Professional sports require maximum concentration of physical and psychological forces from a person. Lyubov Berezhnaya devoted her life to handball, a tough and exciting game.
Starting conditions
At first, handball, like football, was considered a purely male game. This team confrontation requires physical strength, endurance and psychological stability. However, views on this sport have changed over time. In the biography of Lyuba Berezhnaya, it is indicated that she came to play handball after several years of athletics. More precisely, she was invited by a coach named Odinokov. In 1970 he began his work in the city of Otradnoye, now the Samara region.
Lyubov Ivanovna Berezhnaya was born on June 24, 1955 in an ordinary Soviet family. The parents prepared the girl for an independent life according to the traditions in force at that time. The child must receive a good education and grow up physically strong. She studied well at school. She was engaged in needlework and other types of folk art. Due to its physical characteristics, it was suitable for playing handball.
Playing for "Petrel"
The coach of the local handball team, Vladimir Odinokov, proved himself to be an experienced and forward-looking mentor from the very first steps. He integrated creativity and rigid rationalism in his work. In 1971, a team from the city of Otradnoye took first place in the regional championship. Lyuba Berezhnaya received the prize and the title of the best scorer of the competition. As subsequent events showed, this was her first step in her career as a professional handball player. The next year, Berezhnaya went to the All-Union Spartakiad for schoolchildren as part of the Russian national team.
In 1973, Lyubov Berezhnaya moved to Krasnoyarsk with her coach. Enters the local pedagogical institute and begins to train in the student sports society "Burevestnik". People who are not alien to sports know well how difficult it is to combine work on the field and classes in a student class. Practice has shown that under the competent guidance of the famous coach Odinokov, the most difficult problems can be solved with minimal costs.
On the Olympic wave
The dates for the next Olympic Games were approaching, and Berezhnaya was invited to the preliminary training camp and the "bride". In those days, athletes were viewed as fighters who defended the honor of the country in the international arena. The preparation was delivered accordingly. Lyubov Berezhnaya was transferred to the base team of the country "Rostselmash". When it was time to enter the field, the Soviet team represented a close-knit team, determined to win. In 1976, our handball players took the top step of the podium.
Four years later, Lyubov Berezhnaya receives a second Olympic medal. Subsequently, the eminent athlete played for the team of Kiev "Spartak". In each team, she made her worthy contribution to achieving this goal. The athlete's personal life was successful. The husband and wife had known each other for a long time. Berezhnaya's spouse was her first coach Vladimir Odinokov. After the collapse of the Soviet Union, Lyubov Ivanovna Berezhnaya, along with the head of the family, moved to work in Norway.
