Olympic 800-meter gold medalist Olizarenko dies at 63
Posted February 19, 2017 6:00 am
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) - Nadiya Olizarenko, gold medalist in the women's 800 meters at the 1980 Moscow Olympics, has died. She was 63.
The Ukrainian athletics federation said in a statement that Olizarenko died Saturday "following a long and serious illness," without providing further details.
Running for the Soviet Union, Olizarenko held the world record between 1980 and 1983 and remains the second-fastest woman in history over 800 meters.
She ran her personal best in the 1980 Olympic final, finishing in 1 minute, 53.43 seconds.
As well as winning Olympic gold in Moscow, Olizarenko took bronze in the 1,500 five days later.
She remained a leading middle-distance runner for several years, winning European gold in the 800 in 1986.
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