Olga Bryzgina

Olga Bryzgina was the top female long sprinter of the World in the late 1980s and early 90s. Bryzgina competed at two Olympic Games and two World Championships and won three Olympic golds (1988 400 m and 1988/1992 4×400 m relay) and an Olympic silver (1992 400 m). She added two World titles (1987 400 m and 1991 4×400 m relay) and a World Championship silver in 1987 in the 4×400 m relay.

Bryzgina also won 400 m silver at the 1986 European Championships, 400 m and 4×400 m relay silvers at the 1985 World Cup, 400 m gold and 4×400 m silver at the 1986 Goodwill Games, and 400 m and 4×400 m golds at the 1985 European Cup. She was also Soviet 400 champion in 1984-86 and 1991. She likely missed further Olympic medals due to the Soviet boycott of the 1984 Olympics. Instead of the Los Angeles Olympics, she competed at the Friendship Games in 1984, a replacement games held by countries who boycotted the 1984 Olympics, and won gold in the 4×400 m relay and a bronze medal in the 400 m.

At the 1988 Seoul Olympics Bryzgina helped set her only world record, when she anchored the Soviet 4×400 in the final, finishing in 3:15.17 as she held off Florence Griffith Joyner in one of the greatest races ever run. As of 2021, the record still stands.

Bryzgina married fellow Soviet/Ukrainian sprinter Viktor Bryzgin, who won gold in the 4×100 relay at the 1988 Olympics and their daughter Yelyzaveta Bryzhina was a Ukrainian sprinter who won two medals at the 2010 European Championships and a 4×100 m relay bronze at the 2012 Olympics.

Personal Best: 400 – 48.27 (1985).