Valentina Rastvorova

Valentyna Ksenofontivna Rastvorova (Валентина Ксенофонтовна Растворова; 17 July 1933 – 24 August 2018) was a Ukrainian who was a Soviet fencer who competed in the 1956, 1960, and 1964 Olympics in the individual foil and team foil events. She won an individual silver medal and team gold medal in 1960, and a team silver medal in 1964. She also won six gold and two silver medals at the world championships of 1956–67.

Biography Personal life She was born in Odesa, Ukraine.

Her grandson, Sergey Bida, is a world champion épée fencer. He made his Olympic debut in Tokyo, winning a silver medal. He was ranked #1 in the world in 2020. He is also a three-time European épée team champion. He moved to the United States in 2023 after the Russian invasion of Ukraine, along with his wife, Olympic épée fencer Violetta Khrapina Bida.

Fencing career She competed in the 1956, 1960, and 1964 Olympics in the individual foil and team foil events. She won an individual silver medal and team gold medal in 1960, and a team silver medal in 1964.

She also won six gold and two silver medals at the world championships of 1956–67, mostly in team foil (1956 London gold: foil team; 1958 Philadelphia gold: foil and foil team; 1961 Torino gold: foil team, bronze: foil; 1962 Buenos Aires silver: foil team; 1965 Paris gold: foil team; 1966 Moscow gold: foil team; 1967 Montréal silver: foil team).

After retiring from competition, she worked as a fencing coach at her club Dynamo Moscow.