Nationality Russian Country Russia Weight 51 kg | Height 1.76 m | |
Born 23 February 1990 (age 27) ( 1990-02-23 ) Yegorovka, Ukraine Club Avangard Centre of Olympic Preparation | ||
Natalia Kocherova (born 23 February 1990) is a Ukrainian-born Russian Paralympic wheelchair racer and cross-country skier from Omsk.
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Early life
Kocherova was born in Yegorovka, Ukraine in 1990. An accident resulted in her right leg being amputated above the knee.
Skiing career
Kocherova first major international event as a Nordic skier was at the 2014 Winter Paralympics in Sochi. There she competed in two events, the 12 km Free (sitting) where she finished ninth, and the 1 km Sprint (sitting), which after taking the twelfth and final spot during qualification, she qualified for the final, finishing in fifth position.
The following year she qualified for the 2015 IPC Biathlon and Cross-Country Skiing World Championships in Cable, Wisconsin. Kocherova entered three events in the biathlon, winning a bronze medal in the 12.5km Individual (Sitting). She followed this with four events in the cross-country, and was part of the gold medal winning Russian team in the 4 x 2.5km mixed relay.
Track and field career
2015 saw Kocherova qualify for the Russian team for the 2015 IPC Athletics World Championships. She entered seven events, including all distances in the T54: 100m, 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m, and 5000m. Her best result was fourth in the 800m. The next year she entered the 2016 IPC Athletics European Championships, and became the tournaments most successful athlete after winning five gold and a single silver medal. At Grosseto she set championship records in the 200m, 400m, 800m, 1500m and 5000m races.