Sofiya MURATOVA

Between 1949 and 1964 Sofiya Muratova won the Soviet national all-around title five times, but never succeeded in winning an individual international title. She came closest at the 1960 Olympics, finishing second in the individual all-around and the horse-vault, also collecting four bronze medals in 1956 and 1960. She did win three team all-around titles at the World Championships (1954, 1958, 1962) and two at the Olympics (1956, 1960). In 1951, Muratova married fellow gymnast and future four-time Olympic Champion Valentin Muratov, who would be the national team coach from 1960 to 1968, with Sofiya still on the team until 1964. She later followed her husband into coaching. She passed away in autumn 2006, shortly afterwards followed by her husband.