Inna Deriglazova

Deriglazova began fencing at the age of 8 in hometown Kurchatov.[2] When her potential became apparent she underwent serious training under Ildar Mavlyutov. Despite her diminutive frame as a child, she became accustomed to fencing athletes much older than herself.[2] She won a bronze medal at the 2006 Cadet World Championships in Taebaek, followed a year later by the gold medal in the individual and team events at the Cadet World Championships in Novi Sad. The same year, she took the bronze medal in the Junior World Championships at Prague. She became Junior World Champion in Amsterdam in 2008.

Shortly after her world title, Deriglazova got married and gave birth to a daughter, Diana. She stopped training just a week before delivery and went back to the piste two weeks afterwards.[2] Two months after giving birth, she earned the silver medal in the Russian national championship.[2] A year after, in 2010, she took the gold in the individual and team event of the Junior World Championships in Baku. [3]The same year, she joined the senior national team and took a bronze medal in the individual and team events of the senior European Championships in Leipzig.[2]

Deriglazova climbed her first World Cup podium in 2011 with a silver medal in Tauberbischofsheim. She was stopped by Korea's Nam Hyun-hee in the table of 16 of the 2011 World Championships in Catania. In the team event, Russia defeated France in the quarter-finals, then Korea to meet the Italian "Dream Team". Russia lost by a single hit and were doomed to a silver medal. At the 2012 European Championships she defeated reigning Olympic silver medallist Arianna Errigo in the semi-finals and prevailed over teammate Kamilla Gafurzianova to earn her first senior individual title.[4] For her Olympic début at London 2012, she was defeated 8–15 in the second round of the individual event by France's Ysaora Thibus.[5] In the team event Russia got the best of Japan, then of South Korea. They met No.1 rivals Italy in the final. Deriglazova opened the match against five-time Olympic champion Valentina Vezzali and was defeated 2–5. Her teammates could not contain Italy either and Russia were eventually defeated 31–45.[6]

Deriglazova was left extremely frustrated by her Olympic experience and resolved to train harder under the new direction of Stefano Cerioni, former coach of the Italian foil teams.[7] During the 2012–13 season she won her first World Cup title at Budapest, followed by three other victories in Saint-Petersbourg, Tauberbischofsheim and Seoul. Her ambitions for the 2013 European Championships in Zagreb were however cut short in the first round of the individual event by World No.88 Anastasiya Moskovska. In the team event, Russia were defeated by France in the semi-finals, then by Hungary in the match for the bronze medal, and came away with no medal. Deriglazova bounced back by taking the gold medal at the 2013 Summer Universiade after defeating teammate Larisa Korobeynikova in the final.[8] At the World Championships in Budapest Deriglazova made her way to the semi-finals, where she was defeated 15–11 by Arianna Errigo and took the bronze medal. In the team event, Russia were defeated by France in the semi-finals, but prevailed over South Korea to earn the bronze medal. Deriglazova finished the season World No.2 behind Errigo.

In the 2013–14 season Deriglazova won the Turin World Cup and placed second in Shanghai. At the 2014 European Championships in Strasbourg she was stopped in the second round by teammate Julia Biryukova. In the team event, Russia cruised to the final where they met Italy, which had stayed unvanquished all season. Russia unexpectedly took an early lead. Deriglazova entered the piste for the last relay on 40–38, which quickly became 44–38 against Olympic champion Elisa Di Francisca. The Italian then struck seven hits in a row, winning by a single hit in the last seconds of the bout.[9] The World Championships at home in Kazan proved equally disappointing as Deriglazova ceded 15–8 against Ukraine's Olha Leleiko in the second round of the individual event. In the team event, Russia met Italy again in the final and were defeated again on 39–45.[10] She then won in the women's individuals in 2015.

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Inna Deriglazova.

• Inna Deriglazova at the International Fencing Federation
• Inna Deriglazova at the European Fencing Confederation
• Inna Deriglazova at the Russian Fencing Federation (in Russian) (in English)
• Inna Deriglazova at the International Olympic Committee
• Inna Deriglazova at the Olympic Channel
• Inna Deriglazova at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)