Lyudmila Bragina

Lyudmila Bragina

Lyudmila Bragina in 1972
Personal information
Born	24 July 1943 (1943-07-24) (age 81) Sverdlovsk, Russia
Height	1.65 m (5 ft 5 in)
Weight	57 kg (126 lb)
Sport
Sport	Athletics
Event(s)	1500 m, 3000 m
Club	Dynamo Krasnodar
Achievements and titles
Personal best(s)	1500 m – 4:01.38 (1972) 3000 m – 8:27.12 (1976)
Medal record Representing the Soviet Union Olympic Games 1972 Munich 1500 m European Championships 1974 Rome 3000 m

Lyudmila Ivanovna Bragina (Russian: Людмила Ивановна Брагина, born 24 July 1943) is a retired Russian middle distance runner. She competed for the Soviet Union in the 1500 m at the 1972 and 1976 Olympics; she won the event in 1972 and finished fifth in 1976. In July 1972 she set a new 1500 m world record at the Soviet championships, and then progressively improved it in round 1, semifinal and final of the 1972 Olympics. The same year she was awarded the Order of the Red Banner of Labour. She also set three world records in the 3000 m, in 1972, 1974 and 1976. At the European Championships, Bragina won four silver medals: in the 3,000 m outdoors (1974), and in the 800 m (1970) and 1,500 m indoors (1971–72).

In 1960 Bragina started training in the high jump, and changed to running only in 1964. Born with weak lungs in the cold Urals, she had a career-threatening bout of pneumonia in 1966. After recovering she moved to the south of Russia, in Krasnodar, where she later worked as an athletics coach.

External links

• (Russian) Biography

Records
Preceded by Karin Burneleit	Women's 1500 m World Record Holder 1972-07-18 — 1976-06-28	Succeeded by Tatyana Kazankina
Preceded by Paola Cacchi	Women's 3000 m World Record Holder 12 August 1972 — 24 June 1975	Succeeded by Grete Andersen-Waitz
Preceded by Grete Waitz	Women's 3000 m World Record Holder 7 August 1976 — 25 July 1982	Succeeded by Svetlana Ulmasova
Sporting positions
Preceded by Joyce Smith	Women's 3000 m Best Year Performance 1972	Succeeded by Paola Cacchi
Preceded by Paola Cacchi	Women's 3000 m Best Year Performance 1974	Succeeded by Grete Waitz
Preceded by Grete Waitz	Women's 3000 m Best Year Performance 1976	Succeeded by Grete Waitz