| Birth Date: | 23 May 1928 |
| Birth Place: | Kursk Oblast, Russia |
| Death Date: | 13 May 2015 (aged 86) |
| Death Place: | Moscow, Russia |
| Sport: | Athletics |
| Event: | 400–1500 m |
| Pb: | 400 m – 55.0 (1955) 800 m – 2:05.0 (1955) |
| Club: | CSKA Moscow |
| Show-Medals: | yes |
Nina Grigoryevna Otkalenko (née Pletnyova; Russian: Нина Григорьевна Откаленко; 23 May 1928 – 13 May 2015) was a Soviet middle-distance runner. She won a European title in the 800 m at the inaugural 1954 European Athletics Championships and set multiple world records in this event in 1951–54. She missed the 1952 and 1956 Olympics, where women's middle-distance events were not part of the program, and the 1960 Olympics due to an injury.
In the 1950s Otkalenko became the most successful record breaker in the women's 800 m event. Starting with a world record of 2:12.0 minutes in 1951, she went on to improve her own 800 metres world record four more times. Spearheading a significant improvement in women's times in the event over her career, her last world record of 2:05.0 minutes in 1955 stood for almost five years, before it was beaten by her compatriot Lyudmila Shevtsova.[1] She ranked number one in the world in the 800 m every year from 1951 to 1958, bar 1956 and 1957 when she ranked second to Lyudmila Lysenko and Yelizaveta Yermolayeva. She also set world records in the pre-IAAF era, with a 400 m record of 55.5 in 1954 and a 1500 m record of 4:37.0 minutes in 1952.[2] [3]
Outside of her European title, she won medals at the World Festival of Youth and Students, twice winning the 800 m title in 1953 and 1955, as well as taking 400 metres silver medals at both those championships.[4] She was highly successful in domestic competition, ending her career with a total of 22 Soviet titles in track and field and cross country disciplines.[5]
| 1953 | World Festival of Youth and Students | Bucharest, Romania | bgcolor=silver | 2nd | 400 m | 56.7 |
| bgcolor=gold | 1st | 800 m | 2:10.5 | |||
| 1954 | European Championships | Bern, Switzerland | bgcolor=gold | 1st | 800 m | 2:08.8 |
| 1955 | World Festival of Youth and Students | Warsaw, Poland | bgcolor=silver | 2nd | 400 m | 55.5 |
| bgcolor=gold | 1st | 800 m | 2:09.4 |