Irina Poltoratskaya

{{Infobox handball biography

| name = Irina Poltoratskaya

| fullname = Irina Igorevna Poltoratskaya

| image =

| caption =

| nationality = Russian

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age |1979|3|12|df=y}}

| birth_place = Antratsyt, Rissia

| death_date =

| death_place =

| height = 177 cm

| position = Centre back

| currentclub =

| clubnumber =

| years1 = 1997-2000

| clubs1 = Istochnik Rostov-on-Don

| years2 = 2000-2004

| clubs2 = Lada Togliatti

| years3 = 2004-2006

| clubs3 = Slagelse FH

| years4 = 2006-2010

| clubs4 = Zvezda Zvenigorod

| nationalyears1 = 1999-2008

| nationalteam1 = Russia

| nationalcaps1 =

| nationalgoals1 =

| ntupdate =

| manageryears1 = 2017-2018

| managerclubs1 = ŽRK Vardar

| manageryears2 = 2023-

| managerclubs2 = Rostov-Don

| medaltemplates =

}}

Irina Igorevna Poltoratskaya ({{langx|ru|Ирина Игоревна Полторацкая}}, born 12 March 1979 in Antratsyt, Luhansk Oblast, Ukrainian SSR) is a Russian team handball player and handball coach, who manages Rostov-Don in the Russian League. In her playing days she played on the Russian women's national handball team.[http://www.handball.hu/team/nat/oroszorszag/?PHPSESSID=bbca837757d404d292e2a232af1ae4d3 "Oroszország"] handball.hu – 2007 december 2 (Hungarian) (Retrieved on 20 December 2007) She won World Championship gold medals with the Russian team in the 2001, 2005 in Saint Petersburg, Russia, and the 2007 World Championship in France.

She was included in the European Handball Federation Hall of Fame in 2023.{{cite web |url=https://www.eurohandball.com/en/news/en/legendary-players-enter-the-hall-of-fame-of-european-handball/ |publisher=European Handball Federation|website=www.eurohandball.com|title=LEGENDARY PLAYERS ENTER THE HALL OF FAME OF EUROPEAN HANDBALL|date=26 June 2023|accessdate=27 June 2023}}

Career

Poltoratskaya started her handball career at Istochnik Rostov-on-Don, where she won the Russian championship in her first season.

In 2000 she joined league rivals Lada Togliatti. Here she won the Russian championship in 2002, 2003 and 2004 and the EHF Cup Winners' Cup in 2002.

Irina's career in Russia was halted by a knee injury. Anja Andersen, the coach of Slagelse Dream Team, Denmark brought Irina to Slagelse DT in 2004, and a few months later she underwent surgery and got a new meniscus.{{cite web|url=http://dhdb.hyldgaard-jensen.dk/spiller.php?id=2044|publisher=dhdb.hyldgaard-jensen.dk|title=Irina Poltoratskaya|accessdate=19 December 2020|language=da}} The operation was successful, and only a year later did Irina return to the field. In the EHF Champions League the same season, Irina scored on penalties for Slagelse in the final.{{cite web|url=http://history.eurohandball.com/ec/cl/women/2004-05/player/504448/IrinaPoltoratskaya |publisher=European Handball Federation|website=history.eurohandball.com|title=Irina Poltoratskaya|accessdate=19 December 2020}} Afterwards she gave Anja Andersen her gold medal from the World Cup, as a thank you for helping her return to the world of handball. This was the first time a Danish club won the Champions League.{{cite web|url=https://www.tv2east.dk/slagelse/saerlig-sejr-satte-slagelse-paa-verdenskortet|title=Særlig sejr satte Slagelse på verdenskortet|publisher=TV2 Øst|first=Sarah Emilie|last=Buhl|date=23 May 2024|accessdate=28 January 2025|language=DA}}

Irina left Slagelse after 2 years and returned to the Russia to join Zvezda Zvenigorod. Here she won the Russian Championship and the EHF European League in 2007, and the EHF Champions League and the EHF Champions Trophy in 2008.{{cite web|url=http://todor66.com/handball/Euro_Cups/index_Women_Champions.html|title=Women Handball European Champions Cup and Champions League Archive|publisher=Todor 66|author=Todor Krastev|access-date=18 November 2013}} She retired in 2010.{{cite web|url=https://infosport.ru/person/gandbol/poltoratskaya-irina-igorevna |publisher=infosport.ru|title=Ирина ПОЛТОРАЦКАЯ в публикацияхstadium.ru|accessdate=19 December 2020|language=ru}}

Coaching career

In March 2017 she took over the Macedonian team ŽRK Vardar. Under her leadership the club won the domestic double in both 2017 and 2018 and reached the final of the EHF Champions League in both seasons. In 2018 she retired from the position.

She was later offered the position as the assistant coach of the Russian national team, but declined it citing family reasons.{{cite web|url=https://handballfast.com/news/23317-irina_dibirova_v_zhurnale_bystryy_tsentr_zhena_timura |publisher=handballfast.com|title=Ирина Дибирова в журнале "Быстрый центр". Жена Тимура|accessdate=19 December 2020|language=ru}}

Since 2023 she has been the head coach of Rostov-Don in the Russian top league.{{cite web|url=https://www.nvgazeta.ru/news/12382/620561/ |publisher=nvgazeta.ru|title=Новый главный тренер «Ростов-Дона» Ирина Дибирова встретилась с донскими журналистами|accessdate=21 August 2023|language=ru}}

Private life

She is the wife of Russian handball player Timur Dibirov. They have two kids together.{{cite web|url=https://volga.news/article/434334.html |publisher=volga.news|title=Экс-гандболистка "Лады" Ирина Полторацкая возглавила македонский клуб "Вардар"|accessdate=19 December 2020|language=ru}}