Olha Bryzghina

Olha Bryzhina (Ukrainian: Ольга Бризгіна, maiden name Olga Arkad'evna Vladykina; Russian: Ольга Аркадьевна Владыкина; born June 30, 1963, in Krasnokamsk, Perm Oblast) is a retired athlete who represented the Soviet Union (until 1991) and later Ukraine.

Olha Bryzghina

Portrait of Olha Bryzhina
Personal information
Born	(1963-06-30) June 30, 1963 (age 62)
Height	1.71 m (5 ft 7+1⁄2 in)
Weight	63 kg (139 lb)
Sport
Country	Soviet Union  Ukraine
Sport	Track and field
Event	4 × 400 m relay
Medal record Olympic Games Representing  Soviet Union 1988 Seoul 400 m 1988 Seoul 4 × 400 m relay Representing  Unified Team 1992 Barcelona 4 × 400 m relay 1992 Barcelona 400 m Representing  Unified Team European Indoor Championships 1992 Genoa 400 m IAAF Grand Prix Final 1992 Turin 400 m World Championships Representing  Soviet Union 1987 Rome 400 m 1991 Tokyo 4 × 400 m relay 1987 Rome 4 × 400 m relay Representing  Soviet Union European Championships 1986 Stuttgart 400 m Representing  Soviet Union IAAF World Cup 1985 Canberra 400 m 1985 Canberra 4 × 400 m relay Representing  Soviet Union European Cup 1985 Moscow 400 m 1985 Moscow 4 × 400 m relay Representing  Soviet Union Friendship Games 1984 Moscow 4 × 400 m relay 1984 Moscow 400 m Representing  Soviet Union Goodwill Games 1986 Moscow 400 m 1986 Moscow 4 × 400 m relay

Career

Bryzhina trained at Dynamo in Voroshilovgrad. Competing in the 400 metres and 4 × 400 metres relay, she was a particularly successful Olympian with three gold medals and one silver. At the 1988 Olympics the Soviet relay team set a new world record of 3:15.17 minutes which is still unbeaten (2025).^[1] Bryzhina also became world champion in 1987.

Bryzhina successfully defeated Florence Griffith Joyner at the 1988 Seoul Olympics in the 4 × 400 m relay. Both runners ran the final leg of the relay and took the baton at about the same time. "Flo-Jo" ran a well paced race, chasing Bryzhina closely, and tried to challenge Bryzhina at the 300 m point. However, the challenge from Flo-Jo was unsuccessful and Bryzhina won by a 4m margin, taking gold for the Soviet Union along with a new world record for the USSR team. Bryzhina's time of 47.7 seconds in the 1988 Olympic relay is one of the fastest relay legs ever run by a woman in the history of track and field.

Bryzhina's 400 m personal best of 48.27 seconds makes her the 6th fastest performer of all time in a laned 400 m race.^[2][3][4] She achieved this in the same race that Marita Koch set the current 400 m world record of 47.60 seconds on 6 October 1985 at the Bruce Stadium in Canberra (Australia).^[3][4]

Bryzhina's husband Viktor Bryzhin was also a champion track athlete, winning gold in the 4 × 100 m relay event at the 1988 Olympics. Together they have two daughters, Yelizaveta Bryzhina and Anastasiia Bryzgina,^[5][6][7] who are also a successful track runners (competing for Ukraine).

Bryzhina and her daughter Yelizaveta both had a best performance of 22.44 seconds over 200 m as of December 2012.^[8][9]

Personal bests

• 200 metres - 22.44 (1985)^[2]
• 400 metres - 48.27 (1985)^[2]

Achievements

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Event	Notes
Representing  Soviet Union
1984	Friendship Games	Prague, Czechoslovakia	3rd	400 m	49.52
1985	World Cup	Canberra, Australia	2nd	400 metres	48.27
1986	European Championships	Stuttgart, Germany	2nd	400 metres	49.67
			DISQ	4 × 400 m relay
1987	World Championships	Rome, Italy	1st	400 metres	49.38
			2nd	4 × 400 m relay	3:19.50
1988	Olympic Games	Seoul, South Korea	1st	400 metres	48.65
			1st	4 × 400 m relay	3:15.17 WR
1991	World Championships	Tokyo, Japan	4th	400 metres	49.82
				4 × 400 m relay	3:18.47
Representing  Unified Team
1992	European Indoor Championships	Genoa, Italy	2nd	400 m	51.48
	Olympic Games	Barcelona, Spain	2nd	400 metres	49.05
			1st	4 × 400 m relay	3:20.20