Natalia Valeeva
Encyclopedia
Natalia Valeeva (born November 15, 1969 in Târnauca
, Transnistria
) is a naturalized Italian
archer
.
Natalia Valeeva is the top female archer in Italy. She is a five-time Olympian, and a native of Moldova
, having represented the Unified Team
, Moldova and Italy, at the Olympic Games of 1992, 96, 00, 04 and 08. She won the individual and team bronze medals in the 1992 Olympic Games
. Valeeva is the mother of twins, and is married to an Italian native (Roberto Cocchi). She is sponsored by Hoyt Archery and Easton Technical Products as a member of their Pro Staff.
and won the individual bronze medal with Cho Youn-Jeong
and Kim Soo-Nyung
, both representing South Korea, winning gold and silver. She also won the team bronze medal with Lyudmila Arzhannikova and Khatouna Kvrivichvili
with South Korea winning gold and China
winning silver.
, where she was defeated in the third round.
, gaining seventh place in both the individual and the team event.
where she placed 9th in the women's individual ranking round with a 72-arrow score of 650. In the first round of elimination in high winds and difficult conditions, she faced 56th-ranked Jasmin Figueroa
of the Philippines
. The biggest upset of the round, this match saw Valeeva lose to Figueroa 132–130 in the 18-arrow match, dropping all the way to 53rd overall in women's individual archery.
, Germany
, Valeeva won the Gold Medal, beating Korean top archer Park, holder of the FITA
world record for the qualifying round of 1405 points (of a possible 1440). This was the second gold medal in the outdoor World Championships for Valeeva, the first one in 1995. So far in her career, Valeeva has collected 7 individual gold medals in World Championships (indoor and outdoor), and she is one of the few archers in the world to have won the Indoor and Outdoor World Championship in the same year, in 1995.
Valeeva finished her ranking round with a total of 634 points. This gave her the 30th seed for the final competition bracket in which she faced Anastassiya Bannova
in the first round, beating the archer from Kazakhstan
with 107–105. In the second round she came close, but was eliminated by third seed Joo Hyun-Jung
with 110–108. Together with Pia Carmen Maria Lionetti and Elena Tonetta
she also took part in the team event. With her 634 score from the ranking round combined with the 613 of Lionetti and the 595 of Tonetta the Italian team was in 9th position after the ranking round. In the first round they were too strong for the team from Chinese Taipei
, beating them with 215–211. However, in the quarter final they were eliminated by the eventual gold medalists from South Korea
, despite a 217 points score. The Koreans managed to shoot a new World Record of 231 points to advance to the semi final.
Târnauca
Tîrnauca is a commune and village in the Slobozia sub-district of Transnistria, Moldova, situated on the east bank of the river Dniester, between Tighina and Tiraspol. It is notable for being home to the largest bottle-shaped building in the world, the Butylka hotel and museum....
, Transnistria
Transnistria
Transnistria is a breakaway territory located mostly on a strip of land between the Dniester River and the eastern Moldovan border to Ukraine...
) is a naturalized Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
archer
Archery
Archery is the art, practice, or skill of propelling arrows with the use of a bow, from Latin arcus. Archery has historically been used for hunting and combat; in modern times, however, its main use is that of a recreational activity...
.
Natalia Valeeva is the top female archer in Italy. She is a five-time Olympian, and a native of Moldova
Moldova
Moldova , officially the Republic of Moldova is a landlocked state in Eastern Europe, located between Romania to the West and Ukraine to the North, East and South. It declared itself an independent state with the same boundaries as the preceding Moldavian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1991, as part...
, having represented the Unified Team
Unified Team
The Unified Team was the name used for the sports team of the former Soviet Union at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville and the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. The IOC country code was EUN, after the French name, Équipe Unifiée...
, Moldova and Italy, at the Olympic Games of 1992, 96, 00, 04 and 08. She won the individual and team bronze medals in the 1992 Olympic Games
1992 Summer Olympics
The 1992 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad, were an international multi-sport event celebrated in Barcelona, Catalonia, Spain, in 1992. The International Olympic Committee voted in 1986 to separate the Summer and Winter Games, which had been held in the same...
. Valeeva is the mother of twins, and is married to an Italian native (Roberto Cocchi). She is sponsored by Hoyt Archery and Easton Technical Products as a member of their Pro Staff.
1992 Summer Olympics
Valeeva represented the Unified TeamUnified Team
The Unified Team was the name used for the sports team of the former Soviet Union at the 1992 Winter Olympics in Albertville and the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona. The IOC country code was EUN, after the French name, Équipe Unifiée...
and won the individual bronze medal with Cho Youn-Jeong
Cho Youn-Jeong
Cho Youn-Jeong is a female South Korean archer and Olympic champion. She competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, where she won an individual gold medal, and also a gold medal with the South Korean archery team....
and Kim Soo-Nyung
Kim Soo-Nyung
Kim Soo-Nyung was a member of the South Korean Olympic archery team in 1988, 1992, and 2000. She has earned a total of four gold medals, including the individual gold medal in 1988. She also won two consecutive individual and team world championships in 1989 and 1991...
, both representing South Korea, winning gold and silver. She also won the team bronze medal with Lyudmila Arzhannikova and Khatouna Kvrivichvili
Khatuna Lorig
Khatuna Lorig is an American archer originally from the Georgian Soviet Socialist Republic which is today the Republic of Georgia....
with South Korea winning gold and China
China at the 1992 Summer Olympics
The People's Republic of China competed at the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona, Spain.-Medalists:After the olympics, the name "Five Golden Flowers" was given to the five medalist swimmers Yang Wenyi , Zhuang Yong , Lin Li , Qian Hong and Wang Xiaohong...
winning silver.
