Born in Kiev, she enjoyed swimming and table tennis in her youth before moving onto track and field after beating boys in races at school. Her parents agreed to send her to a sports college in the capital in 1994. In her first international competition she won the 400 metres at the European Youth Olympic Festival in 1997. Further medals followed at the 1999 World Youth Championships in Athletics, where she was second to Georgie Clarke in the 800 metres and helped Ukraine to the bronze medal in the sprint medley relay. She began to focus on middle-distance events thereafter.