Iryna Dvoskina


Iryna Dvoskina is a Ukraine-born Australian athletics coach who works with Paralympic athletes.

Biography

Being an only child, she came to Australia in 2003 to be closer to her mother Fira, who had moved to Australia in 1996. Her mother has carried on her successful coaching career in New South Wales.
She undertook a four-year coaching degree at university in Ukraine. She was the athletics coach with the Ukrainian Paralympic team from 1995 to 2002. In 2003, she was appointed sprints and jumps coach for Australian Institute of Sport Paralympic track and field athletes. She was an athletics coach with the Australian team at the 2004 Athens Paralympics and 2008 Beijing Games Games. At the 2004 Summer Paralympics she coached medallists Heath Francis, Lisa McIntosh and Amy Winters. At the 2008 Summer Paralympics, she was the coach of five Australian athletics competitors who won a combined thirteen total medals. Athletes she coached included Heath Francis, Evan O'Hanlon, Christine Wolf, Brad Scott and Aaron Chatman. At the 2012 London Games, her athletes Evan O'Hanlon, Brad Scott, Scott Reardon won two gold, two silver and one bronze medals.
At the 2016 Rio Paralympics, she coached Scott Reardon to gold, Evan O'Hanlon to silver and Chad Perris to bronze medals.
At the 2019 World Para Athletics Championships in Dubai, she coached James Turner to two gold medals, Vanessa Low to one gold medal Chad Perris to one silver medal and Evan O'Hanlon to a bronze medal.
She is regarded as a strict coach due to her intensive training six days a week, careful diets and her attention to detail. She has stated:" is the biggest inspiration in my life... maybe there is some genetics. I love my job and I am doing it with love. I love my guys." Her husband Yuriy Vdovychenko was appointed Paralympic Swimming Coach at the National Training Centre in Canberra in December 2013.

Recognition