# Irina Zaretska

Irina Zaretska (born 4 March 1996) is a Ukrainian (until 2014) and Azerbaijani (since 2015) karateka. She won the silver medal in the women's +61 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan. She is a three-time gold medalist in the women's 68 kg event at the World Karate Championships (2018, 2021 and 2023). Zaretska is also a two-time gold medalist in this event at the Islamic Solidarity Games (2017 and 2022) and the European Games (2015 and 2023).

## Career

Zaretska won one of the bronze medals in the women's kumite 68 kg event at the 2014 World Karate Championships held in Bremen, Germany. At the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games held in Baku, Azerbaijan, she won the gold medal in the women's kumite 68 kg event.
At the 2018 European Karate Championships held in Novi Sad, Serbia, Zaretska won the silver medal in the women's kumite 68 kg event. In the final, she lost against Elena Quirici of Switzerland. She also became world champion in the women's kumite 68 kg event at the 2018 World Karate Championships held in Madrid, Spain.
In 2019, Zaretska won the silver medal in the women's kumite 68 kg event at the European Games held in Minsk, Belarus. Four years earlier, she won the gold medal in this event at the 2015 European Games held in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Zaretska represented Azerbaijan in karate at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. She won the silver medal in the women's +61 kg event. In November 2021, she won the gold medal in the women's 68 kg event at the World Karate Championships held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
She competed in the women's kumite 68 kg event at the 2022 European Karate Championships held in Gaziantep, Turkey. She also competed in the women's team kumite event. She lost her bronze medal match in the women's 68 kg event at the 2022 World Games held in Birmingham, United States. She won the gold medal in the women's 68 kg event at the 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games held in Konya, Turkey.
Zaretska won the silver medal in the women's 68 kg event at the 2023 European Karate Championships held in Guadalajara, Spain. A few months later, she won the gold medal in her event at the 2023 European Games held in Poland. She also won the gold medal in the women's 68 kg event at the 2023 World Karate Championships held in Budapest, Hungary.

## Achievements

| Year | Competition | Venue | Rank | Event |
| 2014 | European Championships | Tampere, Finland | 3rd | Team kumite |
| 2014 | World Championships | Bremen, Germany | 3rd | Kumite 68 kg |
| 2015 | European Games | Baku, Azerbaijan | 1st | Kumite 68 kg |
| 2016 | European Championships | Montpellier, France | 1st | Team kumite |
| 2017 | Islamic Solidarity Games | Baku, Azerbaijan | 1st | Kumite 68 kg |
| 2018 | European Championships | Novi Sad, Serbia | 2nd | Kumite 68 kg |
| 2018 | World Championships | Madrid, Spain | 1st | Kumite 68 kg |
| 2019 | European Games | Minsk, Belarus | 2nd | Kumite 68 kg |
| 2021 | European Championships | Poreč, Croatia | 1st | Kumite 68 kg |
| 2021 | Olympic Games | Tokyo, Japan | 2nd | Kumite +61 kg |
| 2021 | World Championships | Dubai, United Arab Emirates | 1st | Kumite 68 kg |
| 2022 | Islamic Solidarity Games | Konya, Turkey | 1st | Kumite 68 kg |
| 2023 | European Championships | Guadalajara, Spain | 2nd | Kumite 68 kg |
| 2023 | European Games | Kraków and Małopolska, Poland | 1st | Kumite 68 kg |
| 2023 | World Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 1st | Kumite 68 kg |