Nadezhda Olizarenko
Olizarenko leading the 1980 Olympic 800 m final | |
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Born | 28 November 1953 Bryansk, Russian SFSR, Soviet Union |
| Died | 18 February 2017 (aged 63) Odesa, Ukraine |
| Height | 165 cm (5 ft 5 in) |
| Weight | 57 kg (126 lb) |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Athletics |
| Event(s) | 800 m, 1500 m |
| Club | Army Club Odesa |
| Coached by | Boris Gnoyev Svetlana Gnoyeva |
| Achievements and titles | |
| Personal best(s) | 800 m – 1:53.43 (1980) 1500 m – 3:56.8 (1980) |
Nadezhda Fyodorovna Olizarenko (Russian: Надежда Фёдоровна Олизаренко, Ukrainian: Надія Федорівна Олізаренко; née Mushta; 28 November 1953 – 18 February 2017) was a Soviet middle-distance runner. At the 1980 Olympics she won the 800 m event, setting a world record at 1:53.43, and finished third in the 1500 m. Her 800 m world record was improved in 1983, but still remains the second-best time over that distance. Other than world record holder Jarmila Kratochvílová in 1983, only two athletes, Pamela Jelimo of Kenya, in 2008, and Caster Semenya of South Africa, in 2018, have come within a second of Olizarenko's mark since it was set.
Olizarenko won the 1986 European title in the 800 m, but failed to reach the final in this event at the 1988 Olympics. She still holds the world record in the 4 × 800 m relay set in 1984.