Natalia Vorobieva

{{for|the Kazakhstani Olympic sprinter|Nataliya Vorobyova (sprinter)}}

{{Infobox sportsperson

| headercolor = lightblue

| name = Natalia Vorobieva
Наталья Воробьёва

| image =

| image_size =

| caption =

| fullname = Natalia Vitalievna Vorobieva

| nationality = {{flagicon|RUS}} Russian

| ethnicity =

| residence =

| birth_date = {{birth date and age|1991|5|27}}

| birth_place = Tulun, Irkutsk oblast, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union (now Russia)

| weight = {{convert|72|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}
{{convert|69|kg|lb|0|abbr=on}}

| country = {{RUS}}

| sport = Wrestling

| event = Freestyle

| collegeteam =

| club = Fight Spirit Team

| coach = Kamil Djiganchin, Dmitry Gerceglo

| pb =

| medaltemplates =

{{MedalCountry | {{RUS}} }}

File:Olympic rings.svg

| show-medals = yes

}}

Natalia Vitalyevna Vorobieva ({{langx|ru|Наталья Витальевна Воробьёва}}; born 27 May 1991){{cite web|url=http://www.london2012.com/athlete/vorobieva-natalia-1010504/|title=Medal Count - Olympic Results & Medalists - IOC|work=london2012.com|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://archive.today/20130104033649/http://www.london2012.com/athlete/vorobieva-natalia-1010504/|archive-date=2013-01-04}} is a Russian retired wrestler, who has won the Olympic, World and European titles.

Career

Vorobieva took up wrestling in her youth, despite some misgivings from her parents. After winning a number of titles at youth level,{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=2009 European Junior Championships - Women's -72 kg Freestyle at the International Wrestling Database|url=https://www.iat.uni-leipzig.de/datenbanken/dbwrestling/daten.php?wkid=645B233E471745358B725C2D71342C6A&gkl=8|access-date=2021-02-07|website=www.iat.uni-leipzig.de}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=2009 World Junior Championship - Women's -72 kg Freestyle at the International Wrestling Database|url=https://www.iat.uni-leipzig.de/datenbanken/dbwrestling/daten.php?wkid=B49E1092E0484687A4369E715E4AEF52&gkl=8|access-date=2021-02-07|website=www.iat.uni-leipzig.de}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=2010 European Junior Championships - Women's -72 kg Freestyle at the International Wrestling Database|url=https://www.iat.uni-leipzig.de/datenbanken/dbwrestling/daten.php?wkid=ADAC797E7D254F52A0DE4AC530CC7466&gkl=8|access-date=2021-02-07|website=www.iat.uni-leipzig.de}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=2010 Junior World Championships - Women's -72 kg Freestyle at the International Wrestling Database|url=https://www.iat.uni-leipzig.de/datenbanken/dbwrestling/daten.php?wkid=89D5474D4FFE4CDCBB19AE1EC32A865E&gkl=8|access-date=2021-02-07|website=www.iat.uni-leipzig.de}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=2011 Junior World Championship - Women's -72 kg Freestyle at the International Wrestling Database|url=https://www.iat.uni-leipzig.de/datenbanken/dbwrestling/daten.php?wkid=56BBE166A2FE45259691E17C2B395B92&gkl=8|access-date=2021-02-07|website=www.iat.uni-leipzig.de}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=2011 European Junior Championship - Women's -72 kg at the International Wrestling Database|url=https://www.iat.uni-leipzig.de/datenbanken/dbwrestling/daten.php?wkid=E9EF63F211DB4B88ADBB4E3A2096E8DC&gkl=8|access-date=2021-02-07|website=www.iat.uni-leipzig.de}} Vorobieva proceeded to succeed at senior level in the women's -72 kg freestyle division, beginning with a bronze medal at the 2012 European Championship.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=2012 European Championship - Women's -72 kg Freestyle at the International Wrestling Database|url=https://www.iat.uni-leipzig.de/datenbanken/dbwrestling/daten.php?wkid=73E8610852974637A46E376FCCE88FD9&gkl=7|access-date=2021-02-07|website=www.iat.uni-leipzig.de}} Vorobieva won an unexpected gold at the 2012 Summer Olympics, where she beat five-time World Champion Stanka Zlateva of Bulgaria to win the gold medal.

