Marina Stepanova

Marina Ivanovna Stepanova, born Makejewa (Russian Марина Ивановна Степанова - Макеева; born May 1, 1950 in Myaglovo, Leningrad Oblast ) is a former Russian track and field athlete, who took for the Soviet Union. At a height of 1.67 m her competition weight was 60 kg.

Marina Stepanova three times improved the world record in the 400 - meter hurdles. On her last world record she was 36 years and 139 days old and therefore the hitherto oldest world record holder in the history of athletics.

Under her birth name Makejewa the PE teacher took part in the European Championships 1978 in Prague. As the Sixth in the semi-final with 57.89 seconds she could not qualify for the final itself. On 27 July 1979, she was Soviet champion in Moscow and presented it with 54.78 seconds set a new world record. Then she married in December 1981 and her daughter Marina was born.

In 1984 she was at the Soviet Championships runner-up in 55.28 seconds. In 1985, she won for the second time after 1979 the Soviet championship, this time in 54.37 seconds. In 1986 she was champion in 53.84 seconds again. At the European Championships in 1986 in Stuttgart she won her lead in 54.68 seconds in the semifinals to set a new championship record of 53.83 seconds at. In the final on 30 August 1986, she ran 53.32 seconds world record and won the title against the former world record holder Sabine Busch from the GDR, which remained on their previous world record in 53.60 seconds and only 5 hundredths of a second. On September 17, Marina Stepanova ran as a guest in the semi-final at the Spartakiade of under 23 year olds in Tashkent and improved her world record of 52.94 seconds.

Bests

• 200 meters: 23.55 seconds (1986 )
• 400 meters: 51.25 seconds (1980 )
• 400 meters hurdles: 52.94 seconds (1986 )
• 800 meters: 1:59,8 minutes ( 1980)