The best female fighter of 2019, one of the most famous HMB athletes in the world, and simply beautiful Irina Fedorova from the Bayard club (Moscow, Russia) became the heroine of our national She Fights For … column.
In 2018, the girl came to the HMB and almost immediately got to the crucible of the Dynamo Cup, one of the toughest tournaments in Russia.
Great debut, right? But Irina survived there, went through all the trials and did not quit HMB.
Now we often see a girl on the lists clad in armor. This is a technical, strong, hardy and dangerous fighter. But what is hidden under the armor?
We invited Irina to a conversation and tried to find out more about her. We hereby introduce you to Irina Fedorova as she really is.
“It all started somehow by chance. Artemy Gershvald brought me to training at the Bayard club to train with Sergey Ukolov and somehow everything started to work. So, suddenly, I discovered a whole new world! At first, it was just interesting to train, and then Ukolov invited me to become the heroine of the project called How a woman becomes a knight: the path to the HMB Russia team. I agreed.
It was very interesting to participate here. Unbeknownst to myself, I got involved so much that I had to remove everything except training and completely redo the regime, the rhythm of life, and change my thinking. I didn’t think about whether I wanted to do it or not, I just liked it. I did it, and I just didn’t want to do anything other than training and the project. Furthermore, I can safely say that I went into this project with my head. For me, it immediately became more than a sport. This is part of life,” said Irina.
Dynamo Cup 2018 became the combat debut of the novice warrior, and this debut was not easy! The level of fighters participating in Dynamo is amazing and frightening. These are the most experienced and strongest athletes. Irina came out against these titans.
“It was extremely exciting. I was worried that I would not succeed. The armor was uncomfortable, I was clumsy, sometimes I didn’t even understand what to do. It was something new, unknown. I even doubted that I could cope with all this, I was afraid that I could not cope. In a nutshell, I got a lot of experience, an ocean of emotions, but now I remember it as a bright and colorful event”.
The titleholder of the HMB world champion in the 5 vs 5 buhurt as part of the HMB Russia women’s team, the winner of many tournaments, she admitted that starting her HMB way, she often heard from the surrounding “well-wishers” that she did not need this HMB, that she would not succeed, and, in general, this is not for women … However, Irina turned out to be stubborn. She did not listen to advisers, and today she is one of the best in the world!
“Well, it is really not easy, like any sport. HMB requires discipline, investment, and preparation. As a coach, I highly recommend developing your body comprehensively. You can combine a gym with boxing or wrestling. And, of course, you need to take care of your health. But, most importantly, do not listen to those who clearly do not wish you success. If you feel that you want to do it, that you can do it, then do it!”
Irina knows what she is talking about, giving recommendations, because she is a fitness trainer in her non-HMB life. However, rehabilitation of people after injuries is what is really close to her. She is trying to develop in this direction. In addition, Irina manages to find time for a hobby in her schedule. She is fond of diving, shooting, and likes to travel by car in Russia. She also participates in various projects as a model.
Despite the diversity of hobbies and professional aspirations of our heroine, she has an important quality, without which all this would be impossible. It is this quality that she herself considers the most needed for a fighter.
“Strength of mind. I believe that for a fighter, in addition to the development of the physical, as well as personal and club discipline, strength of mind is important. It always seemed to me that if I lost the fight in my head before it even started, then in reality I would lose. Losing is not terrible, it will give experience, but losing heart is worse. This, probably, concerns not only HMB.”
In order to try yourself in something new, being a recognized specialist in a slightly different field, you also need strength of mind. Not many people know that in addition to buhurts, Irina tries herself in Sword and Shield and Longsword duel categories. She has already managed to perform in these categories at tournaments and even won.
That is what she is fighting for: the opportunity for herself to do what she likes, for showing by her own example that there is no need to be afraid, embarrassed and doubt yourself. You have to do what you love and love what you do.
Here is such a different, interesting and wise heroine Irina Fedorova from Moscow. We thank her for the conversation and wish her new victories, fascinating fights and worthy opponents. And, of course, success in all areas of her interests.
