{{Short description|Russian speed skater (born 1983)}} {{Infobox speed skater |name = Olga Graf |image = Olga Graf 2014.jpg | image_size=225px |caption = Graf in 2014 |headercolor = #d7ecff |country = {{RUS}} |club = |birth_date = {{birth date and age|1983|7|15|df=y}} |birth_place = Omsk, Soviet Union<ref name=sr/> |height = 1.60 m<ref name=sr>{{sports-reference|gr/olga-graf-1}}</ref> |weight = 56 kg |medaltemplates = {{Medal|Competition|Olympic Games}} {{Medal|Bronze|2014 Sochi|3000&nbsp;m}} {{Medal|Bronze|2014 Sochi|Team pursuit}} {{Medal|Competition|World Allround Championships}} {{Medal|Silver|2014 Heerenveen|Allround}} {{Medal|Competition|World Championships}} {{Medal|Bronze|2015 Heerenveen|Team pursuit}} {{Medal|Bronze|2016 Kolomna|Team pursuit}} {{Medal|Bronze|2017 Gangneung|Team pursuit}} {{Medal|Competition|European Championships}} {{Medal|Silver|2018 Kolomna|Team pursuit}} }}

'''Olga Borisovna Graf''' ({{langx|ru|Ольга Борисовна Граф}}; born 15 July 1983) is a Russian speed skater.<ref name="sochi">{{cite web|url= http://www.sochi2014.com/en/athlete-olga-graf|title=Olga GRAF|website=Sochi2014.com|publisher=Organizing Committee of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi|access-date=9 February 2014|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110628235006/http://www.sochi2014.com/en/athlete-olga-graf |archive-date=28 June 2011}}</ref> Graf competed at the 2014 Winter Olympics, where she won bronze medals both in the 3000 metres event and in the team pursuit.<ref>{{cite news|url= https://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303650204579372742265431518?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303650204579372742265431518.html|author=Joshua Robinson|title=Olga Graf Wins Russia's First Medal|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=9 February 2014|access-date=9 February 2014|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20110628235006/http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303650204579372742265431518?mg=reno64-wsj&url=http%3A%2F%2Fonline.wsj.com%2Farticle%2FSB10001424052702303650204579372742265431518.html|archive-date=28 June 2011}}</ref>

==Personal life== Olga Graf was born 15 July 1983 in Omsk, Soviet Union. She began speed skating in 1995 when her martial arts instructor suggested that she try it.<ref name="sochi"/> She attended the Siberian State University of Physical Education and Sport.<ref name="sochi"/> In 2007, she joined the Russian national speed skating team.<ref name="sochi"/>

Graf is married to Rustam Madaminov and lives in Kolomna, Russia.<ref name="sochi"/> She speaks Russian, German and English.<ref name="sochi"/>

==Early speed skating career== Graf gradually worked her way up the world standings in women's speed skating. In her debut 2007–08 World Cup appearance she finished 56th in the 3000m/5000m.<ref name="ISU">{{cite web|url= http://www.isu.html.infostradasports.com/cache/TheASP.asp@PageID%3D103037&SportID%3D103&Personid%3D230835&TaalCode%3D2&StyleID%3D0&Cache%3D2.html?421779|title=ISU Results|publisher=isu.htlm.infostradasports.com |access-date=11 February 2014|archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140211142141/http://www.isu.html.infostradasports.com/asp/topnav_ss.asp |archive-date=11 February 2014}}</ref> In the 2009–10 World Cup she improved her 3000m/5000m result slightly to 46th. She performed better that year in the 1500m where she finished 35th.<ref name="ISU"/> She did not qualify for the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.

