Olizarenko took up athletics in 1967, together with her sister Natasha, who later became athletics coach. Next year she won the 400 m event at the Soviet Junior Championships, and became a member of the Soviet junior athletics team. She was included into the Soviet senior team in 1977, and debuted internationally as a senior at the 1978 European Championships, where she won silver medals in the 800 and 4×400 m relay. Next year she won the 800 m event at the Universiade and placed second at the World Cup. Shortly before the 1980 Olympics, she set her first 800 m world record, running 1:54.85 in Moscow. She improved it in the Olympic final. Olizarenko took a break after the 1980 Olympics. Earlier in 1978 she married the Ukrainian steeplechase runner
Serhiy Olizarenko, and soon after the Olympics gave birth to daughter Oksana. Olizarenko returned to athletics aiming for the 1984 Games, but those were boycotted by the Soviet Union, and she competed at the
Friendship Games instead, placing third over 800 m. In the next two years she won the 1986 European title, placed second at the 1985 European Indoors and European Cup, and third at the 1985 World Cup. At the 1988 Olympics she was eliminated in the semi-finals. She retired from competitions in 1992 and later worked as an athletics coach and administrator in Odesa, Ukraine. On 18 February 2017, aged 63, Olizarenko died from
amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. ==References==