Irina Deriugina

Irina Deriugina is a Ukrainian rhythmic gymnast who competed for the Soviet Union during the 1970s and early 1980s and is the only Soviet rhythmic gymnast to win two All-around World Championship titles, taking gold at the 1977 and 1979 World Championships. She also won gold in the ribbon event in 1977 and in the clubs event in 1979 at the world level, along with numerous European Championship medals and Soviet national titles. After retiring from competition in 1982 Deriugina became the Ukrainian national coach and later founded her own gymnastics school in Kyiv, which continues to train elite level athletes. She was married to Oleh Blokhin, the Ukrainian footballer who won the European Footballer of the Year award in 1975.