Vera Popkova

Who was Vera Popkova?

Vera Ivanovna Popkova was a Soviet track and field athlete who competed in the sprints. She had personal bests of 11.3 seconds for the 100 metres and 23.0 seconds for the 200 metres. Over her career, she won eight individual national titles in the sprints.

She came to prominence by winning medals in the sprints at the 1963 Summer Universiade and the 1966 European Athletics Championships. Her greatest successes came with the Soviet relay team: in 1968 she helped set two world records in the 4×100 m relay and won an Olympic bronze medal at the 1968 Mexico City Games. Her international career ended on a high note with two gold medals in the 400 metres and relay at the 1971 European Athletics Indoor Championships. She was also a three-time medallist at the European Cup.