 svetlana alexandrovna masterkova (; born 17 january 1968 in achinsk) is a russian former middle distance runner and current world record holder for the mile. at the 1996 summer olympics, she won the gold medal in both the 800 and 1,500 metres. ==career== born in achinsk (siberia), masterkova started out as an 800 meter runner. her breakthrough came in 1991, winning the national championships of the soviet union, which also qualified her for the world championships. in tokyo, she placed eighth in the final. during the following seasons, she had some minor successes (silver at the iaaf world indoor championships in athletics in 1993), but also suffered from injuries. in 1994 and 1995, she took a break from running, giving birth to a daughter (anastasia). in 1996, she returned to athletics. instead of only running the 800 meter, masterkova also decided to compete in the 1500 metres, a distance she had not competed in for years. at the russian championships, she won both distances in top times. however, she was not considered as a real favour
1968_births Athletes_(track_and_field)_at_the_1996_Summer_Olympics Athletes_(track_and_field)_at_the_2000_Summer_Olympics European_Athletics_Championships_medalists Female_middle-distance_runners Living_people Olympic_athletes_of_Russia Olympic_gold_medalists_for_Russia Olympic_medalists_in_athletics_(track_and_field) People_from_Achinsk Recipients_of_the_Order_of_Merit_for_the_Fatherland,_3rd_class Russian_middle-distance_runners Russian_sportswomen World_Championships_in_Athletics_medalists World_record_holders_in_athletics_(track_and_field)