For new Germany coach Natalia Valeeva, the drive to win still burns

Three nations as an athlete and now two as a coach – the competitive fire still burns in Natalia Valeeva.

Her 27-year career as an elite recurve archer began under the flag of the former Soviet Union, continued with Moldova, and flourished with Italy. Between 1989 and 2016, Valeeva won 46 international medals, including two Olympic and six World Championship podiums – a résumé that cements her as one of the sport’s modern greats.

Now, almost a decade into her retirement, she’s back on the front lines – this time as coach of Germany’s recurve women’s team.

Valeeva had previously spent seven years coaching for Italy after an inflammatory shoulder injury ended her competitive career in 2016. Her move to Germany’s programme came ahead of Shanghai 2025 – the second stage of this year’s Hyundai Archery World Cup – but had been years in the making, she revealed.

“With Oliver Haidn [head coach], we’ve been friends since we were athletes, we respect each other,” said Valeeva. “He invited me several times after the Tokyo 2020 Olympics. I accepted once my family situation was settled and my three children became adults.”

“I was attracted by the discipline and joy the athletes have in working together – and the warm environment, like a big family. Different characters, but the same desire to improve.”

It’s a familiar dynamic for the Barcelona 1992 Olympic bronze medallist, who compares managing an elite team to raising a family. The key, she says, is to maintain “harmony and serenity” across the group – and to treat every athlete equally, regardless of rank.

That may be a little easier with a squad that already includes proven performers: Olympic medallists Michelle Kroppen (Paris 2024 mixed team silver) and Charline Schwarz (Tokyo 2020 team bronze), reigning European Champion Katharina Bauer and world number 16 Elisa Tartler.

Across the board it's a strong, consistent, quality team, but Valeeva is also tasked with guiding the next generation – like Antalya 2022 silver medallist Elina Idensen (22) and under-21 European Youth Cup bronze medallist Regina Kellerer (18) – into senior contention.

Strengthening squad depth ahead of LA28 is a key priority.

“There are high-level athletes and young athletes who want to learn to become champions,” said Valeeva. “It’s not easy to find a ‘universal language’ that works for everyone – so I’m trying to understand how to communicate mastery of the perfect shot in different ways: from the movement to the impact on the target.”

“I can say with certainty that the perfect shot does not have to weigh us down too much, so when we see it land in the centre, it gives us pleasure and satisfaction – the same sensations as eating our favourite cake. The shooting sequence is the cake… and the impact on the target is the icing.”

Results have been modest so far in 2025. Germany’s recurve women haven’t reached the podium in any individual or team events during the first three Hyundai Archery World Cup stages – Central Florida, Shanghai and Antalya – but there have been highlights. Kroppen and Florian Unruh won bronze in the mixed team in Florida; Bauer and Unruh took silver in Antalya.

Valeeva, a two-time World Archery Champion, isn’t worried. She’s lived through six Olympic cycles and knows there’s time to build. Germany remains a consistent medalling nation – but has never won Olympic gold in archery.

If she can deliver that missing title – either in the team or individual women’s event – her coaching legacy could soon rival her own extraordinary career.

“To grow a strong tree, you need to plant a seed and nurture it with perseverance until it reaches a predetermined goal,” she said. “That’s what I want to do: help Germany qualify for the Olympics in Los Angeles and do my best to win medals.”

The journey continues next week at the fourth and final stage of the 2025 Hyundai Archery World Cup, which takes place for the first time in Madrid, Spain.

It’s still early days. Valeeva is adapting to her fourth language and culture and plans to work full time with the team soon.

Since retiring, the 55-year-old has been eager to share her technical and psychological expertise – and inspire athletes to feel the “adrenaline in their veins,” something she still misses from her own time on the shooting line.

That chapter may have closed – but her mission for medals lives on.

“The road to success is like a chess game,” said Valeeva. “There’s the joy of playing the game and in choosing the strategies towards victory. And it’s up to us, as coaches, to prepare the right plans to win each match.”