{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18914204|title=Olympics wrestling: Natalia Vorobieva stuns Stanka Hristova to win gold|access-date=August 9, 2012|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130326032117/http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/0/olympics/18914204|archive-date=March 26, 2013|url-status=dead|df=mdy-all}}

{{Cite web|title=Hat-trick for Yoshida|url=https://www.skysports.com/olympics/news/15234/7976531/hat-trick-for-yoshida|access-date=2021-02-07|website=Sky Sports|language=en}} She was the first Russian to win the -72 kg freestyle title.{{Cite web|title=Natalia Vorobieva makes history winning Russia's first Olympic wrestling gold|url=https://tass.com/archive/680132|access-date=2021-02-07|website=TASS}}

In the following, 2013, season, Vorobieva won silver in the women's -72 kg freestyle event at the World Championship, losing in the final to Zhang Fengliu.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=2013 World Championship - Women's -72 kg Freestyle at the International Wrestling Database|url=https://www.iat.uni-leipzig.de/datenbanken/dbwrestling/daten.php?wkid=3ED9CD12F9114233BF1B2EBD6EAE4857&gkl=7|access-date=7 February 2021|website=www.iat.uni-leipzig.de}} Vorobieva won the European title, defeating Maider Unda in the final.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=2013 European Wrestling Championship - Women's -72 kg Freestyle at the International Wrestling Database|url=https://www.iat.uni-leipzig.de/datenbanken/dbwrestling/daten.php?wkid=1A4697AAE5D84EE08F0CD1412304D8C3&gkl=7|access-date=7 February 2021|website=www.iat.uni-leipzig.de}}

Vorobieva dropped into the -69 kg division when the weight categories were changed at the start of the 2014 season.{{Cite web|last=Abbott|first=Gary|date=3 August 2016|title=OLYMPIC GAMES PREVIEW IN WOMEN'S WRESTLING AT 69 KG/152 LBS.|url=https://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2016/August/03/Olympic-Games-preview-in-womens-wrestling-at-69-kg|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160805230803/http://www.teamusa.org/USA-Wrestling/Features/2016/August/03/Olympic-Games-preview-in-womens-wrestling-at-69-kg|url-status=dead|archive-date=5 August 2016|access-date=7 February 2021|website=}} Her first season in her new weight class brought a bronze at the World Championship, and victory at the European Championships (defeating Ilana Kratysh in the final).{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=2014 World Championship - Women's -69 kg freestyle at the International Wrestling Database|url=https://www.iat.uni-leipzig.de/datenbanken/dbwrestling/daten.php?wkid=CDEC7894DD5A420B904DC95A2CEC43A9&gkl=7|access-date=2021-02-07|website=www.iat.uni-leipzig.de}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=2014 European Championships - Women's -69 kg at the International Wrestling Database|url=https://www.iat.uni-leipzig.de/datenbanken/dbwrestling/daten.php?wkid=30A6FF193E7141F0B9540D814699BD9B&gkl=7|access-date=7 February 2021|website=www.iat.uni-leipzig.de}}

In the final of the Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin 2015, Vorobieva defeated Ochirbatyn Nasanburmaa of Mongolia.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=Ivan Yarygin Grand Prix - Women's -69 kg Freestyle at the International Wrestling Database|url=https://www.iat.uni-leipzig.de/datenbanken/dbwrestling/daten.php?wkid=545AEB82BD884323B07D0AA3E21430C7&gkl=7|access-date=7 February 2021|website=www.iat.uni-leipzig.de}} That year, she also won the World title in the women's -69 kg freestyle division, beating Zhou Feng in the final, and won a bronze medal at the European Games.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=2105 World Title - Women's -69 kg at the International Wrestling Database|url=https://www.iat.uni-leipzig.de/datenbanken/dbwrestling/daten.php?wkid=BFA293BB57FE491282979D974912CD04&gkl=7|access-date=7 February 2021|website=www.iat.uni-leipzig.de}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=2015 European Games - Women's -69 kg Freestyle at the International Wrestling Database|url=https://www.iat.uni-leipzig.de/datenbanken/dbwrestling/daten.php?wkid=53D8E3288ADA4983A5F3D20E871622DE&gkl=7|access-date=7 February 2021|website=www.iat.uni-leipzig.de}}

