About Sofia Muratova
Sofia Ivanovna Muratova (Russian: Софья Ивановна Муратова, 13 July 1929 – 27 September 2006) was a Soviet gymnast. She competed in the 1956 and 1960 Olympics and won eight medals. == Early life == Muratova grew up in Leningrad and lost her mother during its siege. Muratova herself was evacuated from the city in 1941. During the war she could not regularly attend school, but tried to train every day. She took up artistic gymnastics in 1943, entering a children's sports school, and just three months later competed in the Russian Championships for girls. In 1944 she moved to Moscow, where she trained under Ivan Zhuravlyov. == First successes == In 1945 Muratova won her first major competition, the USSR Junior Championships. She soon became one of the strongest Soviet gymnasts, the only one to win five Soviet all-around titles, yet she was often unlucky at major international events. == World championships and Olympics == Muratova missed the 1952 Summer Olympics due to injury.
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