Irina Embrich, née Zamkovaja (born 12 July 1980) is an

Estonian Estonian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Estonia, a country in the Baltic region in northern Europe * Estonians, people from Estonia, or of Estonian descent * Estonian language * Estonian cuisine * Estonian culture See also

left-handed

épée The (, ; ), also rendered as epee in English, is the largest and heaviest of the three weapons used in the sport of fencing. The modern derives from the 19th-century , a weapon which itself derives from the French small sword. This contains a ...

fencer. Embrich is the 2024 individual European champion, a two-time team European champion, and a 2017 team world champion. A two-time Olympian, Embrich is a 2021 team Olympic champion. Embrich competed in the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Olympic Games and the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games.

Biography

Embrich's first sport was

gymnastics Gymnastics is a group of sport that includes physical exercises requiring Balance (ability), balance, Strength training, strength, Flexibility (anatomy), flexibility, agility, Motor coordination, coordination, artistry and endurance. The movem ...

, but she resented the hard discipline of the Soviet era. She later took to

rhythmic gymnastics Rhythmic gymnastics is a sport in which gymnasts perform individually or in groups on a floor with an apparatus: hoop (rhythmic gymnastics), hoop, ball (rhythmic gymnastics), ball, Clubs (rhythmic gymnastics), clubs, ribbon (rhythmic gymnastics), ...

and then fencing under coach Samuil Kaminski. She ranked 20th then 12th at the cadet World championships in 1996 and 1998, but snatched the bronze medal at the junior event in 1999. After high school, Embrich studied chemistry at the

Tallinn University of Technology Established in 1918, Tallinn University of Technology (TalTech; ) is the only Institute of technology, technical university in Estonia. TalTech, in the capital city of Tallinn, is a university for engineering, business, public administration a ...

. In 2004 her coach left Estonia for Norway. Épée champion

Nikolai Novosjolov Nikolai Novosjolov (born 9 June 1980) is an Estonian right-handed épée fencer, two-time individual world champion, and four-time Olympian. Novosjolov competed in the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games, the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, the 2012 Lond ...

, who is the same age as her, accepted to train her under an equal footing more than a student-master relationship. The same year she married a fellow student and gave birth in 2005 to a daughter, Maria. She went on in her fencing career and won the silver medal at the épée

2006 World Fencing Championships The 2006 World Fencing Championships were held at the Oval Lingotto in Turin, Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, ...

after losing the final 15–11 versus

Tímea Nagy Tímea Nagy (born 22 August 1970) is a Hungarian right-handed épée fencer, three-time Olympian, 2006 individual world champion, and two-time Olympic champion. Awards * Hungarian Fencer of the Year (3): 2000, 2004, 2006 * National Defenc ...

, and then the bronze medal in 2007. She was named Estonian Sportswoman of the Year 2007 for these performances. In the 2012–13 season, she took a bronze medal at the World Cup events of Leipzig and Saint-Maur and won the team gold medal with Estonia in the

European Championships A European Championship is the top level international sports competition between European athletes or sports teams representing their respective countries or professional sports clubs. In the plural, the European Championships also refers t ...

Zagreb Zagreb ( ) is the capital (political), capital and List of cities and towns in Croatia#List of cities and towns, largest city of Croatia. It is in the Northern Croatia, north of the country, along the Sava river, at the southern slopes of the ...

. She ranked 10th in the

World Championships A world championship is generally an international competition open to elite competitors from around the world, representing their nations, and winning such an event will be considered the highest or near highest achievement in the sport, game ...

Budapest Budapest is the Capital city, capital and List of cities and towns of Hungary, most populous city of Hungary. It is the List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, tenth-largest city in the European Union by popul ...

after she lost her T16 bout against Emese Szász, who eventually took a bronze medal. In the 2013–14 season, she placed second at the Budapest Grand Prix after being defeated 7–15 in the final by world no.1

Ana Maria Brânză Ana Maria Popescu, formerly known as Ana Maria Brânză (, born 26 November 1984), is a Romanian left-handed épée Fencing, fencer. Popescu is a four-time team European champion, 2013 individual European champion, and two-time team world champi ...

. This result helped her reach the 4th place in world rankings. At the 2014 European Championships at Strasbourg, she was stopped in the table of 32 by World No. 1 Emese Szász. In the team event, Estonia were defeated by Russia in the semi-final, then by Italy and finished fourth. At the 2014 World Championships in Kazan, Embrich reached the quarter-finals, defeating World No. 2 Ana Brânză along the way. She was then defeated by Italy's

Rossella Fiamingo Rossella Fiamingo (born 14 July 1991) is an Italian left-handed épée fencer and two-time individual world champion. A three-time Olympian, Fiamingo is a 2021 and 2024 team Olympic bronze and Gold, respectively, medalist and 2016 individual Ol ...

, who eventually won the gold medal.

Medal record

Olympic Games

World Championship

European Championship

Grand Prix

World Cup

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Embrich, Irina 1980 births Living people Sportspeople from Tallinn Estonian female épée fencers Fencers at the 2015 European Games European Games medalists in fencing European Games silver medalists for Estonia Olympic fencers for Estonia Fencers at the 2016 Summer Olympics Summer World University Games medalists in fencing FISU World University Games bronze medalists for Estonia Recipients of the Order of the White Star, 3rd Class Medalists at the 2005 Summer Universiade Olympic medalists in fencing Medalists at the 2020 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists for Estonia Fencers at the 2020 Summer Olympics 20th-century Estonian sportswomen 21st-century Estonian sportswomen Fencers at the 2023 European Games Left-handed fencers