Olympic medalist and multiple-time champion Irina Zaretska won the gold medal in karate at the III CIS Games.
“I always feel incredible support here. I want to express my deep gratitude to everyone who came and cheered for us — the karate athletes showed a truly amazing result. Congratulations to all of them,” Zaretska shared after her victory.
This was Irina’s second major competition after returning from maternity leave — and she immediately claimed gold. She noted that she put in an immense amount of work to get back to the top of the podium.
When asked how tough the competition was, Irina replied:
“My matches went 8:0, 8:1, 4:2 — so I said everything I needed to on the tatami.”
Speaking about her motivation, Irina emphasized:
“Champions aren’t those who win once. Champions are those who aren’t stopped by victory. I consider myself one of those people. Every win is another step up. I want to leave my mark on history — as deeply and significantly as possible. Many victories, many numbers — that’s my main motivation.”
