Ilya Leonidovich Zakharov (russian: Илья Леонидович Захаров; born 2 May 1991) is a Russian diver and politician. He is the 2012 Olympics gold medalist in 3 metre Springboard.

Career

Junior

In 2007, Zakharov debuted in international tournament in diving at the Lambertz-Printenspringen in

Germany Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...

where he won gold in 10m platform, a pair of silver medal with

Evgeny Kuznetsov Yevgeny Yevgenyevich Kuznetsov (russian: Евгений Евгеньевич Кузнецов; born 19 May 1992) is a Russian professional ice hockey forward currently playing for the Washington Capitals of the National Hockey League (NHL). He ...

in 3m Springboard Synchro and a bronze in 3m springboard. In 2008, Zakharov won gold in 10m Platform at the Cup of Russia. He scored 456.70 points ahead of compatriot Victor Minibaev who scored 449.25. At the 2008 European Junior Championships in

Minsk Minsk ( be, Мінск ; russian: Минск) is the capital and the largest city of Belarus, located on the Svislach and the now subterranean Niamiha rivers. As the capital, Minsk has a special administrative status in Belarus and is the admi ...

, Belarus, he won two gold medals (1m Springboard and 10m Platform) and a pair of silver medal with Igor Koryakin in 3m Synchro Springboard. At the 2008 Junior World Championship, he won a pair of bronze medal with Igor Koryakin in 3m Synchro Springboard and silver medal in individual behind Chinese diver Wang Jihan.

Senior

In 2009, at the fourth stage of the Grand Prix in

Montreal Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous city in the Canadian province of Quebec. Founded in 1642 as '' Ville-Marie'', or "City of Mary", it is named after Mount Royal, the triple ...

, Canada, Zakharov and Kuznetsov won the silver medal in 3m synchro springboard and in Budapest, Hungary at the European Youth Championships He won three gold medals, in individual events ( 3m Springboard and 10m Platform) as well as in 3m synchro springboard with Victor Minibaev. In 2010, at the Rostov-on-Don Grand Prix in diving, Zakharov and Minibaev won the bronze medal and in

, Canada at the Grand Prix in diving athlete paired with

won the bronze medal in synchronized diving three-meter springboard. At the World Cup in

Guangzhou Guangzhou (, ; ; or ; ), also known as Canton () and alternatively romanized as Kwongchow or Kwangchow, is the capital and largest city of Guangdong province in southern China. Located on the Pearl River about north-northwest of Hong Kon ...

, China, Zakharov and Minbaev won silver in synchronized diving behind Chinese divers

Cao Yuan Cao Yuan (; born 7 February 1995) is a Chinese diver and an Olympic gold medalist, having won three golds, one silver and one bronze in the Olympics. He has also won golds in diving at the World Championships and World Cups. Early life Cao ...

and Zhang Yanquan. In 2011, at the World Championships, Zakharov won the silver medal in 3m Springboard and a pair of silver medal with Kuznetsov in 3m Spring Synchro. In 2012, he won the Olympic Gold medal in the Men's 3 metre springboard defeating Chinese divers Qin Kai and

He Chong He Chong (; born June 10, 1987 in Zhanjiang, Guangdong) is a Chinese diver. He is the 2008 Olympic Champion in the 3m springboard. He split with partner Wang Feng after they won a gold medal in the 3m synchronised springboard event at the 20 ...

. He also won the silver medal in the Men's synchronized 3 metre springboard, alongside Evgeny Kuznetsov, and competed in the Men's synchronized 10 metre platform, with Victor Minibaev. Zakharov was awarded the FINA Male Diver of the Year of 2012. In 2013, Zakharov won gold medal at the 2013 European Championships in 3 m Springboard and 3m Spring Synchro. In 2016, Zakharov attempted to defend his Olympic gold medal in the Men's 3 metre springboard, but did not advance past the semifinal round after a failed dive that resulted in a score of zero. At the

2017 World Aquatics Championships The 17th FINA World Championships ( hu, 2017-es úszó-világbajnokság) were held in Budapest, Hungary from 14 to 30 July 2017.

Budapest Budapest (, ; ) is the capital and most populous city of Hungary. It is the ninth-largest city in the European Union by population within city limits and the second-largest city on the Danube river; the city has an estimated population ...

Hungary Hungary ( hu, Magyarország ) is a landlocked country in Central Europe. Spanning of the Pannonian Basin, Carpathian Basin, it is bordered by Slovakia to the north, Ukraine to the northeast, Romania to the east and southeast, Serbia to the ...

, the Russian won his first gold medal in 3 m synchronized springboard, with his partner Kuznetsov.

Politics

On 11 September 2022, Zakharov was elected to the Saratov Oblast Duma with the New People party during that year's regional elections.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Zakharov, Ilya Russian male divers 1991 births Living people Olympic divers of Russia Divers at the 2012 Summer Olympics Divers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Russia Olympic silver medalists for Russia Olympic medalists in diving Medalists at the 2012 Summer Olympics World Aquatics Championships medalists in diving Divers from Saint Petersburg Universiade medalists in diving Universiade gold medalists for Russia Universiade silver medalists for Russia Universiade bronze medalists for Russia Medalists at the 2011 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 2013 Summer Universiade Medalists at the 2017 Summer Universiade New People politicians