Irina Zaretska


Irina Zaretska is a Ukrainian and Azerbaijani karateka. She won the silver medal in the women's +61kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan. She is a three-time gold medalist in the women's 68kg event at the World Karate Championships. Zaretska is also a three-time gold medalist in this event at the Islamic Solidarity Games and a two-time gold medalist at the European Games.
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Career

Zaretska won a bronze medal in the women's kumite 68kg event at the 2014 World Karate Championships held in Bremen, Germany. At the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games held in Baku, Azerbaijan, she won the gold medal in the women's kumite 68kg event.
At the 2018 European Karate Championships held in Novi Sad, Serbia, Zaretska won the silver medal in the women's kumite 68kg event. In the final, she lost against Elena Quirici of Switzerland. She also became world champion in the women's kumite 68kg event at the 2018 World Karate Championships held in Madrid, Spain.
In 2019, Zaretska won the silver medal in the women's kumite 68kg event at the European Games held in Minsk, Belarus. Four years earlier, she won the gold medal in this event at the 2015 European Games held in Baku, Azerbaijan.
Zaretska represented Azerbaijan in karate at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan. She won the silver medal in the women's +61kg event. In November 2021, she won the gold medal in the women's 68kg event at the World Karate Championships held in Dubai, United Arab Emirates.
She competed in the women's kumite 68kg event at the 2022 European Karate Championships held in Gaziantep, Turkey. She also competed in the women's team kumite event. She lost her bronze medal match in the women's 68kg event at the 2022 World Games held in Birmingham, United States. She won the gold medal in the women's 68kg event at the 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games held in Konya, Turkey.
Zaretska won the silver medal in the women's 68kg event at the 2023 European Karate Championships held in Guadalajara, Spain. A few months later, she won the gold medal in her event at the 2023 European Games held in Poland. She also won the gold medal in the women's 68kg event at the 2023 World Karate Championships held in Budapest, Hungary.
Zaretska won the silver medal in the women's 68kg event at the 2025 World Games held in Chengdu, China.
On 23 December 2025, at the event dedicated to the 2025 sports year review organized by the Ministry of Youth and Sports of Azerbaijan, Irina Zaretska was awarded the title of “Best Athlete In Non-Olympic Sports of 2025.”

Achievements

YearCompetitionVenueRankEvent
2014European ChampionshipsTampere, Finland3rdTeam kumite
2014World ChampionshipsBremen, Germany3rdKumite 68kg
2015European GamesBaku, Azerbaijan1stKumite 68kg
2016European ChampionshipsMontpellier, France1stTeam kumite
2017Islamic Solidarity GamesBaku, Azerbaijan1stKumite 68kg
2018European ChampionshipsNovi Sad, Serbia2ndKumite 68kg
2018World ChampionshipsMadrid, Spain1stKumite 68kg
2019European GamesMinsk, Belarus2ndKumite 68kg
2021European ChampionshipsPoreč, Croatia1stKumite 68kg
2021Olympic GamesTokyo, Japan2ndKumite +61kg
2021World ChampionshipsDubai, United Arab Emirates1stKumite 68kg
2022Islamic Solidarity GamesKonya, Turkey1stKumite 68kg
2023European ChampionshipsGuadalajara, Spain2ndKumite 68kg
2023European GamesKraków and Małopolska, Poland1stKumite 68kg
2023World ChampionshipsBudapest, Hungary1stKumite 68kg
2025World GamesChengdu, China2ndKumite 68kg
2025World ChampionshipsCairo, Egypt3rdKumite 68kg