Irina Salomykova-Vaag (born November 28, 1961) is a Soviet

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

-born, Russia

Russia

Russia or , officially known as both Russia and the Russian Federation , is a country in northern Eurasia. It is a federal semi-presidential republic, comprising 83 federal subjects...

n sprint canoer

Canoe racing

This article discusses canoe sprint and canoe marathon, competitive forms of canoeing and kayaking on more or less flat water. Both sports are governed by the International Canoe Federation ....

 who competed from the mid 1980s to the early 1990s. She won five medals at the ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships with a silver (K-4 500 m: 1985

1985 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 1985 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Mechelen, Belgium.The men's competition consisted of six Canadian and nine kayak events. Three events were held for the women, all in kayak....

) and four bronzes (K-1 5000 m: 1990

1990 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 1990 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Poznań, Poland on Lake Malta.The men's competition consisted of eight Canadian and nine kayak events. Five events were held for the women, all in kayak....

, K-2 500 m: 1989

1989 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 1989 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Plovdiv, Bulgaria.The men's competition consisted of eight Canadian and nine kayak events. Five events were held for the women, all in kayak...

, K-4 500 m: 1987

1987 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships

The 1987 ICF Canoe Sprint World Championships were held in Duisburg, West Germany for the second time. The West German city hosted the championships previously in 1979....

, 1989).

Salomykova-Vaag also competed in two Summer Olympics for two different nations. At the 1988 Summer Olympics

1988 Summer Olympics

The 1988 Summer Olympics, officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad, were an all international multi-sport events celebrated from September 17 to October 2, 1988 in Seoul, South Korea. They were the second summer Olympic Games to be held in Asia and the first since the 1964 Summer Olympics...

 in Seoul

Seoul

Seoul , officially the Seoul Special City, is the capital and largest metropolis of South Korea. A megacity with a population of over 10 million, it is the largest city proper in the OECD developed world...

, she competed in two events for the Soviet Union

Soviet Union

The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....

 by finishing fourth in the K-4 500 m

Canoeing at the 1988 Summer Olympics - Women's K-4 500 metres

The women's K-4 500 metres event was a fours kayaking event conducted as part of the Canoeing at the 1988 Summer Olympics program.-Medalists:-Heats:13 crews entered in two heats on September 27...

 and fifth in the K-2 500 m

Canoeing at the 1988 Summer Olympics - Women's K-2 500 metres

The women's K-2 500 metres event was a pairs kayaking event conducted as part of the Canoeing at the 1988 Summer Olympics program.-Medalists:-Heats:15 crews entered in two heats on September 26...

 events. Four years later

1992 Summer Olympics

The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...

 in Barcelona

Barcelona

Barcelona is the second largest city in Spain after Madrid, and the capital of Catalonia, with a population of 1,621,537 within its administrative limits on a land area of...

, Salomykova-Vaag competed for the Unified Team

Unified Team at the 1992 Summer Olympics

The Unified Team at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, was a joint team consisting of twelve of the fifteen former Soviet republics. Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania competed separately. The team has been informally called the Commonwealth of Independent States team, though Georgia was...

 by finishing ninth in the K-4 500 m

Canoeing at the 1992 Summer Olympics - Women's K-4 500 metres

The women's K-4 500 metres event was a fours kayaking event conducted as part of the Canoeing at the 1992 Summer Olympics program.-Medalists:-Heats:16 crews entered in two heats...

 event though she was eliminated in the semifinals of the K-1 500 m

Canoeing at the 1992 Summer Olympics - Women's K-1 500 metres

The women's K-1 500 metres event was an individual kayaking event conducted as part of the Canoeing at the 1992 Summer Olympics program.-Medalists:-Heats:16 competitors entered in three heats. The heats served as placement rounds for the semifinals....

event.