Vasily Sorokin

Born into a peasant family in 1927, Vasily Sorokin was only 17-years-old when his father was killed in battle during World War II whilst fighting for the Red Army. Sorokin was then called up for military service with the NKVD, where he worked as an aircraft maintenance technician and a gunner. His military training involved escorting and guarding special trains going to the frontline, making him proficient with multiple types of machine guns. He always had to be combat ready, both repelling air raids and being able to fire at ground targets.

After the war Sorokin continued with his fine shooting skills, but this time as a competitive rapid-fire pistol shooter in sporting events. He was soon one of the best sports shooters in the country, becoming the USSR champion in target shooting, and holding both European and World records. In 1955 he won gold in the team 25 metres rapid-fire pistol and silver in the individual event at the European Shooting Championships in Romania. These performances earned him a place on the Soviet team for the 1956 Melbourne Olympics, but he only managed to finish 24th.

Despite the disappointing performance at the Games, Sorokin went on to win silver in the 25 metres centre fire pistol team event at the 1958 World Championships in Moskva. The following year he won another silver in the same event, this time at the European Championships in Italy. Sorokin won more than 60 titles during his career and was an Honored Master of Sports of the USSR in shooting.