# Iryna Yatchenko

Iryna Vasiliyevna Yatchenko (Belarusian: Ірына Ятчанка, Russian: Ирина Васильевна Ятченко; born 31 October 1965) is a Belarusian former discus thrower best known for winning two Olympic bronze medals at the 2000 Summer Olympics and 2004 Summer Olympics, although she was eventually stripped of the latter medal due to a doping offence. She also became world champion at the 2003 World Championships in Athletics. Her personal best is 69.14 metres, achieved in July 2004 in Minsk.

## Career

Yatchenko was born in Gomel. Her career at the highest level of competition lasted almost twenty years, starting with the 1990 European Athletics Championships. She threw the discus at five editions of the Olympic Games, competing at all Games from the 1992 Barcelona Games to the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Yatchenko's World Championship career was similarly extensive, as she competed on eight separate occasions.
Yatchenko's final major competition was the 2009 World Championships in Athletics, but she failed to register a valid throw in the qualifying rounds. She retired from international competition in June 2010 and the Belarus National Olympic Committee held a ceremony to honour her career. At the age of 44, she was one of the last athletes to retire who had previously represented the Soviet Union in international athletics.
Yatchenko is married to Igor Astapkovich, also a Belarusian Olympic medalist in hammer throw.

### Doping case

When the IOC in 2012 re-analysed stored samples from the 2004 Summer Olympics, Yatchenko's sample was found positive for the anabolic steroid Methandienone. IOC subsequently disqualified her results from the Athens Olympics and she was made to return the bronze medal and diploma. The IAAF also banned her for two years from sports and disqualified all her results from 21 August 2004 – 20 August 2006.

## Achievements

| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Notes |
| Representing Soviet Union |||||
| 1990 | Goodwill Games | Seattle, United States | 2nd | 67.04 m |
| 1990 | European Championships | Split, Yugoslavia | 5th | 65.16 m |
| 1991 | World Championships | Tokyo, Japan | 7th | 64.92 m |
| Representing Unified Team |||||
| 1992 | Olympic Games | Barcelona, Spain | 7th | 63.74 m |
| 1992 | IAAF Grand Prix Final | Turin, Italy | 3rd | Second on season's points |
| Representing Belarus |||||
| 1995 | World Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 9th | 60.48 m |
| 1996 | Olympic Games | Atlanta, United States | 12th | 60.46 m |
| 1997 | World Championships | Athens, Greece | 5th | 62.58 m |
| 1998 | European Championships | Budapest, Hungary | 8th | 61.20 m |
| 1999 | World Championships | Seville, Spain | 9th | 62.99 m |
| 2000 | Olympic Games | Sydney, Australia | 3rd | 65.20 m |
| 2001 | World Championships | Edmonton, Canada | 9th | 59.45 m |
| 2003 | World Championships | Paris, France | 1st | 67.32 m |
| 2003 | World Athletics Final | Monte Carlo, Monaco | 8th | |
| 2004 | Olympic Games | Athens, Greece | DSQ (3rd) | 66.17 m |
| 2004 | World Athletics Final | Monte Carlo, Monaco | DSQ (3rd) | |
| 2006 | European Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 10th | 59.65 m |
| 2007 | World Championships | Paris, France | 10th | 62.63 m |
| 2008 | Olympic Games | Beijing, China | 11th | 59.27 m |
| 2009 | World Championships | Berlin, Germany | NM | No mark |