View source for Olga Graf

{{Short description|Russian speed skater (born 1983)}}
{{Infobox speed skater
|name           = Olga Graf
|image          = Olga Graf 2014.jpg
| image_size=225px
|caption        = Graf in 2014
|headercolor    = #d7ecff
|country        = {{RUS}}
|club           =
|birth_date     = {{birth date and age|1983|7|15|df=y}}
|birth_place    = [[Omsk]], Soviet Union<ref name=sr/>
|height         = 1.60 m<ref name=sr>{{sports-reference|gr/olga-graf-1}}</ref>
|weight         = 56 kg
|medaltemplates =
{{Medal|Competition|[[Speed skating at the Winter Olympics|Olympic Games]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze|[[2014 Winter Olympics|2014 Sochi]]|[[Speed skating at the 2014 Winter Olympics – Women's 3000 metres|3000&nbsp;m]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze|[[2014 Winter Olympics|2014 Sochi]]|[[Speed skating at the 2014 Winter Olympics – Women's team pursuit|Team pursuit]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[World Allround Speed Skating Championships for Women|World Allround Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Silver|[[2014 World Allround Speed Skating Championships|2014 Heerenveen]]|Allround}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships|World Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze|[[2015 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships|2015 Heerenveen]]|[[2015 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships – Women's team pursuit|Team pursuit]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze|[[2016 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships|2016 Kolomna]]|[[2016 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships – Women's team pursuit|Team pursuit]]}}
{{Medal|Bronze|[[2017 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships|2017 Gangneung]]|[[2017 World Single Distance Speed Skating Championships – Women's team pursuit|Team pursuit]]}}
{{Medal|Competition|[[European Speed Skating Championships|European Championships]]}}
{{Medal|Silver|[[2018 European Speed Skating Championships|2018 Kolomna]]|[[2018 European Speed Skating Championships – Women's team pursuit|Team pursuit]]}}
}}
'''Olga Borisovna Graf''' ({{langx|ru|Ольга Борисовна Граф}}; born 15 July 1983) is a Russian [[Speed skating|speed skater]].<ref name="sochi">{{cite web|url= http://www.sochi2014.com/en/athlete-olga-graf|title=Olga GRAF|website=Sochi2014.com|publisher=[[Organizing Committee of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi]]|access-date=9 February 2014|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110628235006/http://www.sochi2014.com/en/athlete-olga-graf |archive-date=28 June 2011}}</ref> Graf competed at the [[2014 Winter Olympics]], where she won bronze medals both in the [[Speed skating at the 2014 Winter Olympics – Women's 3000 metres|3000 metres]] event and in the [[Speed skating at the 2014 Winter Olympics – Women's team pursuit|team pursuit]].<ref>{{cite news|url= https://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303650204579372742265431518?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303650204579372742265431518.html|author=Joshua Robinson|title=Olga Graf Wins Russia's First Medal|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=9 February 2014|access-date=9 February 2014|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110628235006/http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303650204579372742265431518?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303650204579372742265431518.html|archive-date=28 June 2011}}</ref>
==Personal life==
Olga Graf was born 15 July 1983 in [[Omsk]], [[Soviet Union]].  She began speed skating in 1995 when her martial arts instructor suggested that she try it.<ref name="sochi"/> She attended the [[Siberian State University of Physical Education and Sport]].<ref name="sochi"/>  In 2007, she joined the Russian national speed skating team.<ref name="sochi"/>
Graf is married to Rustam Madaminov and lives in [[Kolomna]], [[Russia]].<ref name="sochi"/> She speaks Russian, German and English.<ref name="sochi"/>
==Early speed skating career==
Graf gradually worked her way up the world standings in women's speed skating.  In her debut [[2007–08 ISU Speed Skating World Cup|2007–08 World Cup]] appearance she finished 56th in the 3000m/5000m.<ref name="ISU">{{cite web|url= http://www.isu.html.infostradasports.com/cache/TheASP.asp@PageID%3D103037&SportID%3D103&Personid%3D230835&TaalCode%3D2&StyleID%3D0&Cache%3D2.html?421779|title=ISU Results|publisher=isu.htlm.infostradasports.com |access-date=11 February 2014|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140211142141/http://www.isu.html.infostradasports.com/asp/topnav_ss.asp |archive-date=11 February 2014}}</ref>  In the [[2009–10 ISU Speed Skating World Cup|2009–10 World Cup]] she improved her 3000m/5000m result slightly to 46th. She performed better that year in the 1500m where she finished 35th.<ref name="ISU"/>   She did not qualify for the [[2010 Winter Olympics]] in Vancouver.
