Yolanda Chen | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | (1961-07-26)July 26, 1961 (age 64) |
| Occupation | athlete |
Yolanda Chen (Russian:Иоланда Чен; born July 26, 1961, inMoscow) is a retiredRussian athlete. She started as apentathlete, but decided to specialize inlong jump. In 1988, she achieved a personal best of 7.16 metres, a good result, but from 1992 she switched totriple jump instead, a relatively new event for women. Inspired by her fatherYevgeniy Chen, who was among the world elite in the 1950s, she managed to jump 13.72 metres in 1992. Her great-grandfather wasEugene Chen.
In 1993, she improved to 14.97 metres, a new outdoor record which would also remain her personal best. Her record was beaten at theWorld Championships the same year by fellow RussianAnna Biryukova, who jumped 15.09m. In 1995, Chen appeared at theWorld Indoor Championships and won the gold medal with 15.03 metres, a new world indoor record, beating the prior record of 14.47m. She finished 11th at theWorld Championships the same year.
Chen married pole vaulterYevgeniy Bondarenko. She now works as a commentator for the RussianEurosport.
In 2023, she suggested postponing the2024 Summer Olympics to 2025 because of controversies surrounding Russia's participation.[1]
| Year | Competition | Venue | Position | Event | Result | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Representing the Soviet Union | ||||||
| 1983 | Universiade | Edmonton, Canada | 5th | Long jump | 6.52 m | |
| 1989 | European Indoor Championships | The Hague, Netherlands | 2nd | Long jump | 6.86 m | |
| Universiade | Duisburg, West Germany | 1st | Long jump | 6.72 m | ||
| 1990 | European Championships | Split, Yugoslavia | 5th | Long jump | 6.90 m | wind: +0.8 m/s |
Representing Russia | ||||||
| 1993 | World Indoor Championships | Toronto, Canada | 2nd | Triple jump | 14.36 m | |
| World Championships | Stuttgart, Germany | 2nd | Triple jump | 14.70 m | ||
| 1994 | European Championships | Helsinki, Finland | 4th | Triple jump | 14.48 m | w (+2.2 m/s) |
| 1995 | World Indoor Championships | Barcelona, Spain | 1st | Triple jump | 15.03 m | WR |
| World Championships | Gothenburg, Sweden | 11th | Triple jump | 14.05 m | ||
