FACTOIDS
Full Name: Tatiana Grigorieva
Nickname: Tatiana
Birthday: October 8, 1975
Height: 5’6”
Hometown: St Petersburg, Russia
Sports: Pole Vault
PROFILE
A former national level 400m hurdler in Russia, Tatiana took up pole vaulting after she migrated to Australia in 1997 with her then fiancé (now husband), fellow vaulter Viktor Chistiakov.
Within 12 months of picking up a pole, she had become one of the world’s best, placing second in the ‘98 Goodwill Games in New York. In her first major championships she won bronze at the ‘99 World Championships.
But it was at the 2000 Olympic Games in Sydney where she came away with her best personal performance, a personal best jump and ‘celebrity status’. In the inaugural women’s pole vault event she won silver with 4.55m. Although Tatiana’s off-field commitments grew she still continuing training and competing and in another superb competitive display she, against the odds due to an injury restricted campaign, equalled her personal best to claim fourth place at the ’01 World Championships in Canada . In the final competition of the season she edged closer to Emma George’s Australian record of 4.60m, with a clearance of 4.56m (a personal best jump) in Yokohama.
At her first Commonwealth Games in ’02, she went into the competition as favourite. Her goal to win gold and a games record – she achieved both.
In 2003, she has her sights set on a successful season in Europe with the World Championships in Paris in August the highlight.
