Sportswomen, Komsomol members and just plain beauties: 10 famous Soviet athletes

They say that Russia has the best girls. And for good reason. Russian beauties conquered the hearts of fans around the world even before the fall of the Iron Curtain. But these girls were widely known and recognized not for their beautiful eyes, but for their outstanding achievements in sports. Let’s remember attractive sportswomen of the USSR and their successes on the international arena.

Irina Deryugina

The Soviet gymnast and honored master of sports became the absolute world champion at the age of 19, and two years later she repeated this achievement. None of her compatriots could beat Irina.

Sport in the Deryugin family is a family affair. Irina’s father was a pentathlon champion, and her mother was a rhythmic gymnastics coach. In 1968 Irina entered the Kiev Choreographic School, but four years later she left her studies and switched to gymnastics. The dance skills she received helped Deriugina to form her own special style, which distinguished her from the rest.

Emma Gapchenko

Emma became a record holder not only for the USSR but also for the world in archery, and in 1971 she received the title of absolute champion. She won four world championships and a bronze medal at the 1972 Olympic Games in Munich. All in all, during her sporting career the archer managed to set 14 personal records of the USSR, two of which were recognized as the best results in the world.

Born Gapchenko in the Moscow region, at school she showed good results and was fond of various sports: running, swimming, volleyball. However, in 1965 she decided to connect her life with archery – and she was right.

Olga Karasyova

This Soviet gymnast took “gold” in the team event at the 1968 Olympic Games in Mexico City, won the title of world champion and received the title of Honored Master of Sports.

After the end of her sports career Olga graduated from the Faculty of Foreign Languages with a specialty “Teacher of French” and since 1975 she worked as a translator and referrer in artistic gymnastics of the International Department of the USSR Sports Committee.

Elena Leontieva

Master of Sports International Class in Rhythmic Gymnastics was the only one in the USSR who won the Intervision Cup three times. In 1971, as a member of the USSR national team, Elena won a silver medal at the World Championships in group exercises in Havana.

Valentina Stenina

Valentina showed an excellent result in speed skating. She was awarded the title of Honored Master of Sports, won the World Championship and repeatedly became the USSR champion.

Stenina became interested in sports in Sverdlovsk, where she was evacuated together with her mother after the beginning of the Great Patriotic War. Valentina first participated in the USSR championship in 1957, and her debut was successful – she took fourth place in the 3000 meters, and two years later joined the Soviet team.

Marina Kroshina

Wimbledon junior champion, seven-time USSR champion and five-time European champion. In 2011 Marina deservedly took a place in the Russian Tennis Hall of Fame.

After the end of her sports career Kroshina, a journalist by education, wrote a book “My Tennis”, which became the first textbook on this sport in Ukraine. In addition, Marina was also engaged in coaching, having trained several USSR champions.

Irina Rodnina

This Soviet figure skater is the owner of more than one title in pair skating. She took the top step of the podium at the Olympic Games three times and won the world championship ten times.

As a child, Rodnina was often sick, so to improve her health, her father began to take his daughter to the skating rink. Soon the hobby grew into a more serious occupation, and Irina began to engage in the section of figure skating. Until the age of 15, she performed in single skating, and since 1962 she switched to pair skating. The sport brought her not only awards and world fame, but also love – Irina’s first husband was her ice partner Alexander Zaitsev.

Larisa Petrik

In 1964, at the age of 15, Larisa became the absolute champion of the USSR in artistic gymnastics. Four years later, she won the 1968 Olympic Games in team competition and floor exercise, and earned a bronze medal on the balance beam. In 1970, she won the world title also in the team event.

After her success at the Olympics, Petrik returned to Moscow and began performing floor mini-exercises. And after she left professional sports in 1971 and was invited to the stage, director Sergei Kashtelian created for her a unique gymnastic apparatus – a kind of log, raised to a height of two meters, which from the outside looked like a strip of steel and resembled a razor blade.

Ekaterina Gordeeva

Ekaterina has twice won gold in pairs figure skating at the Olympic Games, four times won the World Championships, three times took the top step of the podium at the European Championships and three times became world champion among professionals.

Ekaterina shared her most resounding victories with her partner on the ice and in life – Sergey Grinkov. After he passed away, she published an autobiographical book “My Sergei”, which was later used as the basis for a documentary movie. Gordeeva retired from professional sports in 1998, but continued to participate in ice shows, including performing in pairs.

Galima Shugurova

This Soviet gymnast and honored master of sports became the first European champion in rhythmic gymnastics. Later Galima received the title of honored coach.

Shugurova started gymnastics at the age of 9, which is quite late by modern standards. Soon she began to take first places in all-Russian competitions and eventually, by the age of 13, made it to the junior national team of Russia. Three years later Galima made her international debut as a member of the Soviet team at the World Championships in Varna. In 1978, having become the first absolute European champion, the gymnast left the sport of high achievements and took up coaching.

All these girls are distinguished not only by their natural beauty, but also by their outstanding talents and athletic abilities. Which of them did you like the most?