It was not until the [[2011–12 ISU Speed Skating World Cup|2011–12 World Cup]] that Graf was able to crack the top ten in the individual. That year she finished 9th in the 3000m/5000m.<ref name="ISU"/>   In the [[2012–13 ISU Speed Skating World Cup|2012–13 World Cup]] she placed 7th in the 3000m/5000m and 3rd in the 5000m event.<ref name="ISU"/>
==2014 Sochi Olympics==
At the [[2014 Winter Olympics]] in the 3000m event Graf skated in the 10th pair against [[Jilleanne Rookard]] of the United States.  She finished with a time of 4:03.47 which was good enough for first place.  However, two pairs later [[Martina Sáblíková]] of the Czech Republic finished with a time of 4:01.95, pushing Graf into second.  In the thirteenth and final pair [[Ireen Wüst]] of the Netherlands finished with a time 4:00.34 and win the gold medal and moving Graf into third for bronze.<ref name="3000m">{{cite web|url=http://www.sochi2014.com/en/speed-skating-ladies-3000-m|title=3000m Results|website=Sochi2014.com|publisher=Organizing Committee of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi|access-date=11 February 2014}}</ref>
Graf finished 4th in the [[Speed skating at the 2014 Winter Olympics – Women's 5000 metres|5000 metres]] event, missing out on a podium position by 0.11 of a second.<ref name="5000m">{{cite web|url= http://www.sochi2014.com/en/speed-skating-ladies-5000-m|title=5000m Results|website=Sochi2014.com|publisher=Organizing Committee of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi|access-date=25 February 2014}}</ref>  In the [[Speed skating at the 2014 Winter Olympics – Women's team pursuit|team pursuit]], Graf helped her team win the bronze medal behind Netherlands and Poland.<ref name="Team">{{cite web|url= http://www.sochi2014.com/en/speed-skating-ladies-team-pursuit-finals|title=Team Results|website=Sochi 2014 |publisher=Organizing Committee of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi|access-date=25 February 2014}}</ref>
==2018 Pyeongchang Olympics==
Graf qualified for the [[2018 Winter Olympics]] and was invited to participate by the International Olympic Committee. She, however, said that she is not going to participate. She said that her main target was the team pursuit, and out of four Russian female skaters who qualified IOC only invited two (including Graf) to participate, so that the [[Olympic Athletes from Russia at the 2018 Winter Olympics|Olympic Athletes from Russia]] were not able to form a pursuit team. She was not planning to retire in 2017/18 season.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.gazeta.ru/sport/2018/01/30/a_11630341.shtml|title=Вежливый отказ: Граф не поедет на Олимпиаду|last=Kuzmin|first=Dmitry|date=20 January 2018|newspaper=[[Rossiyskaya Gazeta]]|language=ru|access-date=5 February 2018}}</ref>
==Personal records==
{{PersonalRecordsTop|ref=<ref>{{cite web
|url        = http://www.speedskatingresults.com/index.php?p=17&s=2090
|title      = Olga Graf
|publisher  = www.speedskatingresults.com
|access-date = 4 March 2016
}}</ref>}}
{{PersonalRecordsSport|Women's [[speed skating]]}}
{{PersonalRecordsMiddle|500 m|39.84|22 March 2014|[[Thialf]], Heerenveen|}}
{{PersonalRecordsMiddle|1000 m|1:19.79|16 October 2011|[[Kolomna Speed Skating Center]], Kolomna|}}
{{PersonalRecordsMiddle|1500 m|1:55.67|23 March 2014|Thialf, Heerenveen|}}
{{PersonalRecordsMiddle|3000 m|4:01.31|7 November 2015|[[Olympic Oval]], Calgary|}}
{{PersonalRecordsMiddle|5000 m|6:55.77|19 February 2014|[[Adler Arena Skating Center|Adler Arena]], Sochi|}}
{{PersonalRecordsBottom}}
==References==
{{Commons category|Olga Graf}}
{{reflist}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Graf, Olga}}
[[Category:1983 births]]
[[Category:Russian female speed skaters]]
[[Category:Speed skaters at the 2014 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic speed skaters for Russia]]
[[Category:Medalists at the 2014 Winter Olympics]]
[[Category:Olympic medalists in speed skating]]
[[Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Russia]]
[[Category:Sportspeople from Omsk]]
[[Category:Russian people of German descent]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:World Allround Speed Skating Championships medalists]]
[[Category:World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships medalists]]