Vera Krepkina
Soviet athletics competitor (1933–2023)
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Vera Samuilovna Krepkina, née Kalashnikova, (Russian: Вера Самуиловна Крепкина (Калашникова); 15 April 1933 – 25 April 2023) was a Soviet-Ukrainian track and field athlete. She competed for the Soviet Union at the 1952, 1956, and 1960 Olympics. At all these Olympics she finished fourth in the 4 × 100 m relay and was eliminated in the heats of the 100 m sprint. In 1960, she also took part in the long jump and won a surprise gold medal with an Olympic record of 6.37 m, ahead of the defending champion Elżbieta Krzesińska and the world record holder Hildrun Claus.[2]
Krepkina (right) at the 1960 Olympics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 15 April 1933[1] | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Died | 25 April 2023 (aged 90) Kyiv, Ukraine | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.59 m (5 ft 3 in) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 58 kg (128 lb) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country | Soviet Union | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Events | Sprints, long jump | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Club | Lokomotiv Vologda Lokomotiv Kiev | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal bests | 100 m: 11.3 (1958) Long jump: 6.37 m (1960) | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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At the European Championships she won gold medals in the 4 × 100 m relay in 1954 and 1958 and finished second in the 100 m in 1958.[3] She was a member of the Soviet team that set a world record in the 4 × 100 m relay in 1956, and she tied the world record (11.3 seconds) in the 100 meter dash in 1958. During her career Krepkina won eight Soviet titles: 100 m in 1952, 1957 and 1958; 200 m in 1952; 4 × 100 m relay in 1952, 1960 and 1965; and 4 × 200 m relay in 1952. In retirement she worked as a children's athletics coach in Ukraine.[2]
Krepkina died on 25 April 2023, at the age of 90.[4]
