Olha Bryzhina (, née Olga Arkad'evna Vladykina; ; born June 30, 1963, in Krasnokamsk, Perm Oblast) is a retired athlete who represented the Soviet Union (until 1991) and later Ukraine.
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). Bryzhina also became world champion in 1987.
Bryzhina 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.START LIST 400 Metres Women - Round 1 , Daegu 2011 (27 August 2011) 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).2012 Olympic Games Statistics - Women’s 400m , Athletics Weekly
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,Romanization of Russian differs from Romanization of UkrainianRussia dominates on day of upsets in Bergen - European Team Champs Day 2, International Association of Athletics Federations (June 21, 2010) Єлизавета Бризгіна: Головне — не участь, а перемога, Ukrayina Moloda (July 23, 2010) 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.Chris Tomlinson secures European long jump bronze, BBC (August 1, 2010)Lewis-Francis accepts blame for 4x100m relay disaster, BBC (July 31, 2010)
Personal bests 200 metres - 22.44 (1985)IAAF profile for Olga Bryzgina 400 metres - 48.27 (1985)
Achievements Representing 1984Friendship GamesPrague, Czechoslovakia3rd400 m49.521985World CupCanberra, Australia 2nd400 metres48.271986European ChampionshipsStuttgart, Germany 2nd400 metres49.67DSQ4 × 400 m relay1987World ChampionshipsRome, Italy 1st400 metres49.38 2nd4 × 400 m relay3:19.501988Olympic GamesSeoul, South Korea 1st400 metres48.65 1st4 × 400 m relay3:15.17 WR1991World ChampionshipsTokyo, Japan4th400 metres49.821st4 × 400 m relay3:18.47Representing 1992European Indoor ChampionshipsGenoa, Italy2nd400 m51.48Olympic GamesBarcelona, Spain 2nd400 metres49.05 1st4 × 400 m relay3:20.20
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