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Through just six seasons as Texas State's head track and field coach, Galina Bukharina has garnered seven Southland Conference Coach of the Year honors as the Bobcats have won a septuplet of Southland Conference championships since she became the university's seventh head coach.
In her first two seasons, Texas State captured consecutive men's indoor and outdoor championships as well as back-to-back women's indoor titles. The team also won the women's outdoor championship in 2004. In 2005 she guided the Bobcats to several individual honors including the women's athlete of the year during the indoor season.
Last year the Bobcats had four athletes capture Southland Conference championships during the indoor meet then Texas State athletes captured another eight titles during the outdoor championships. Texas State had a total of 26 individual and relay all-conference performances in the combined championships in 2006. The Bobcat women posted a third-place finish during the indoor conference meet and were second at the outdoors.
Bukharina is in her 16th season as a member of the Texas State coaching staff and has been a part of 10 Southland Conference team championships. During her six-year tenure as Texas State's head coach, she has mentored 62 individual and relay teams to Southland Conference titles.
She has also had success at the NCAA championships. She mentored Inez Turner to consecutive NCAA national titles in the 800 meters. She has also coached five other All-Americans including hurdlers Keevan Mills and Bridgitte Foster as well as multi-honoree Brian Veal in the jumps. Katya Kostetskaya also earned All-America honors in her first season at Texas State.
Three of Bukharina's former and current athletes represented their respective countries at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. Lyudmila Litvinova , a 2007 graduate of Texas State, currently enrolled in Master`s program at TXST, ran the second leg of the 4x400 meter relay for Russia as they finished the race second earning a silver medal. She is currently ranked 16th in the world in the 400 meters.
Katya Kostetskaya Katya Kostetskaya, a 2007 Graduate, placed third in the semi-final round of the 800 meters finishing in a time of 1:58.33 for Russia. She has a personal-best of 1:56.67 at the Russian Olympic trials in a fifth place finish. She is currently ranked sixth in the world in the 800 meters.
Bridgette Foster, a 1998 graduate, placed sixth in the 100 meter hurdles for Jamaica, finishing in a time of 12.66. She is currently ranked third in the world in the event.
Before Texas State, Bukharina coached in the former Soviet Union where she worked in several different capacities for the national team for over 17 years. She served as the senior coach for the national junior team for five years. In 1980, she was promoted to the national Soviet Union Team as an assistant coach responsible for the sprints, 400 meters and relay events.
For over 14 years she has coached many of the world's top spring and hurdle athletes. She coached the world record-breaking women's 1600 meter relay team that captured the gold medal at the 1988 Olympics.
After the 1988 Olympics, Bukharina coached four Olympic individual gold medalists, two Olympic gold medal relay teams and seven European and World Championships gold medal performers.
Bukharina has been credited with developing four of the most internationally successful athletes from the former Soviet Union as well as the three top finishers in the 400 meters in the 1983 Helsinki World Championships.
She was named the USSR's National Track and Field Olympic Coach of the Year three times from 1980 to 1988.
Bukharina graduated from technical school in the Department of Ekaterinburg in 1967.She later received a degree in physical education and economics from Moscow State University in 1972.
The native of Voronej was the champion of the USSR in the 100 and 200 meters and the 400 meter relay. She represented the USSR in the 1968 Olympics and Mexico City, claiming a bronze medal in the 400 meter relay.
Bukharina has two daughters.
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