Rawilja Agletdinowa

Ravilya Agletdinova (; married name Kotovich; 10 February 1960 – 25 June 1999) was a Soviet middle-distance runner who competed in 800 metres, 1500 metres and 3000 metres events.

She was the 1500 m gold medallist at the 1986 European Athletics Championships and appeared three times at the World Championships in Athletics, her best finish being fourth in 1983. In lower level competitions, she was the winner of the 1985 European Cup in an unbeaten championship record and took silver medals at the IAAF World Cup, Friendship Games and Goodwill Games.

She was a three-time champion at the Soviet Athletics Championships. Her personal bests for the 800 m (1:56.24 minutes) and 1500 m (3:58.40 minutes) remain the Belarusian records for the distance. Her daughter Maryna Arzamasava is also a runner. Agletdinova died in a traffic accident in 1999.

Career

Early career Agletdinova was born in Kurgan-Tyube in the Tajik SSR of the Soviet Union. then was selected for the 1982 European Athletics Championships as a result, where she reached the semi-finals.

Agletdinova dipped under four minutes for the 1500 m in Birmingham in 1983, setting a new best of 3:59.31 minutes. Still, her time that year ranked her as the world's second fastest 1500 m athlete for the season behind Decker. She remained among the world's best in the 1984, but the Olympic boycott meant she only competed at the Friendship Games, where she was the 1500 m silver medallist behind fellow Soviet Nadezhda Ralldugina.

European and national titles She reached the top of the national scene in 1985 by winning a middle-distance double at the Soviet Athletics Championships. A more tactical race came at the 1985 IAAF World Cup towards the end of the season and she was beaten into second place by East Germany's Hildegard Körner.

Agletdinova (setting a time of 3:59.84 minutes) was runner-up over 1500 m to Tatyana Samolenko at the Soviet Championships in 1986, and the pair repeated that placing at the Goodwill Games in Moscow, leaving Agletdinova as silver medallist. Both were the favoured athletes for that distance at the 1986 European Athletics Championships held the following month and Agletdinova turned the positions around. With a final lap of 59 seconds, she took the European title with a time of 4:01.19 minutes ahead of her compatriot as well as Doina Melinte (800 m champion and fastest that year). After this she took a break from athletics and after marrying she had a daughter around 1988.

After the dissolution of the Soviet Union, she began competing for Belarus internationally. She ran in both the 1500 m and 3000 m in her country's first appearance at the 1993 World Championships in Athletics, but the 33-year-old did not progress beyond the heats.

For her achievements, she was honoured as Master of Sport of the Republic of Belarus by presidential decree. Following her retirement from athletics she worked in Minsk for the marketing department of Delo magazine. On 25 June 1999, she died after a traffic accident near Žlobin in Belarus at the age of 39. After her death a track and field meeting in Minsk was created in her honour: the Ravilya Agletdinova Memorial. Her daughter Maryna Arzamasava competed in the meeting and won the 600 metres race. Arzamasava later won the 800 m European title, following in her mother's footsteps.

Personal bests 800 metres: 1:56.1 minutes (1982, hand-timed)/1:56.24 minutes (1985, automatic) 1500 metres: 3:58.40 minutes (1985) 3000 metres: 8:46.86 minutes (1990)

National titles Soviet Athletics Championships 800 m: 1985 1500 m: 1985 3000 m: 1990

International competitions