Yelyzaveta “Liza” Zemlianikina: Ukraine’s Emerging Sprint Hurdles Star

At a Glance

Full Name: Yelyzaveta Zemlianikina (Ukrainian: Єлизавета Землянікіна)
Date of Birth: April 12, 2006
Age: 19
Nationality: Ukrainian
Events: 100m Hurdles, 60m Hurdles
Current World Ranking: #738 (Women’s 100m Hurdles)

Introduction

In the proud tradition of Ukrainian athletics excellence, a new generation of talent continues to emerge despite the extraordinary challenges facing the nation. Among these rising stars is Yelyzaveta “Liza” Zemlianikina, a young sprint hurdler who has been steadily climbing the ranks of Ukrainian athletics since her youth career began during some of the most turbulent years in her country’s modern history.

Born on April 12, 2006, Zemlianikina represents the future of Ukrainian hurdling—a discipline that has produced numerous successful athletes for the blue and yellow over the decades. Still just 19 years old, she has already demonstrated the technical proficiency and competitive fire that mark a hurdler with genuine potential at the international level.

Early Career and Development

Zemlianikina’s athletics career began to take shape during her early teenage years, a period that coincided with unprecedented upheaval in Ukraine. Her first recorded international competition came in January 2022, when she competed as part of a Ukrainian 4x200m relay team at a meet held at the KMSHVSM Arena in Kyiv. That relay squad clocked 1:43.75—an impressive showing that hinted at the young sprinter’s potential.

The timing of her emergence into competitive athletics could not have been more challenging. Just weeks after that January 2022 relay performance, Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine began, throwing the entire nation—including its sporting infrastructure—into crisis. Yet like so many Ukrainian athletes, Zemlianikina and her peers pressed on, finding ways to train and compete even as their homeland faced existential threats.

By early 2023, Zemlianikina was beginning to focus more seriously on the hurdles, an event that requires not just pure speed but also exceptional rhythm, technique, and courage. In February 2023, she recorded a 7.88 in the 60 meters at the KMSHVSM Arena in Kyiv, demonstrating the raw foot speed that serves as the foundation for any successful hurdler.

Youth International Experience

A significant milestone in Zemlianikina’s development came in September 2023, when she represented Ukraine at an international youth competition held in Sivas, Turkey. This meet—part of the traditional series of competitions between Ukrainian, Turkish, and other national youth teams—provided invaluable experience on the international stage. As part of the Ukrainian 4x100m relay contingent, she helped her team clock 48.07 seconds, a solid performance that demonstrated her ability to perform under the pressure of international competition.

These trilateral youth competitions between Ukraine, Turkey, and Belarus (later modified due to the war) have historically served as important developmental platforms for young Ukrainian athletes. Many of Ukraine’s current senior stars, including the incomparable Yaroslava Mahuchikh, gained early international experience through similar events. For Zemlianikina, the Sivas meet represented a crucial step in her progression from domestic competitor to international athlete.

Breakthrough Performances (2024-2025)

The 2024-2025 period has marked a clear breakthrough in Zemlianikina’s career, with significant improvements in her personal bests and consistent performances at Ukrainian national competitions.

Indoor Season 2025

The 2025 indoor season saw Zemlianikina achieve a significant personal milestone. On February 18, 2025, competing at the KMSHVSM Arena in Kyiv, she clocked an impressive 8.60 in the 60m hurdles. This performance represented a substantial improvement and demonstrated that her technical development over the hurdles was progressing nicely. The mark earned her 1028 points on the World Athletics scoring tables—a solid result for an athlete still firmly in the U20 age category.

Her performance at the Ukrainian U20 Indoor Championships that same month confirmed her status as one of the top young hurdlers in the country, positioning her for selection to represent Ukraine at international age-group competitions.

Outdoor Season 2025

Zemlianikina carried her indoor momentum into the outdoor season. On June 6, 2025, she established a new personal best of 13.68 in the 100m hurdles, a mark that scored 1060 points on the World Athletics tables. This performance represented the culmination of years of technical work and physical development, and it positioned her among the promising young hurdlers in European athletics.

