Taisiya Chenchik

Born in Ukraine, Taisiya Chenchik grew up in Chelyabinsk, Russia, where her family had fled during World War II. Chenchik took up athletics after enrolling at the Chelyabinsk Polytechnic Institute (now South Ural State University) and soon rose to be the top Soviet and European high jumper in the 1960s. She won Olympic bronze in 1964, was the European champion in 1966 and won silver at the 1958 European Championships. Chenchik also won gold at the 1963 Universiade, 1967 European Indoor Championships, won the high jump at the USSR-USA dual meet five times (1958-59, 1962-63, 1965) and was a Soviet champion four times (1957-59 and 1962). Chenchik graduated from the Chelyabinsk Polytechnic Institute with an electrical engineering degree in 1959 and from 1959-62 worked as a lecturer in the theoretical electrical engineering department at her alma mater. From 1963-91, Chenchik was a lecturer of electrophysics and electrical engineering at the Moscow Power Engineering Institute. Later Chenchik was president of Moscow Veteran’s Athletics Federation and was a board member of the Moscow Athletics Federation.

Personal Best: HJ – 1.78 (1959).