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Born |
November 15, 1969 (age 47) Tîrnauca, Transnistria, Moldova |
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Medal record
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Natalia Valeeva (born November 15, 1969 in Tîrnauca, Transnistria) is a naturalized Italian archer. She is a five-time Olympian and former world number one, and a native of Moldova, having represented the Unified Team, Moldova and Italy, at the Olympic Games of 1992, 1996, 2000, 2004, 2008 and 2012. She won the individual and team bronze medals in the 1992 Olympic Games.
Valeeva is the mother of twins, and is married to an Italian native (Roberto Cocchi). She is sponsored by Hoyt Archery and Easton Technical Products as a member of their Pro Staff.
Valeeva represented the Unified Team and won the individual bronze medal with Cho Youn-Jeong and Kim Soo-Nyung, both representing South Korea, winning gold and silver. She also won the team bronze medal with Lyudmila Arzhannikova and Khatouna Kvrivichvili with South Korea winning gold and China winning silver.
Valeeva represented Moldova at the 1996 Summer Olympics, where she was defeated in the third round.
Valeeva represented Italy at the 2000 Summer Olympics, gaining seventh place in both the individual and the team event.
In her next Olympic appearance, Valeeva represented Italy at the 2004 Summer Olympics where she placed 9th in the women's individual ranking round with a 72-arrow score of 650. In the first round of elimination in high winds and difficult conditions, she faced 56th-ranked Jasmin Figueroa of the Philippines. The biggest upset of the round, this match saw Valeeva lose to Figueroa 132–130 in the 18-arrow match, dropping all the way to 53rd overall in women's individual archery.