24 August, Valentina Rastvorova, Olympic Fencing champion, six-time world champion, Honored Master of Sports of the USSR, passed away at the age of 86.
She was a great athlete and a high-class coach. She made a huge contribution to the development of national Fencing. She has always been a model of devotion to sport, dedication, hard work and will to win.
Valentina Rastvorova was born on June 17, 1933 in Odessa. She played for Dynamo, Moscow. She was a member of the USSR national team from 1955 to 1967. She became one of the first World Champions in the history of Soviet Fencing, winning gold, as part of the team in 1956. At the 1960 Olympic Games in Rome, Valentina Rastvorova opened the gold Olympic awards score, winning friends team foil fencing tournament.
The list of achievements of the famous sportswoman is extremely extensive: silver at the 1960 and 1964 Olympic Games in personal and team championships, six gold medals at the World Championships (1956, 1958, 1961, 1965, 1966), the European Cup gold medals in 1966 and 1967, three-time USSR champion in the individual championships, two-time USSR Cup winner.
In 1956, Valentina Rastvorova graduated from the State Central Order of Lenin Institute of Physical Education. After finishing her sports career, she worked as a coach at Dynamo, Moscow. She was awarded the order Badge of Honor.
The Olympic Committee of Russia expresses its deepest condolences to the family and friends of Valentina Rastvorova.
