Irina Viner, Wife of Alisher Usmanov

Uzbek-born Russian businessman Alisher Usmanov built his wealth through investments in metal and mining. He now serves as the majority shareholder of the industrial conglomerate, Metalloinvest, and is the co-owner of MegaFon, one of Russia’s largest mobile telephone operators. He met his wife, Irina Viner-Usmanova, a rhythmic gymnastics coach, in his youth, at a sports hall in Tashkent, where he took part in fencing. The two reconnected many years later in Moscow and tied the knot in 1992.

Irina currently serves as president of the Russian Rhythmic Gymnastics Federation, and because of her outstanding achievements in global sports, she was awarded the Olympic Order in 2015. As a coach, she has produced Olympic and World Cup medal winners, including Evgenia Kanaeva, Evgenia Kanaeva, and Yulia Barsukova. Her husband, Alisher, also participates in sports-related activities and is a board member of the Russian Olympian Sportsmen Support Fund.