Valentina Nikonova: Tatarstan’s Olympic triumph 27.07.2010

It’s hard to imagine modern Tatarstan without sports: football, hockey, basketball and volleyball competitions are gaining increasing popularity. Moreover such exotic sports as beach volleyball, scuba-diving, curling and field hockey are introduced into our life.

Due to the forthcoming Universiade 2013 and the following Sochi Olympic Games, newspaper and TV coverage of sporting events icrease. Sport is winning back its relinquished position and is able to become the Russian national idea as it used to be before.

As an old saying goes, “Remembering the past, shaping the future”. Sports history of Russia is rich for bright stars and beautiful victories. Valentina G. Nikonova is rightfully considered to be one of the most extraordinary athletes of the Tatarstan sports golden age. The oustanding Kazan fencer had been displaying an unequalled fencing skill for a long period of time and won the gold medal at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal.

Single-handed

Elite sport. It demands total efficiency, determined character and strong nerves but there are the chosen ones who succeeded to develop from beginners to Olympic champions!

The future champion was a teenager when she began fencing and no one even Valentina herself couldn’t have imagined that it was the start of the rise of fencers from a Tatarstan sports school and of coach Vladimir G. Zhitlov.

The Kazan fencing triumph reached the peak in 1976 when at the XXI Olympic Games in Montreal three Kazan fencers won gold medals. And Valentina Nikonova was among them.

Story of private victory

On March 5, 1952 a girl was born in an ordinary Kazan family. The future fencing legend was given a romantic name, Valentina. She was lucky to be born in a friendly but by far not a rich family and had a simple barefoot childhood.

Childhood is the period when a person’s nature and world-view are shaped. Fortune favors the braves – that’s the way the world wags. Or more precisely – only brave and strong persons are able to estimate chances and use every opportunity. A weak-willed and soulless person is unlikely to gain happiness even from a lottery prize.

Sportspeople are different. Endurance and stamina that they build up enable them to cling to any opportunity. 14-year old Valentina was spotted by a coach of a sports school that was recently opened. It’s her nature and savvy that caught his attention and despite the fact that she was older than most of her rivals he decided to become her fencing coach.

Was it a fortune or a fate? It’s up to you to decide…

During the first few months Valentina was almost expelled from the sports school but she won the trust of her coaches again and went on training. There was no doubt about her credibility after the team won the Dinamo Club Junior Tournament that was held in Moscow.

Valentina remembers, “The childhood is gone carrying away the images of brave musketeers but still when it’s time for a tug-of-war you still have the desire to defeat you enemy in a movie-like style and see a happy end. And on the other hand there is your motherland that you left behind and that sheltered and protected you and taught you everything you know and now you are here to defend her honor. International competitions and especially the Olympic Games are a new incarnation of international cooperation just in a different form. Here are intrigues, athletes training programmes, bitterness of defeat, incomparable pride in your nation at winning resounding victories”. Despite the fact that the international level is a peak in the career of each athlete, later Valentina Gennadyevna will recall that the tightest games were played at national competitions. It is due to an extremely high level of preparation of national athletes and a huge desire of Soviet girls to win.

Montreal, 1976

You’ve reached the top and you are blissful and numb
and only feel envious of those
who are to reach their tops.
/Vladimir Vysotsky/

Just imagine that half the world is watching you. And the biggest country in the world is supporting you. And eveybody – from Vladivostok to Kaliningrad – waits for your stunning and spectacular performance that results in your victory. Can you imagine the feelings that rush through an athlete when he or she enjoys that very, the only and seemingly unattainable victory? Just think how well-trained your mentality needs to be so that to overcome such an emotional overload? We can only dream about it but Valentina Nikonova was destined not to fail and go all the way to the end.

They are among us

Valentina Nikonova’s ended her brilliant career in 1980. As it often happens it’s hard for the yesterday’s stars to find a niche for themselves outside professional sport. Yet again persistence and resoluteness gained during Valentina’s sports career determined her fate.

Having graduated from Kazan State Pedagogical Institute Valentina Nikonova is engaged in research since 1985. In her life after sport she was lucky to work in Kazan Chemical and Technological Institute and the Academy of Construction. Since 2005 Valentina Nikonova has been HoD of Physical Education and Sports in the Academy of State and Municipal Management under the President of the Republic of Tatarstan.

The Olympic champion is engaged in educational research now, she generously shares her rich experience with young generation and teaches them to reach their peaks. Valentina Nikonova’s major goals are to promote a healthy lifestyle and ideas of self-improvement among youth.

As a creative and active personality the Montreal Olympic champion has always craved for scientific research.

Her activity is especially important now, on the threshold of the Kazan Universiade. Being a deep reservoir of knowledge and experience Valentina Nikonova works on Physical Education textbooks and updates the system of health improvement among modern youth.