Personal Bests

Competition History Highlights

Zemlianikina’s competitive record, while still developing, shows a young athlete gaining experience at progressively higher levels:

• January 2022: Competed in 4x200m relay at indoor meet in Kyiv (1:43.75)
• February 2023: Recorded 7.88 in 60m at Kyiv indoor competition
• September 2023: Represented Ukraine at youth international in Sivas, Turkey; competed in 4x100m relay (48.07)
• February 2025: Set indoor PB of 8.60 in 60m hurdles at Ukrainian Indoor Championships, Kyiv
• June 2025: Established outdoor PB of 13.68 in 100m hurdles

Training and Development

Like many Ukrainian athletes, Zemlianikina has had to adapt to the challenging circumstances created by the ongoing war. The KMSHVSM Arena in Kyiv—where she has recorded several of her personal bests—has served as a crucial training and competition venue for Ukrainian athletics during the conflict. Despite the disruptions caused by air raids, infrastructure damage, and the general uncertainties of life during wartime, Ukrainian coaches and athletes have shown remarkable resilience in maintaining their training programs and competitive schedules.

The Ukrainian Athletics Federation has worked diligently to ensure that young athletes like Zemlianikina continue to have opportunities to develop their talents, organizing domestic competitions and facilitating participation in international events whenever possible. This commitment to maintaining athletic development during wartime speaks to the deep importance of sport in Ukrainian culture and the determination of the athletics community to preserve normalcy for its young people.

Looking Ahead

At 19, Zemlianikina is at an exciting juncture in her athletic career. She remains eligible for U20 competition through the end of 2025, positioning her for potential selection to Ukrainian teams at major age-group championships. The 2025 European Athletics U20 Championships, held in Tampere, Finland from August 7-10, represents exactly the kind of major international stage where a young athlete can announce herself to the broader athletics world.

Her current personal best of 13.68 in the 100m hurdles, while not yet at the very top of the European U20 rankings, demonstrates that she is competitive at the continental level. Continued development of her technique—particularly her three-step rhythm between hurdles and her clearance mechanics—could see her times drop significantly in the coming years.

The path from promising junior to established senior international is never guaranteed, but Zemlianikina possesses several qualities that suggest she has real potential for growth: she has demonstrated consistent improvement year-over-year, she has experience in relay competition that builds team-sport mentality and pressure management, and she has already shown she can perform at international meets away from home.

The Ukrainian Hurdling Tradition

Zemlianikina joins a lineage of Ukrainian hurdlers that has produced numerous successful athletes at the international level. Ukraine has a proud history in the hurdle events, and the current generation of young athletes carries the responsibility of continuing that tradition. Athletes like Iryna Herashchenko in the high jump/heptathlon and Anna Ryzhykova in the 400m hurdles have shown that Ukrainian women can compete at the very highest levels of international hurdling.

The 100m hurdles, in particular, requires a unique combination of sprint speed, technical precision, and competitive courage—qualities that are often developed over many years of patient training and competition. For Zemlianikina, the foundation is being laid now for what could be a long and successful career in the event.

Conclusion

Yelyzaveta “Liza” Zemlianikina embodies the hope and determination of a new generation of Ukrainian athletes. Rising through the ranks during a period of unprecedented challenge for her country, she has steadily improved her performances and demonstrated the commitment required for success at the highest levels.

While she is still early in her competitive journey, the trajectory is encouraging. Her personal bests continue to fall, her experience base grows with each competition, and she has shown the ability to perform on international stages. For Ukrainian athletics fans, Zemlianikina represents exactly the kind of young talent that ensures the sport’s bright future in the country—regardless of the obstacles that must be overcome.

As she continues her development over the coming years, transitioning from junior to senior competition, the athletics community will be watching with interest. In the demanding discipline of sprint hurdles, natural talent must be refined through years of dedicated technical work. If Zemlianikina continues on her current path of steady improvement, she may well emerge as one of the faces of Ukrainian athletics in the years to come.