World Championships and Olympics
Muratova missed the 1952 Summer Olympics due to injury, but one of the most disappointing was her injury at the 1954 World Championships in Artistic Gymnastics. Muratova won gold in the Team Competition event and was a leader on all apparatus in the all-around, but had broken her arm during the warming-up and was out. Her husband Valentin Muratov, who competed in the men's competition, swore to win a gold medal for her and had kept his word, becoming the all-around champion. She debuted at the 1956 Summer Olympics, winning the Team gold and two bronze medals in the all-around and on the uneven bars. At the rather unsuccessful 1958 World Championships in Artistic Gymnastics in Moscow Muratova won the team gold and two bronzes on vault and on the balance beam. Injuries haunted her on the way to the 1960 Summer Olympics, and many people didn't believe her participation there. But with the help from the professor Zoya Mironova (ru:Миронова, Зоя Сергеевна), who operated Muratova just three months before the Olympics, she managed to compete there and even won three medals — the team gold, all-around silver and bronze on the beam. She presented her gold medal to Zoya Mironova as a token of gratitude. Her two all-around medals (1956, 1960) in the sport was a rare feat - only 6 other woman gymnasts have accomplished this.
She also successfully competed in the Nationals, where she won seven all-around titles, including the 1955 USSR Cup, held for the first time. Sofia Muratova finished her competitive career in 1965 and worked as a coach for 34 years. She was awarded Order of the Red Banner of Labour in 1957.
Muratova died on September 25, 2006, her husband Valentin Muratov died on October 6 of the same year.
Read more about this topic: Sofia Muratova
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