Vera Popkova
Encyclopedia
Vera Ivanovna Popkova (2 April 1943 – 29 September 2011) was a Soviet
track and field
athlete who competed in the sprints. She had personal bests of 11.3 seconds for the 100 metres and 23.0 seconds for the 200 metres. Over her career, she won eight individual national titles in the sprints (five outdoors and three indoors).
She came to prominence by winning medals in the sprints at the 1963 Summer Universiade
and the 1966 European Athletics Championships. Her greatest successes came with the Soviet relay team: in 1968 she helped set two world record in the 4×100 m relay and won an Olympic bronze medal at the 1968 Mexico City Games. Her international career ended on a high note with two gold medal
s in the 400 metres
and relay at the 1971 European Athletics Indoor Championships. She was also a three-time medallist at the European Cup
.
, Popkova trained at Burevestnik in her home town. Whilst studying, she won the silver medal
over 100 m at the 1963 Summer Universiade
in Brazil. She earned the title Master of Sports of the USSR, International Class
in 1965 and Honored Master of Sports of the USSR in 1971. She graduated from Chelyabinsk Politechnical Institute.
Popkova began competing at the top level in 1965: she won her first Soviet title that year, running over 200 metres
, and placed third in the event at the 1965 European Cup. She established herself as the Soviet Union's top female sprinter the following year by winning the national indoor title in the 400 metres
then taking a 100/200 m double at the outdoor national event. At the 1966 European Athletics Championships she took the bronze medal
over 200 m (finishing behind Polish duo Irena Kirszenstein and Ewa Kłobukowska) and got her second of the competition with the Soviet 4×100 metres relay team which finished third.
In 1967, she won the 100 m title at the Spartakiad
and was third in the 200 m at the 1967 European Cup. She was also a double relay gold medal
ist for the Soviet Union at the 1967 European Indoor Games
. She won another gold in the swedish medley relay at the 1968 European Indoor Games
. It was in this year that she had her greatest success with the Soviet relay team as she and her team mates set a new world record of 43.9 seconds for the 4×100 m relay at the Soviet championships then improved it further to 43.6 seconds at the athletics test event prior to the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. A team comprising Popkova, Lyudmila Zharkova, Galina Bukharina
and Lyudmila Samotyosova ran even faster in the Olympic final, clocking 43.41 seconds, yet this was only enough for the bronze as teams from both the United States and Cuba also went under the previous world record mark. Popkova also represented her country in the 200 m event and was narrowly eliminated in the semi-finals after finishing fifth.
She did not compete internationally in 1969 but returned in 1970 with a new focus on the 400 metres
. She won the Soviet title over that distance and also won her third consecutive bronze medal at the 1970 European Cup. She opened her 1971 season with a 200/400 m double at the Soviet indoor championships. At the 1971 European Athletics Indoor Championships she claimed her first major international gold medal
, winning the 400 m race in a time of 53.7 seconds. She then won her second at the competition, taking the 4×400 metres relay gold with the Soviet Union. However, these proved to be her final medals on the international stage and she retired from athletics in 1973. She later moved to Lvov and worked as an engineer.
Soviet Union
The Soviet Union , officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics , was a constitutionally socialist state that existed in Eurasia between 1922 and 1991....
track and field
Track and field
Track and field is a sport comprising various competitive athletic contests based around the activities of running, jumping and throwing. The name of the sport derives from the venue for the competitions: a stadium which features an oval running track surrounding a grassy area...
athlete who competed in the sprints. She had personal bests of 11.3 seconds for the 100 metres and 23.0 seconds for the 200 metres. Over her career, she won eight individual national titles in the sprints (five outdoors and three indoors).
She came to prominence by winning medals in the sprints at the 1963 Summer Universiade
1963 Summer Universiade
The 1963 Summer Universiade, also known as the III Summer Universiade, took place in Porto Alegre, Brazil.-Medal table:-Sports at the 1963 Summer Universiade:*Athletics*Basketball*Diving*Fencing*Gymnastics*Swimming*Tennis*Volleyball*Water polo...
and the 1966 European Athletics Championships. Her greatest successes came with the Soviet relay team: in 1968 she helped set two world record in the 4×100 m relay and won an Olympic bronze medal at the 1968 Mexico City Games. Her international career ended on a high note with two gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
s in the 400 metres
400 metres
The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...
and relay at the 1971 European Athletics Indoor Championships. She was also a three-time medallist at the European Cup
European Cup (athletics)
The European Cup is a now defunct athletics competition, replaced by the European Team Championships from 2009 onwards. The Europa Cup saw most of the major nations of Europe compete. Originally known as the Bruno Zauli Cup, it first took place in Stuttgart and Kassel , Germany in 1965...
.
