Natallia Tsylinskaya is an international cyclist, specialising in track sprinting. A dominant force in particular in the 500m time trial between 2000 and 2006, Tsylinskaya is an eight time World Champion, and an Olympic bronze medalist.
Education
The journey to become Belarus 'Queen of Sports and one of track cycling's greatest ever riders was no simple task for Natallia Tsylinskaya. She first began cycle racing when a trainer visited her school, Minsk School No. 1, and taught the art of road cycling. It was not until her one of her friends suggested Natallia try track cycling that she discovered her love for high speed "sprinting".
Early on Natallia showed true talent and determination Under the direction of her trainer Alexander Beljatsky (who rode for Russia's premier road racing team Dynamo), Natallia won the Youth USSR Championship at the age of 14. At age 16 Natallia became a Master of Sports (International Class) and in 1993 travelled to Sydney, Australia to participate in the Junior World Championships, where she won a bronze medal.
Career
Under the direction of her trainer Alexander Beljatsky (who rode for Russia's premier road racing team Dynamo), Tsylinskaya won the Youth USSR Championship at the age of 14. At age 16, in 1993, she travelled to Sydney, Australia to participate in the Junior World Championships, where she won a bronze medal. Having left cycling to get married and start a family, Belarusian authorities convinced Natallia to return to competitive cycling during the winter of 1998. As Minsk did not have a track or adequate training facilities, Tsylinskaya moved to Moscow, where she trained at Krylatskom velodrome.
Tsylinskaya first gained international notice at the 2000 World Championships in Manchester, England where she won gold in both the 500mTT and the Sprint. In 2001, she teamed up with Russian trainer Stanislav Solovyev, who remained her coach throughout her career. She won gold for both the sprint and 500mTT events at three of the four world cups in that year but failed to gain a medal at the 2001 World Championships in Antwerp, Belgium. She also suffered a severe crash during the sprint qualification rounds, where she broke her collarbone.Riding for the first time in international competition under her maiden name of Tsylinskaya, she began the 2002 season by winning both the sprint and 500mTT events at the World Cup races in Mexico City and Moscow. She followed this by winning gold in both the 500mTT and sprint events at the 2002 World Championships in Ballerup, Denmark.
In the World Championships of 2003 in Stuttgart, Germany, she won gold in the 500mTT event, posting a time of 34.078 seconds, her personal best time.
In Melbourne, Australia in May 2004, she collided with British rider Victoria Pendleton’s wheel in the sprint and bruised her right hip in the crash.
At the Olympics in Athens on August 20, 2004, Tsylinskaya took the bronze medal, her only Olympic medal, in the 500m time trial. She began new season by appearing at the Los Angeles World Cup where she won gold in the 500mTT and in the sprint and also won bronze in the Keirin, losing out to Victoria Pendleton and Anna Meares.One month later in January 2005 Natallia rode at the Manchester World Cup where she won gold in the Keirin event. She won gold in the 500mTT race at the World Championships were held in Los Angeles.In the second round of the Keirin event Tsylinskaya fell whilst trying to muscle her way into the lead.
The 2006 season began at the Moscow World Cup where she won gold in both the 500mTT event and the sprint.At the Manchester World Cup she consolidated her season dominance in the 500mTT by taking gold on the first day.
The 2006 World Championships were held in Bordeaux, France. Tsylinskaya won gold in the 500mTT event, posting a time of 34.152 seconds.
At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, she qualified seventh fastest in the preliminary heats for the sprint event. Tsylinskaya was placed sixth overall at the end of the competition.