Olympic 800-meter gold medalist Olizarenko dies at 63

Published Feb. 19, 2017 9:24 a.m. ET

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.