Svetlana MASTERKOVA

Although Svetlana Masterkova had shown early promise as a middle distance runner, she did not reach her full potential until relatively late in her career. Masterkova set the fastest 800m time of the year when she recorded 1min 57.23sec in winning the 1991 Soviet Union national title at Kiev on 11 July. However, at the World Championships in Tokyo the following month, she placed only eighth in a time of 2min 02.92sec. In March 1993, Masterkova finished second in the 800m at the World Indoor Championships in Toronto, but injury prevented her from competing in the outdoor World Championships held later that year. Svetlana took a break from competition over the next two years, during which time she gave birth to her daughter, Anastasiya, in March 1995.

When Masterkova returned to the track in 1996, she quickly showed that she had not only lost none of her talent over 800m, but had also become quite adept at the 1500m, an event she had not contested since 1984. Early warning signs came in the Russian national championships, where Masterkova won the 800m in 1min 58.34sec, and the 1500m in 3min 59.30sec. Although Masterkova was considered a possible medal chance in the 800m at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, she was not expected to trouble the two pre-race favourites, Ana Quirot (Cuba) and Maria Mutola (Mozambique). However, in the final, on 29 July, Masterkova led from the start, holding off all challenges, to win the gold medal (see photo above) in 1min 57.73sec. If that win had been an upset, Svetlana's victory in the 1500m final held 5 days later was an even bigger surprise, due to her relative inexperience at the distance. Despite the pedigrees of her more fancied rivals, Masterkova won her second Olympic gold medal in 4min 00.83sec. (Ron Casey.

Svetlana Masterkova made a rapid rise to superstardom at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, by winning both the 800m and 1500 titles, and thus equalling the previously unique feat that her countrywoman Tatyana Kazankina had achieved in 1976. Masterkova proved that these performances were no flukes by embarking on a world record-breaking spree immediately after the Olympics. At the Weltklasse meet in Zurich on 14 August 1996, Masterkova took over 3 seconds off the world record for the mile, setting a new standard of 4min 12.56sec. In Brussels nine days later, Svetlana not only beat Maria Mutola (Mozambique) over 1000m, but her time of 2min 28.98sec broke Mutola's world record set the previous year. Although Masterkova had been primarily an 800m runner prior to her double victory at the 1996 Olympics, she concentrated more on the 1500m in subsequent years.

In 1997, she easily won the Russian national 1500m title at Tula on 10 July in 4min 03.51sec, but her hopes of repeating her Olympic victory at the World Championships in August were dashed due to injury, which resulted in her limping home last in her semi-final. Following this disappointment, Masterkova made a spectacular return in 1998, winning all but one of the 11 races over 1500m or 1 mile that she contested that year. At the major event of 1998, the European Championships in Budapest, Masterkova eased through her heat on 21 August (see photo above), before blitzing the field in the final two days later, winning off a slow pace in 4min 11.91sec with a last lap of 57.3sec. Masterkova had earlier won the gold medal in the mile at the Goodwill Games in July, and finished off the year with a victory in the 1500m at the World Cup in Johannesburg on 11 September. (Ron Casey)

Svetlana Masterkova made a triumphant return to the international athletics scene in 1996 following two years absence on maternity leave, winning both the 800m and 1500m at the Olympic Games in Atlanta. She followed this two years later with a victory in the 1500m at the European Championships in Budapest. However, one honour that had eluded her during her career had been a medal at the World Championships. Her only two appearances had resulted in an 8th place finish in the 800m final in 1991, and a disappointing last place finish in her 1500m semi-final in 1997 where she had been hampered by an Achilles tendon injury. Masterkova rectified this situation in 1999 in a most emphatic way.

Early in the season she was a dominant force in the 800m, recording a number of significant performances, including the year's fastest time and new personal best of 1min 55.87sec at Moscow on 18 June. Svetlana also produced the year's fastest time of 2min 31.18sec over 1000m at Nice on 17 July defeating a number of the world's best 800m runners. At the World Championships in Seville, Masterkova easily won her heat (see photo above) of the 800m on 21 August, and her semi-final the following day, however, in a closely run final, she was unlucky to only win the bronze medal behind Czech Ludmila Formanova. Masterkova was much more successful in the 1500m final five days later, when she easily beat her opposition to win her first and only World Championships gold medal. That was virtually the end of Masterkova's international career. Although she had a reasonably successful year in 2000 with a year's best time of 4min 01.15sec over 1500m, Svetlana failed to finish in her heat of the 1500m at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney, and retired shortly afterwards. (Ron Casey)