Who holds the women's long jump world record of 7.52 m?

Who holds the women’s long jump world record of 7.52 m? Galina Chistyakova holds it.

Galina Chistyakova set the women’s long jump world record with a leap of 7.52 metres on 11 June 1988 in Leningrad, then part of the Soviet Union. The mark remains the official outdoor world record and is one of the longest-standing records in elite athletics.

Chistyakova was born in Izmail in the Ukrainian SSR and competed first for the Soviet Union before later representing Slovakia. Her career included success beyond the long jump: she was also a world-class triple jumper and set a former world best of 14.52 metres in that event in 1989.

The record is often confused with performances by other famous long jumpers. Heike Drechsler and Jackie Joyner-Kersee both exceeded 7.40 metres, while Tatyana Lebedeva became a major championship winner, but none surpassed Chistyakova’s 7.52 m. Chistyakova won Olympic bronze in 1988 and the 1989 World Indoor title.