Penza, 25 December 2012. PenzaNews. Penza athletes have won 503 medals of various denominations over the current year. This was stated by the chairman of the regional sports committee Artur Panteleyev during a press conference in Penza on Tuesday, December 25.

“In the previous year Penza athletes obtained 36 medals less,” he reminded.

According to Artur Panteleyev, the athletes managed to get the largest number of awards in swimming, diving, triathlon, and track and field athletics.

“Moreover, in one of the core sports — swimming — the athletes established one senior and three junior records of Russia,” commented the chairman of the regional sports committee.

He reminded that the Penza region took the eighth place among 62 regions of Russia in the number of Olympic medals obtained in 2012.

“This is four medals more than at Beijing Games in 2008, and three medals more than in Athens in 2004. Two gold medals were won by Ilya Zakharov and Anastasia Bliznyuk. Four silver medals went to Anastasia Zueva, Denis Ablyazin, Ilya Zakharov and Yevgeny Kuznetsov. Denis Ablyazin and Sergei Fesikov added bronze medals to the collection of the Russian team,” commented the head of the regional sports committee.

Artur Panteleev also stressed that 123 Penza athletes were included in the Russian national team in various sports.