Penza State University is proud of its students and alumni, who have achieved great sport results at the national and international level. Athletes, winners and prize-winners of the Olympics and other competitions from PSU are known all over the world.

Yuliya Pakhalina	Aleksandr Bolshunov	Anastasiya Fesikova	Denis Ablyazin

Yuliya Pakhalina is the diver who won the 2000 Summer Olympics in the 3m Synchronized Springboard with partner Vera Ilyina. At the Summer Olympics in Athens and Beijing (2004 and 2008), she received one bronze and three silver medals in springboard and synchronized springboard. The athlete is the three-time champion of the FINA World Championships and eight-time winner of the European Aquatics Championships.

Aleksandr Bolshunov is a Russian cross-country skier who received one bronze medal (sprint) and three silver medals (4 × 10 km relay, team sprint and 50 km classical) at the 2018 Winter Olympics. He is the champion and prize-winner in Roller Skiing World Championship. The sportsman won four silver medals (30 km skiathlon, 50 km freestyle mass start, team sprint, and 4 × 10 km relay) in the FIS Nordic World Ski Championship 2019.

Anastasiya Fesikova (Zuyeva) holds the Russian national records for the 50, 100 and 200 m backstroke swimming events. At the 2012 Olympic Games, she won silver medal in the 200 m backstroke. The athlete is the winner and prize-winner of the FINA World Championships in 2009, 2011 and 2017. She is the multiple champion of the European Aquatics Championships and the European Short Course Swimming Championships.

Denis Ablyazin is an artistic gymnast. At the 2012 Olympics in London, he won silver in vault and bronze in floor. The sportsman received silver in vault and bronze in rings and silver with the Russian men’s team at the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. He is the three-time European vault champion (2013, 2014 and 2019), the 2014 European champion on floor and rings and the 2014 World champion on floor.

Igor Lukashin (right)	Natalya Lavrova	Aleksey Chervotkin	Olesya Belugina

Igor Lukashin is a diver who, along with Dmitri Sautin, won gold medal at the 2000 Summer Olympics in the men’s 10 m platform synchronized diving. At the FINA World Championships in 1998, he was awarded bronze and at the European Aquatics Championships in 1997 he was the prize-winner.

Natalya Lavrova was a dual Olympic gold medalist. She was the first group rhythmic gymnast to receive two gold medals in the rhythmic gymnastics group event at the 2000 and 2004 Summer Olympics. She won five gold, two silver and one bronze in the Gymnastics World Championships (1999, 2002, 2003) in 5 Ribbons, 2 Balls + 3 Hoops, and group all-around. The athlete was the champion of the Rhythmic Gymnastics World Cup and the Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships.

Aleksey Chervotkin is a cross-country skier. At the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeongchang, he got silver with the Russian national team in men’s 4 × 10 km relay. The athlete competed at the FIS Nordic World Ski Championships 2017 in Lahti in men’s 4 × 10 km relay and won silver medal.

Olesya Belugina is a gymnast who competed at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and received gold medal in the rhythmic group competition. She is the tree-time world champion. The athlete won the Rhythmic Gymnastics European Championships three times in the rhythmic group competition.

Yanina Zatuliveter	Vasily Pervukhin (right)	Irina Bazhina	Sergey Yashin

Yanina Zatuliveter was a gymnast who won three gold medals in the World Cup (1990). She was the two-time European champion (1987 and 1990), four-time champion of the USSR and the winner of other national and international competitions. In 1991 she was awarded the title of the Honoured Sports Master of the USSR. In March 2003 she was conferred the title of the Honoured Coach of Russia.

Vasily Pervukhin is an ice hockey player, who competed for the Soviet Union. At the national level he played for Dizelist Penza between 1974 and 1976, and for HC Dynamo Moscow between 1976 and 1989. At the Olympics, the sportsman got silver medal in 1980 and gold medal in 1984. He is the multiple champion of the Ice Hockey World and European Championships in 1978 – 1987.

Irina Bazhina (Kalinina) is a diver and Olympic champion. She competed at the 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow, where she won gold in Women’s 3 m springboard. At the FINA World Championships (1975, 1978) she got gold medals three times.

Sergey Yashin is an ice hockey player who played in the Soviet Hockey League. He is the champion of the men’s ice hockey tournament at the 1988 Winter Olympics in Calgary. The sportsman is the two-time gold medalist at the Ice Hockey World Championships (1986 and 1989) and three-time winner of the Ice Hockey European Championship (1985, 1986, and 1989). He played for HC Dynamo Moscow.

Denis Ayrapetyan	Evgeniya Bochkaryova	Nikolay Smaga	Natalya Sutyagina

As part of the national team, Denis Ayrapetyan became the champion in 5000 m relay within the 2018 – 2019 ISU Short Track Speed Skating World Cup. At the 2019 European Short Track Speed Skating Championships, the sportsman won two bronze medals in 1000 m and 5000 m relay.

Evgeniya Bochkaryova is a gymnast who competed at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta where she won bronze medal in the rhythmic group competition. She also represented the Russian national team at the Gymnastics World Championships in 1995 and 1996 and got one bronze and two silver medals in 5 Hoops, 3 Balls + 2 Ribbons.

Nikolay Smaga was an athlete who competed mainly in the 20 kilometer walk. He trained at Trud Sport and Fitness Complex in Penza. He competed for the USSR at the 1968 Summer Olympics held in Mexico City in 20 km walk where he won bronze. The sportsman was the winner of the 1971 European Athletics Championship in Helsinki in 20 km walk.

Natalya Sutyagina is a butterfly swimmer who won gold medal in the 50 m butterfly at the 2004 European Aquatics Championships. The athlete competed at three consecutive Summer Olympics, starting in 2000.

*non-exhaustive list