Valentina Vadimovna Popova is a famous weightlifter who lives in Voronezh, the first Russian weightlifter who has become a world champion. From an early age, Valentina showed an interest in sports.
Background
Valentina Popova (née Trach) was born on September 25, 1972 in Bratsk, Irkutsk Region, Russian Federation. At the age of 6 she moved to Voronezh, her parents decided that she had better go to school in Voronezh. Her grandfather and grandmother lived in Voronezh.
Education
In 1994 Valentina Vadimovna Popova graduated from the Voronezh State Institute of Physical Culture.
Career
Since 1993 Valentina Vadimovna became a member of the Russian national weightlifting team. Since 2001, she has been an instructor at the Voronezh Specialized Junior School of Olympic Reserve No. 38.In 2006, Valentina was disqualified for two years and was deprived of the silver medal of the 2006 European Championship.
Shortly before the start of the Beijing Olympics, Valentina Vadimovna finally announced her retirement: the reason for this was another positive doping test taken during out of competition time, which led to automatic lifelong disqualification. Valentina explained the reason for leaving the sport not so much by disqualification as by the increased back injuries and the desire to spend more time with the family.
In 2008, on the eve of the Beijing Olympics, she left the big sport.Since 2013, she has been teaching at the Voronezh Institute of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.
Achievements
Personality
Valentina Popova succeeded in realizing her dream - she spends enough time with her child, helping her daughter achieve success in her own sports career.
Connections
Valentina has a big family - her husband Sergey, daughter Katya, she is now 22 years old, and her son Vadim (he was named after his grandfather), now he is eight years old.