Inessa Kravets grew up in a family with a solid sports tradition. Her
father is a noted volleyball coach. Her mother, a sports teacher, was Inessa's first
coach.
In 1982 Kravets enrolled in the Kyiv Institute of Physical Education
from which she graduated in 1988 with a coaching diploma. While attending the Institute,
she caught the attention of Anatoliy Holubtsov who became her coach.
Kravets won the USSR Championship in the long jump and was selected for
the USSR Olympics team in 1988. She placed 10th at the Seoul Olympics. In 1990 she won a
gold medal at the Goodwill Games in Seattle.
She began training intensively at the triple jump in 1990 when the
International Amateur Athletic Federation recognized this event for women. In 1991 she set
three world records and was undefeated. Her outdoor record of 14.95m improved the mark by
41 cm. She also won a gold medal in the long jump at the World University Games.
At the 1992 Barcelona Olympics Kravets won a silver medal in the long
jump. The triple jump was still not a recognized event for women by the International
Olympics Committee.
In 1993, Kravets won a gold medal and set a new world record in triple
jump at the World Indoor Championships. That summer she received a three-month suspension
for the use of stimulants.
The prestigious publication Track & Field News provides
annual rankings which are based on performance, consistency, level of competition, and
similar criteria. Kravets has been rated as follows: long jump: 1988 - 6; 1992 - 2; 1993 -
9; 1994 - 3; 1995 - 4; and triple jump: 1991 - 1; 1992 - 3; 1993 - 5; 1994 - 3; 1995 - 2.
On August 10, 1995, at the World Championships in Goteborg, Sweden,
Kravets leaped an astounding 15.50m in the triple jump to establish a new world record,
yet another improvement of 41cm. She thus became the first woman to break triple jumping's
48-, 49-, and 50-foot barriers. Track & Field News rated the world record jump
as the "Performance of the Year."
Kravets looked forward to Atlanta. It was the first time in Olympic
history that women were to compete in the triple jump.
