Bryzhina trained atDynamo inVoroshilovgrad. Competing in the400 metres and4 × 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 defeatedFlorence 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 theSoviet 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 thatMarita Koch set the current400 m world record of 47.60 seconds on 6 October 1985 at theBruce Stadium inCanberra (Australia).[3][4]
Bryzhina's husbandViktor 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 andAnastasiia Bryzgina,[5][6][7] who are also 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]
Soviet Union
Ukraine
Unified Team