At the 2016 Olympic Games, she competed in the -69 kg division, winning a silver medal after losing to Sara Dosho in the final.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=2016 Olympic Games - Women's -69 kg at the International Wrestling Database|url=https://www.iat.uni-leipzig.de/datenbanken/dbwrestling/daten.php?wkid=AB202CCAA750475EB6D4A1C9A86EFAE0&gkl=5|access-date=7 February 2021|website=www.iat.uni-leipzig.de}}

Vorobieva moved back up to the -72 kg division. 2019 was a very successful year for Vorobieva. She won the -72 kg freestyle World title, beating Alina Stadnik Makhinia in the final, and the -76 kg title at the 2019 World Military Games, beating Wang Juan of China in the final.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=2019 World Championship Women's -72 kg title at the International Wrestling Database|url=https://www.iat.uni-leipzig.de/datenbanken/dbwrestling/daten.php?wkid=033FCEC7CFDE48BF83FBE48EDE2C5078&gkl=9|access-date=7 February 2021|website=www.iat.uni-leipzig.de}}{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=2019 Military World Games, Women's -76 kg Division at the International Wrestling Database|url=https://www.iat.uni-leipzig.de/datenbanken/dbwrestling/daten.php?wkid=124CD5B8F4874783B67A054754FE18E6&gkl=6|access-date=7 February 2021|website=www.iat.uni-leipzig.de}}

In 2020, Vorobieva won the -72 kg freestyle European title, beating Maria Selmeier in the final.{{Cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=2020 European Championship - Women's -72 kg at the International Wrestling Database|url=https://www.iat.uni-leipzig.de/datenbanken/dbwrestling/daten.php?wkid=728932B62C6A47F684A263B72F153968&gkl=9|access-date=7 February 2021|website=www.iat.uni-leipzig.de}} In March 2021, she qualified at the European Qualification Tournament to compete at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.{{Cite news|last=Shefferd|first=Neil|date=19 March 2021|title=Twelve more wrestlers secure Tokyo 2020 places as women's action takes centre stage at European Olympic qualifier|work=InsideTheGames.biz|url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1105647/womens-wrestling-tokyo-2020-qualifier|access-date=20 March 2021}}{{Cite web|title=2021 European Wrestling Olympic Qualification Tournament Results Book|url=https://uww.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/final-book.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210324185322/https://uww.org/sites/default/files/2021-03/final-book.pdf|archive-date=24 March 2021|access-date=24 March 2021|website=United World Wrestling}} In June 2021, she won one of the bronze medals in her event at the 2021 Poland Open held in Warsaw, Poland.{{Cite news|last=Rowbottom|first=Mike|date=10 June 2021|title=Stadnik unstoppable on day one of women's wrestling at Poland Open|work=InsideTheGames.biz|url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1108889/uww-poland-open-warsaw|access-date=4 July 2021}}{{Cite web|title=2021 Poland Open Results Book|url=https://uww.org/sites/default/files/2021-06/results_06_warsaw.pdf|url-status=live|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210704164819/https://uww.org/sites/default/files/2021-06/results_06_warsaw.pdf|archive-date=4 July 2021|access-date=4 July 2021|website=United World Wrestling}}

Vorobyeva has also trained with UFC and M-1 Global MMA fighters, such as Khabib Nurmagomedov, Islam Makhachev, Vyacheslav Vasilevsky, Abubakar Nurmagomedov, Mikhail Malyutin and Ali Bagov.{{cite web|url=http://mmasports.ru/natalya-vorobeva-vyacheslav-vasilevskij-mihail-malyutin-na-sborah-fight-spirit-gym/|title=Olympics champ with MMA fighter|access-date=6 September 2013}}{{dead link|date=February 2018 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}