Galina CISTJAKOVA

Galina Chistyakova took up athletics in 1972 and was selected for the Soviet national team in 1979. Equally strong in long and triple jump, Chistyakova won most of her international honors in long jump because triple jump was rarely included at major internationals during her prime. She won multiple international long jump titles, including the 1989 World Indoors, 1985/89/90 European Indoors, 1986 Goodwill Games, 1989 World Cup, and the 1985/89 European Cups. In the triple jump, she won gold at the 1990 European Indoor Championships, the first time the event was held at a major international.

Chistyakova set three world records during her career. On 11 June 1988, at the Znamensky Brothers Memorial, she first equaled the world record of 7.45 and then later in that meet jumped 7.52, a mark which, as of 2014, still stands. On 2 July 1989, she set a triple jump world record of 14.52.

After being dropped from the Russian national team after the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Chistyakova moved to Bratislava, and gaining Slovakian citizenship in 1996, represented her new country at the 1996 Olympics and 1997 World Championships in both long jumps and triple jump, but with no significant success. She was the CIS triple jump champion in 1992 and Slovakian long jump champion in 1996 and triple jump champion in 1996 and 1998.

Personal Bests: LJ – 7.52 (1988); TJ – 14.76 (1995).