Iryna Dvoskina

Iryna Dvoskina

Personal information
Nationality	Australia
Residence	Canberra, Australia
Sport
Sport	Paralympic athletics
Now coaching	AIS Athletics

Iryna Dvoskina (born on 22 December 1958) is a Ukraine-born Australian athletics coach who works with Paralympic athletes.

Biography

Being an only child, she came to Australia in 2003 to be closer to her mother Fira (born 20 September 1934), who had moved to Australia in 1996. Her mother has carried on her successful coaching career in New South Wales.^[1]

She undertook a four-year coaching degree at university in Ukraine. She was the athletics coach with the Ukrainian Paralympic team from 1995 to 2002. In 2003, she was appointed sprints and jumps coach for Australian Institute of Sport Paralympic track and field athletes. She was an athletics coach with the Australian team at the 2004 Athens Paralympics^[2] and 2008 Beijing Games^[3] Games. At the 2004 Summer Paralympics she coached medallists Heath Francis, Lisa McIntosh and Amy Winters. At the 2008 Summer Paralympics, she was the coach of five Australian athletics competitors who won a combined thirteen total medals. Athletes she coached included Heath Francis, Evan O'Hanlon, Christine Wolf, Brad Scott and Aaron Chatman. At the 2012 London Games, her athletes Evan O'Hanlon, Brad Scott, Scott Reardon won two gold, two silver and one bronze medals. She was named the Coach of the Year in 2008 by the Australian Paralympic Committee.

She is regarded as a strict coach due to her intensive training six days a week, careful diets and her attention to detail.^[4] She has stated:"[My mother] is the biggest inspiration in my life ... maybe there is some genetics. I love my job and I am doing it with love. I love my guys."^[4] Her husband Yuriy Vdovychenko is a swimming coach^[5] in the Canberra district and assists the Australian Paralympic Committee with development projects.^[6]

References