From Seoul to today: Tatyana Muntyan on competing, coaching and staying sharp at 57

ATHLETE SPOTLIGHT is presented by WIAWIS.

Central Florida 2025 marked the first Hyundai World Cup stage of the season – and yet another chapter in the long international career of Tatyana Muntyan.

By some distance the most experienced recurve woman archer at the Lake Myrtle Sports Complex, Muntyan has been competing on the world stage since the 1980s, with multiple wins to her name.

Now 57, she competed at the 1988 Olympics in Seoul representing the former Soviet Union. Today, she represents the Virgin Islands – and has six medals from indoor and outdoor world championships, including an individual gold indoors from Istanbul 1997.

Despite her age, Muntyan remains as motivated as ever, her presence in Central Florida being her latest embodiment of the fire that still burns inside – much like when she was one of the world’s top archers decades ago.

“The problem is not to compete,” said the former Ukrainian team member, who was eliminated in the first round by eventual gold medallist Penny Healey. “To represent the country, you need to be really strong, really powerful, but my style, my method and my experience allows me to shoot a good technique.”

“I cannot say I’ll win again because I need to have some luck. Of course, sometimes crazy errors can help you to win. Not in my case. I need to fight all my life for everything, but I wish at least to be in the top 20.”

Muntyan’s endeavours as a 50+ and masters (50-59 years) archer been impressive. She won gold at the Pan Am Masters Championships last year – setting a new masters world record in the 60-metre 144-arrow round with Bruce Arnold – adding to a bronze from 2022 and a bronze and silver from the 2018 Masters Indoor and Field events in Lausanne.

But before Central Florida, the 2024 Pan Am Masters were the Olympian’s last international competition making it just over a year out from action.

In addition to competing and helping her birth place in Ukraine, Muntyan has taken on a larger coaching role for the Virgin Islands national team, where she now works with 20 students. 

One of whom she praised is 16-year-old Goddess George. who competed in March at the second qualifier for the Junior Pan American Games, which are to be held later this year in Asuncion, Paraguay.

Despite having never shot 70 metres competitively before, George narrowly lost 6-4 to third seed Alexandra Asucena Duque Cristancho of Venezuela – an impressive result for someone with only a year of experience.

“For years, I’ve built my style of archery through a systematic training method,” said Muntyan. “I’m not just teaching people how to pull or push the shoulder blade. I’m sharing my knowledge, my experience and my feelings, because what I know is really, really unique.”

“I’ve been in archery in the 80s, 90s, 2000s, 2010s and now 2020s, so I see how archery forms and styles have transformed. That knowledge and experience really helps my students.”

Archery is and forever will be Tatyana’s life. 

For nearly 50 years – half a century – it has defined her life that saw her become one of Ukraine’s most decorated archers, and her legacy continues through her family: her son is married to three-time Olympian Lidiia Sichenikova.

Just from wanting to be an athlete of any sort, Muntyan is now also a foundational figure in both her own family and her adopted one in the Virgin Islands. Kevin D’Amour, secretary general of the national federation, called her “constantly giving back” to the island.

She has now injected herself into a different role in the sport, a more charitable one focused on helping others.

Her appearance in Central Florida reflected more than just a return to the competition field – it was a reminder that Muntyan’s archery journey continues, not despite her age, but alongside it.

“A lot of top archers, when they’re done with the professionals, they’ll do another type of job or have a family, but they are always a pro inside,” explained Muntyan, when asked why she continues to compete alongside coaching.

“You need to always keep working, but also take some breaks. Because if you over-practise, if you overdo it, you’ll probably find your limit. I see athletes practising a lot and it’s good – they need to because they’re young.” 

“But if you’re getting older you need to choose the right things with the balance between not overdoing it, making yourself tired and making mistakes.”

It may be another year before we see her competing again in a major event, but whether on the shooting line or the coaching line, Tatyana Muntyan is far from done, at 57.

“Nothing in this life is stable; we’re always moving forward,” she concluded. “When you go on this vortex, you will find what is best for you.”

Content images courtesy of Tatyana Muntyan.