NADEZDHA LEONTEVA
Samara, Russia
Bib #F17
PRONUNCIATION: Na-DEZH-duh Le-ON-tee-vuh
AGE: 27 (26Jun84)
PERSONAL BEST: 2:31:57 (Moscow, 2011)
MARATHON HIGHLIGHTS:
02Oct11 Medtronic Twin Cities Marathon 2nd 2:32:53
14May11 Moscow Russian Marathon National Championships 3rd 2:31:57
03May10 Moscow Russian Marathon National Championships 7th 2:38:12
CAREER NOTES:
Nadezdha Leonteva is showing promise as a marathoner. New to the distance, she finished second at the 2011 Russian National Championships and later in the year finished runner-up in the Twin Cities in her first international competition. “I hope that the main pivotal moments of my career are still ahead,” says Leonteva. “But for now I can call finishing second at the 2011 Twin Cities Marathon as a moving moment in my career. There I experienced strong competition and a tough course, and it was a good check for me as a marathon runner. That second place gave me a lot of confidence and strength to go forward, train harder and run faster.”
PERSONAL NOTES:
“The Boston Marathon is a 116-year-old tradition and every long-distance athlete dreams to run this one day,” says Leonteva. “It’s an honor for such a young athlete like me to have that chance to be invited here. Each year the Boston Marathon discovers new young talents, and I’m truly thankful for that opportunity. My expectations are to use that chance at maximum – to be in the top eight and improve my personal best significantly there.” Vladimir Timofeyev is Leonteva’s coach and she trains in Kislovodsk at altitude and in Portugal at the Russian national team training camp. She started her athletics with cross-country skiing, but because she was influenced by her mother, also a talented runner, she realized running was also her vocation. “I began running competitively at the age of 15 after my potential was recognized,” says Leonteva. “I became a runner because it’s the greatest opportunity to see the world and learn a lot about it. Also through running you can learn a lot about yourself.” She has a degree in Physical Culture from Samarskiy State Pedagogical University. She enjoys watching movies, is a fan of the Cannes Festival movies and enjoys reading Russian modern literature.
|