Natalіia Krol is a Ukrainian athlete who specializes in middle-distance running. She is a two-time European champion and World Military Games champion. Her personal best in 800m is 1:58.60 min, while in 1,500m is 4:06.29 min.
Natalіia Oleksandrivna Pryshchepa was born on September 11, 1994, in Rivne, Ukraine. She started in athletics at an early age and quickly showed her talents, being one of the most prospective athletes in the country. She proved this by becoming the European U20 champion and the European U23 Championships bronze medalist.
Natalіia Krol started her competitive career in 2010, competing at the Donetsk Ukrainian Championships in 1,500m but did not qualify for the final.
In 2011, Natalіia Krol won her first national title, winning the gold in 1,500m. During the season she competed also at the Lille IAAF World Youth Championships and Yalta BLR-UKR U18 Match in 800m, but failed to reach the final.
In 2012, Natalіia Krol earned the bronze at the Yalta Ukrainian Championships in 800m and finished 4th at the Sumy Ukrainian Indoor Championships in 1,500m. During the season, she won the gold at the Yalta Ukrainian Junior Championships in 1,500m and 4x400m and also competed at the Barcelona IAAF World Junior Championships and 19th SPAR European Cross Country Championships in Szentendre.
Natalіia Krol made a great international breakthrough in 2013, winning the gold at the Rieti European Junior Championships in 1,500m. In the same event, she also won gold at the Donetsk Ukrainian Championships, Sumy Ukrainian Indoor Championships, Kharkov Ukrainian Junior Championships, and Sumy Ukrainian Junior Indoor Championships. During the season she won the bronze at the Donetsk Ukrainian Championships and the silver at the Sumy Ukrainian Indoor Championships in the 4x400m relay.
In 2014, Natalіia Krol continued competing at the top level, winning another national title at the Kirovograd Ukrainian Championships and the bronze at the Braunschweig European Team Championships in 1,500m, but also competed at the Zurich European Championships. In the same event, she also won the bronze at the Zhukovskiy Znamenskiy Memorial and competed at the Tokyo Seiko Golden Grand Prix.
Natalіia Krol won the 1,500m bronze at the Tallinn European U23 Championships in 2015, as well as the bronze at the Zhukovskiy Znamenskiy Memorial and the gold at the Kirovograd Ukrainian U23 Championships. In 800m, she won the bronze at the Kirovograd Ukrainian U23 Championships.
Natalіia Krol was part of the Ukrainian team to competed at the Rio 2016 Olympics, reaching the semi-finals in 800m but missing the final. In the same event, she won her first senior European title at the Amsterdam European Athletics Championships but also triumphed at the Lutsk Ukrainian Championships and debuted in the Diamond League at the Lausanne Athletissima and Zurich Weltklasse, but finished 7th. In 1,500m, she also earned the national title at the Lutsk Ukrainian Championships.
In 2017, Natalіia Krol won the 1,500m bronze at the Villeneuve d’Ascq European Team Championships, while in 800m triumphed at the Dessau Anhalt 2017 and Janusz Kusociński Memorial.
Natalіia Krol earned her second European title at the Berlin European Athletics Championships in 800m. In the same event, she triumphed at the Padova Meeting Citta di Padova and Lutsk Ukrainian Championships, the silver at the Montreuil Meeting Elite, and the bronze at the Rovereto Palio Città della Quercia. In 1,500m she earned another national title at the Lutsk Ukrainian Championships.
In 2019, Natalіia Krol earned the 800m gold at the Wuhan CISM Military World Games and the 1,500m silver. She competed at the Doha IAAF World Championships in Athletics but missed the final. She continued competing in the Diamond League, but again missed the medals.
Natalіia Krol missed the 2020 season, which was quite short, however, due to the coronavirus pandemic.
In 2021, she returned to the track and won the silver at the Ukrainian Cross Country Championships and Ukrainian 1 Mile Road Running Championships. She also competed at the 27th SPAR European Cross Country Championships.
In 2022, Natalіia Krol won the 1,500m gold at the Lutsk Ukrainian Championships. In 800m, she won the silver at the ATLETICAGENEVE – EAP and competed at the Munich European Athletics Championships.
Natalіia Krol started the 2023 season with another national title, winning the 1,500m gold at the Kyiv Ukrainian Indoor Championships. During the outdoor season, she continued performing strongly in 800m, winning the gold at the Papaflessia 2023, Memorial Josef Odlozil, Heino Lipp Memorial – JOHVI 2023, Chorzow European Athletics Team Championships Second Division, Meeting International Montgeron-Essonne, Meeting International de Sotteville 2023, and Ukrainian Championships. She competed at the Budapest World Athletics Championships but missed the final.
Natalіia Krol photos
