She had her first title at national level came at the Soviet Indoor Athletics Championships in 1990, when she was the 3000 metres champion. In her international debut she finished fourth in the 3000 m at the 1990 European Athletics Championships, less than a second behind bronze medallist Roberta Brunet. She ranked eleventh on time for that event in 1990 and also ranked sixth in the 1500 m. She continued to focus on the 3000 m the following year and a defence of her Soviet indoor title brought her selection for the 1991 IAAF World Indoor Championships. This led to her first international medal – a bronze close behind Romania's Margareta Keszeg. Her time of 8:51.90 minutes placed her as the third fastest in the world indoors that year, after Keszeg and the world indoor champion Marie-Pierre Duros. Outdoors she was third at the 1991 European Cup, again beaten by Keszeg and also Germany's Uta Pippig.