Irina Natanovna Press (10 March 1939 – 21 February 2004) was a multitalented Soviet athlete who competed at the 1960 and 1964 Olympics. In 1960, she won a gold medal in the 80 m hurdles and finished fourth in the 4 × 100 m relay. In 1964, she finished fourth in the hurdles and sixth in the shot put, but won gold in the newly introduced pentathlon event. Together with her elder sister, Tamara, Irina set 26 world records between 1959 and 1966. In 1967 she won her last USSR Championship. Both Press sisters ended their careers abruptly when gender verification was introduced. Some have suggested that the Press sisters were male or intersex. Another allegation was that they were being injected with male hormones by the Soviet government in order to make them stronger. In wartime Soviet evacuation lists from 1942 Irina Press, then aged 3, is identified as girl. After retiring from competitions Press earned a degree in physical education and coached at her club Dynamo Moscow. She also took posts in the Soviet sports administration, such as department head of the Soviet and later Russian State Committee on Physical Culture, Sports and Tourism. From 2000 and until her death in 2004, she headed the Moscow Committee of Physical Culture and Sports. Notes References 1939 births 2004 deaths Athletes (track and field) at the 1960 Summer Olympics Athletes (track and field) at the 1964 Summer Olympics Dynamo sports society athletes Jewish female athletes (track and field) Olympic athletes of the Soviet Union Olympic gold medalists for the Soviet Union Soviet pentathletes Sportspeople from Kharkiv Soviet female hurdlers Ukrainian female hurdlers Soviet Jews Ukrainian Jews Sex verification in sports Medalists at the 1964 Summer Olympics Medalists at the 1960 Summer Olympics Olympic gold medalists in athletics (track and field) Universiade medalists in athletics (track and field) Olympic female pentathletes Universiade gold medalists for the Soviet Union Medalists at the 1961 Summer Universiade