A Ukrainian refugee who has sought sanctuary in Bolton once competed in the Olympics. Many people love to speak about their achievements, but not Nataliia Horodilova. Nataliia, now aged 74, had been going to the conversational English class at the Ukrainian Social Centre on Castle Street for three weeks before she told the group of her stunning exploits.
She competed in the 1976 Montreal Olympics for the USSR in rowing, coming fourth in the coxless pair category. Nataliia was part of the first cohort of women who competed in Olympic rowing. She also competed at World Rowing Championships in 1974 and 1977.
Nataliia, who is originally from the Zaporizhzhia region of Ukraine, now lives in Bolton , having moved here in 2022 following the Russian invasion. She said: "I was a member of the 21st Olympic games in Montreal, in 1976. "I was a member of the USSR team, as Ukraine did not get its independence until 1991.
Nataliia with Yaroslaw Tymchyshyn at the Ukrainian Centre (Image: Newsquest) "I was about 18 when I started with rowing, I was a student in Zaporizhzhia. "When I first started rowing my friend, a fellow student at that age competed with me in the European Championships, then we were chosen to join the USSR. We competed at the Olympics together.
" She added: "There were 15 republics as part of the USSR team, and although I was from Ukraine and spoke Ukrainian, I felt because my love was rowing it was almost natural to be part of it. "Plus I did not have a choice. I wanted t.