Career
Born in ChelyabinskChelyabinsk
Chelyabinsk is a city and the administrative center of Chelyabinsk Oblast, Russia, located in the northwestern side of the oblast, south of Yekaterinburg, just to the east of the Ural Mountains, on the Miass River. Population: -History:...
, Popkova trained at Burevestnik in her home town. Whilst studying, she won the silver medal
Silver medal
A silver medal is a medal awarded to the second place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, and contests with similar formats....
over 100 m at the 1963 Summer Universiade
Athletics at the 1963 Summer Universiade
Athletics events were contested at the 1963 Summer Universiade in Porto Alegre, Brazil.-Men’s events:-Women’s events:-Medal table:-References:* - GBR Athletics* - GBR Athletics...
in Brazil. She earned the title Master of Sports of the USSR, International Class
Unified Sports Classification System of the USSR
Unified Sports Classification System of the USSR is a document which provided general Soviet physical education system requirements for athletes. The classification was established in 1935 and was based on separate classifications, which existed for several sports disciplines before...
in 1965 and Honored Master of Sports of the USSR in 1971. She graduated from Chelyabinsk Politechnical Institute.
Popkova began competing at the top level in 1965: she won her first Soviet title that year, running over 200 metres
200 metres
A 200 metres race is a sprint running event. On an outdoor 400 m track, the race begins on the curve and ends on the home straight, so a combination of techniques are needed to successfully run the race. A slightly shorter race, called the stadion and run on a straight track, was the first...
, and placed third in the event at the 1965 European Cup. She established herself as the Soviet Union's top female sprinter the following year by winning the national indoor title in the 400 metres
400 metres
The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...
then taking a 100/200 m double at the outdoor national event. At the 1966 European Athletics Championships she took the bronze medal
Bronze medal
A bronze medal is a medal awarded to the third place finisher of contests such as the Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games, etc. The practice of awarding bronze third place medals began at the 1904 Olympic Games in St...
over 200 m (finishing behind Polish duo Irena Kirszenstein and Ewa Kłobukowska) and got her second of the competition with the Soviet 4×100 metres relay team which finished third.
In 1967, she won the 100 m title at the Spartakiad
Spartakiad
Spartakiad initially was the name of an international sports event that the Soviet Union attempted to use to both oppose and supplement the Olympics...
and was third in the 200 m at the 1967 European Cup. She was also a double relay gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
ist for the Soviet Union at the 1967 European Indoor Games
1967 European Indoor Games
The 2nd European Indoor Games were held at Sportovní hala, Prague, Czechoslovakia from 11 march to 12 march 1977.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:- External links :* on the website of Maik Richter* at gbrathletics* at gbrathletics...
. She won another gold in the swedish medley relay at the 1968 European Indoor Games
1968 European Indoor Games
The 3rd European Indoor Games were held in 1968 at Palacio de Deportes, Madrid, the capital of Spain.-Track:-Field:-Medal table:-External links:* at GBRathletics.com* at GBRathletics.com...
. It was in this year that she had her greatest success with the Soviet relay team as she and her team mates set a new world record of 43.9 seconds for the 4×100 m relay at the Soviet championships then improved it further to 43.6 seconds at the athletics test event prior to the 1968 Mexico City Olympics. A team comprising Popkova, Lyudmila Zharkova, Galina Bukharina
Galina Bukharina
Galina Petrovna Bukharina is a Soviet athlete who competed mainly in the 100 metres.Bukharina trained at the Armed Forces sports society in Moscow. She competed for Soviet Union in the 1968 Summer Olympics held in Mexico City, Mexico in the 4 x 100 metres where she won the bronze medal with her...
and Lyudmila Samotyosova ran even faster in the Olympic final, clocking 43.41 seconds, yet this was only enough for the bronze as teams from both the United States and Cuba also went under the previous world record mark. Popkova also represented her country in the 200 m event and was narrowly eliminated in the semi-finals after finishing fifth.
She did not compete internationally in 1969 but returned in 1970 with a new focus on the 400 metres
400 metres
The 400 metres, or 400 metre dash, is a common sprinting event in track and field competitions. It has been featured in the athletics programme at the Summer Olympics since 1896 . On a standard outdoor running track, it is exactly one lap around the track. Runners start in staggered positions and...
. She won the Soviet title over that distance and also won her third consecutive bronze medal at the 1970 European Cup. She opened her 1971 season with a 200/400 m double at the Soviet indoor championships. At the 1971 European Athletics Indoor Championships she claimed her first major international gold medal
Gold medal
A gold medal is typically the medal awarded for highest achievement in a non-military field. Its name derives from the use of at least a fraction of gold in form of plating or alloying in its manufacture...
, winning the 400 m race in a time of 53.7 seconds. She then won her second at the competition, taking the 4×400 metres relay gold with the Soviet Union. However, these proved to be her final medals on the international stage and she retired from athletics in 1973. She later moved to Lvov and worked as an engineer.