It was not until the 2011–12 World Cup that Graf was able to crack the top ten in the individual. That year she finished 9th in the 3000m/5000m.<ref name="ISU"/> In the 2012–13 World Cup she placed 7th in the 3000m/5000m and 3rd in the 5000m event.<ref name="ISU"/>

==2014 Sochi Olympics== At the 2014 Winter Olympics in the 3000m event Graf skated in the 10th pair against Jilleanne Rookard of the United States. She finished with a time of 4:03.47 which was good enough for first place. However, two pairs later Martina Sáblíková of the Czech Republic finished with a time of 4:01.95, pushing Graf into second. In the thirteenth and final pair Ireen Wüst of the Netherlands finished with a time 4:00.34 and win the gold medal and moving Graf into third for bronze.<ref name="3000m">{{cite web|url=http://www.sochi2014.com/en/speed-skating-ladies-3000-m|title=3000m Results|website=Sochi2014.com|publisher=Organizing Committee of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi|access-date=11 February 2014|archive-date=16 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140216201124/http://www.sochi2014.com/en/speed-skating-ladies-3000-m|url-status=dead}}</ref>

Graf finished 4th in the 5000 metres event, missing out on a podium position by 0.11 of a second.<ref name="5000m">{{cite web|url=http://www.sochi2014.com/en/speed-skating-ladies-5000-m|title=5000m Results|website=Sochi2014.com|publisher=Organizing Committee of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi|access-date=25 February 2014|archive-date=18 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140218200408/http://www.sochi2014.com/en/speed-skating-ladies-5000-m|url-status=dead}}</ref> In the team pursuit, Graf helped her team win the bronze medal behind Netherlands and Poland.<ref name="Team">{{cite web|url=http://www.sochi2014.com/en/speed-skating-ladies-team-pursuit-finals|title=Team Results|website=Sochi 2014|publisher=Organizing Committee of the XXII Olympic Winter Games and XI Paralympic Winter Games of 2014 in Sochi|access-date=25 February 2014|archive-date=22 February 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140222013528/http://www.sochi2014.com/en/speed-skating-ladies-team-pursuit-finals|url-status=dead}}</ref>

==2018 Pyeongchang Olympics== Graf qualified for the 2018 Winter Olympics and was invited to participate by the International Olympic Committee. She, however, said that she is not going to participate. She said that her main target was the team pursuit, and out of four Russian female skaters who qualified IOC only invited two (including Graf) to participate, so that the Olympic Athletes from Russia were not able to form a pursuit team. She was not planning to retire in 2017/18 season.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.gazeta.ru/sport/2018/01/30/a_11630341.shtml|title=Вежливый отказ: Граф не поедет на Олимпиаду|last=Kuzmin|first=Dmitry|date=20 January 2018|newspaper=Rossiyskaya Gazeta|language=ru|access-date=5 February 2018}}</ref>

==Personal records== {{PersonalRecordsTop|ref=<ref>{{cite web |url = http://www.speedskatingresults.com/index.php?p=17&s=2090 |title = Olga Graf |publisher = www.speedskatingresults.com |access-date = 4 March 2016 }}</ref>}} {{PersonalRecordsSport|Women's speed skating}} {{PersonalRecordsMiddle|500 m|39.84|22 March 2014|Thialf, Heerenveen|}} {{PersonalRecordsMiddle|1000 m|1:19.79|16 October 2011|Kolomna Speed Skating Center, Kolomna|}} {{PersonalRecordsMiddle|1500 m|1:55.67|23 March 2014|Thialf, Heerenveen|}} {{PersonalRecordsMiddle|3000 m|4:01.31|7 November 2015|Olympic Oval, Calgary|}} {{PersonalRecordsMiddle|5000 m|6:55.77|19 February 2014|Adler Arena, Sochi|}} {{PersonalRecordsBottom}}

==References== {{Commons category|Olga Graf}} {{reflist}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Graf, Olga}} Category:1983 births Category:Russian female speed skaters Category:Speed skaters at the 2014 Winter Olympics Category:Olympic speed skaters for Russia Category:Medalists at the 2014 Winter Olympics Category:Olympic medalists in speed skating Category:Olympic bronze medalists for Russia Category:Speed skaters from Omsk Category:Russian people of German descent Category:Living people Category:World Allround Speed Skating Championships medalists Category:World Single Distances Speed Skating Championships medalists Category:21st-century Russian sportswomen