1996 Summer Olympics
Valeeva represented Moldova at the 1996 Summer OlympicsMoldova at the 1996 Summer Olympics
Moldova competed in the Summer Olympic Games as an independent nation for the first time at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, United States...
, where she was defeated in the third round.
2000 Summer Olympics
Valeeva represented Italy at the 2000 Summer OlympicsItaly at the 2000 Summer Olympics
- Gold:*Antonio Rossi and Beniamino Bonomi — Men's Kayak Doubles 1,000 m*Josefa Idem Guerrini — Women's Kayak Singles 500 m*Paola Pezzo — Women's Cross Country Mountain Bike...
, gaining seventh place in both the individual and the team event.
2004 Summer Olympics
In her next Olympic appearance, Valeeva represented Italy at the 2004 Summer Olympics2004 Summer Olympics
The 2004 Summer Olympic Games, officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad, was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens, Greece from August 13 to August 29, 2004 with the motto Welcome Home. 10,625 athletes competed, some 600 more than expected, accompanied by 5,501 team...
where she placed 9th in the women's individual ranking round with a 72-arrow score of 650. In the first round of elimination in high winds and difficult conditions, she faced 56th-ranked Jasmin Figueroa
Jasmin Figueroa
Jasmin Lanaran Figueroa is an athlete from the Philippines. She competes in archery....
of the Philippines
Philippines
The Philippines , officially known as the Republic of the Philippines , is a country in Southeast Asia in the western Pacific Ocean. To its north across the Luzon Strait lies Taiwan. West across the South China Sea sits Vietnam...
. The biggest upset of the round, this match saw Valeeva lose to Figueroa 132–130 in the 18-arrow match, dropping all the way to 53rd overall in women's individual archery.
2007 World Championships
In the World Championships of 2007, in LeipzigLeipzig
Leipzig Leipzig has always been a trade city, situated during the time of the Holy Roman Empire at the intersection of the Via Regia and Via Imperii, two important trade routes. At one time, Leipzig was one of the major European centres of learning and culture in fields such as music and publishing...
, Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
, Valeeva won the Gold Medal, beating Korean top archer Park, holder of the FITA
International Archery Federation
The International Archery Federation is the governing body of the sport of archery. It is based in Lausanne, Switzerland. It is composed of 140 national archery associations, and is recognized by the International Olympic Committee.-History:FITA was founded on 4 September 1931 in Poland...
world record for the qualifying round of 1405 points (of a possible 1440). This was the second gold medal in the outdoor World Championships for Valeeva, the first one in 1995. So far in her career, Valeeva has collected 7 individual gold medals in World Championships (indoor and outdoor), and she is one of the few archers in the world to have won the Indoor and Outdoor World Championship in the same year, in 1995.
2008 Summer Olympics
At the 2008 Summer Olympics in BeijingBeijing
Beijing , also known as Peking , is the capital of the People's Republic of China and one of the most populous cities in the world, with a population of 19,612,368 as of 2010. The city is the country's political, cultural, and educational center, and home to the headquarters for most of China's...
Valeeva finished her ranking round with a total of 634 points. This gave her the 30th seed for the final competition bracket in which she faced Anastassiya Bannova
Anastassiya Bannova
Anastassiya Bannova is an athlete from Kazakhstan. She competes in archery.Bannova represented Kazakhstan at the 2008 Summer Olympics. She placed 35th in the women's individual ranking round with a 72-arrow score of 628. In the first round of elimination, she faced 30th-ranked Natalia Valeeva...
in the first round, beating the archer from Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan
Kazakhstan , officially the Republic of Kazakhstan, is a transcontinental country in Central Asia and Eastern Europe. Ranked as the ninth largest country in the world, it is also the world's largest landlocked country; its territory of is greater than Western Europe...
with 107–105. In the second round she came close, but was eliminated by third seed Joo Hyun-Jung
Joo Hyun-Jung
Joo Hyun-Jung is a female professional archer from South Korea.- 2008 Summer Olympics :At the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing Joo finished her ranking round with a total of 664 points, nine points behind ranking leader Park Sung-Hyun...
with 110–108. Together with Pia Carmen Maria Lionetti and Elena Tonetta
Elena Tonetta
Elena Tonetta is an Italian archer.In 2005 she was the Junior European Champion, winning at Silkeborg . She won the second place in the final of the Junior World Cup, at Mérida in 2006...
she also took part in the team event. With her 634 score from the ranking round combined with the 613 of Lionetti and the 595 of Tonetta the Italian team was in 9th position after the ranking round. In the first round they were too strong for the team from Chinese Taipei
Chinese Taipei
Chinese Taipei is the designated name used by the Republic of China , commonly known as Taiwan, to participate in some international organizations and almost all sporting events, such as the Olympics, Paralympics, Asian Games and Asian Para Games...
, beating them with 215–211. However, in the quarter final they were eliminated by the eventual gold medalists from South Korea
South Korea
The Republic of Korea , , is a sovereign state in East Asia, located on the southern portion of the Korean Peninsula. It is neighbored by the People's Republic of China to the west, Japan to the east, North Korea to the north, and the East China Sea and Republic of China to the south...
, despite a 217 points score. The Koreans managed to shoot a new World Record of 231 points to advance to the semi final.