In 1991, Block won the 100 metres and 200 metres at the
European Junior Championships, along with a silver in the 4 × 400 metres relay while representing the
USSR. In 1992, Block won the European Indoor Championships for 60 m and in 1993 won the bronze medal in the same even at the World Championships in Toronto. She was
1997 World 200 m Champion and
2001 World 100 m champion. She also won 2 World silvers and 3 European silvers in the sprints. In 2001, she was named Person of the Year in Ukraine for Sports, ahead of former heavyweight champion boxer
Wladimir Klitschko and footballer
Andriy Shevchenko. Block was identified by
Victor Conte as allegedly having taken
illegal performance-enhancing drugs supplied by Conte in the
BALCO scandal. In 2011, she was handed a two-year ban from sports for doping violation without a hearing. While never being convicted of using illegal drugs, her results from 30 November 2002 onward were disqualified. Her husband and coach, Mark Block, was given a 10-year ban from sport for receiving performance-enhancing drugs as part of the BALCO scandal. She took part in the 100 and
200 metres races at both the
1996 Summer Olympics and the
2000 Summer Olympics, reaching the final three times. She also took part in the 100 m and
4 × 100 metres relay at the
2004 Olympics. However, she failed to progress to the finals. She has never won an Olympic medal but she managed to finish in fourth place in the 100 m final in Sydney. Her
100 metres personal best time of 10.82 seconds was set in
Edmonton, Alberta, Canada on 6 August 2001. ==Personal life==