Emma Gapchenko

As a youth, Emma Gapchenko excelled in running, swimming and played volleyball. Gapchenko took up archery only in February 1965, when she was already 28-years-old and a few months later won her first archery medal, at the Moscow regional championships. In August 1965, she won her first Soviet Championships medal, a bronze in the team event. Gapchenko won bronze at the 1972 Olympics, when archery was again added to the Olympic program after 52 years of absence and she was the World individual champion in 1971 and took individual bronze in 1973 and was a team champion in 1969 and 1973, while taking team silver in 1971. Gapchenko also won individual silvers at the 1970 and 1974 European Championships and was European team champion three times in a row from 1970-74. Domestically, Gapchenko never won a Soviet title, but she was a ten times (1967-1975, 1978) Moscow regional champion. After her sporting career, Gapchenko worked as an archery coach and archery judge.