Iryna (Irina) Zaretska is an elite Azerbaijani karate athlete, originally from Ukraine, and one of the most successful female kumite fighters of the last decade.

Who she is

  • Full name often given as Irina Zaretska , Ukrainian: Iryna Ihorivna Zaretska.
  • Born 4 March 1996 in Odesa, Ukraine; she represented Ukraine early in her career, then switched to compete for Azerbaijan from around 2015.
  • She fights in kumite (sparring) in the 68 kg weight category (and +61 kg at the Olympics).

Major achievements

  • Three‑time World Karate Champion in women’s 68 kg (2018, 2021, 2023), making her one of the most dominant fighters in that division.
  • Multiple Islamic Solidarity Games gold medals in the same category (2017, 2022, 2025).
  • Two-time European Games gold medalist (Baku 2015 and Poland 2023) and additional European-level medals.
  • Olympic silver medalist in the women’s +61 kg event at the Tokyo 2020 Games (held in 2021), representing Azerbaijan.

Career snapshot

  • First big global result: bronze in women’s 68 kg at the 2014 World Karate Championships in Bremen while still representing Ukraine.
  • Continued success with European Championship medals and team titles through 2016–2019.
  • After her switch to Azerbaijan, she became a consistent presence on the podium at World Championships, European Games, and Islamic Solidarity Games, culminating in her three consecutive world titles highlighted by international karate coverage as “writing history.”

Why she’s a “trending topic” in karate

  • Her run of three World Championship titles in a row (2018, 2021, 2023) is rare in karate and has been promoted by the sport’s governing and media channels as a historic achievement.
  • She remains active in international rankings and major competitions for Azerbaijan, so she often appears in discussions about the top pound‑for‑pound female karatekas in the world.

Bottom note: Information gathered from public forums or data available on the internet and portrayed here.