yaroshevich. She has been a member of the "Dynamo" sports club since the beginning.
At the next Olympic Games in Beijing, Yulia Nesterenko could not repeat her outstanding achievement. Much to the regret of all fans and the athlete herself, she managed to get only to the semifinals. The quarterfinal heat was the best result of the season (11.14 seconds). In the next decisive stage Julia showed a bit less success (11.26) and was not qualified for the final race. By the way, repeating the results of the quarterfinals would have been enough. But not enough to win. Jamaica's winner Shelly-Anne Fraser ran much faster (10.78), and Julia would have had to reckon with a 7th or 8th place. To reach a peak of form and speed similar to four years ago did not work.
For a long time Yulia Nesterenko continued to do sports. She was preparing for the Olympics in London 2012, but a foot injury prevented her from performing at the games. Even at the next sports forum in Rio in four years she planned to take part, but after a sober assessment of her chances and form, she refused. A year later, in 2017, she decided to end her athletic career and take up coaching. It is hoped that her experience will nurture many talented Belarusian sprinters. It's been a long time since she won the Games in Athens, but the phenomenon of the runner who appeared in Belarus still remains unsolved. It cannot be said that the sprinter school of local athletics is underdeveloped. There are some results. But at the same time nobody managed to achieve even close to the demonstrated results. Remarkable is the fact that even the athlete herself could not come closer to her personal best (for example, at European and world championships).
The best result and personal record set at the Olympic Games in 2004 will remain the benchmark for Belarusian athletes for many years to come. Obviously, it will not take long before the national record of the women's 100m run is surpassed. In the next few major competitions Julia and her teammates only managed to win a bronze medal (which is also a decent result) in the 4x100m relay. Now the former athlete is training members of the border patrol team. She is planning to train young athletes in the near future.
We would like to offer you to look at all of Yulia's races at the 2004 Olympic Games, starting with the first leg. Exactly the distance covered and each of the races of 11 seconds! An unbelievable stability and impressive equanimity for the 25-year-old from Brest who managed to surprise the whole world. And so glorified the Belarusian sport. Belarusian sprinters have never risen to such a high podium before.
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