Valentin KORNEV

Valentin Kornev took up sports as a 14-years-old and did modern pentathlon, before switching to sport shooting. Kornev belonged to the Soviet national team from 1964-76 and won Olympic free rifle, 3-positions silver in 1968, three World titles (free rifle, 3-positions; team free rifle, kneeling; and team military rifle, 3-positions, all in 1970) and eight European titles (individual / team free rifle, 3-positions in 1965 and 1969; individual free rifle, kneeling in 1969; team military rifle, 3-positions in 1965 and 1969; and team air rifle in 1972). He also won 16 individual Soviet titles between 1966-76.

Outside of sports, Kornev was a career military man, who retired as a major after the fall of Soviet Union. He then worked a lecturer at the Yaroslavl Higher School for Anti-Aircraft and Missile Defence. He also worked for 10 years as head coach of the Soviet national women’s rifle team, as a shooting coach in local club Yaroslavets, and was a children’s coach at a local sports school.