Background
Olinekova grew up in Toronto, attending Alderwood High School and Ryerson Polytechnic Institute.
Olinekova grew up in Toronto, attending Alderwood High School and Ryerson Polytechnic Institute.
She later turned to distance running and became a world-class marathoner. She set the Canadian women"s marathon record four times between 1977 and 1979. She also posted a time of 2:36:12 in the Fiesta Bowl Marathon in Scottsdale, Arizona on December 1, 1979.
Olinekova moved to Westlake Village, California to train for the first women's Olympic marathon in 1984.
However, she was seriously injured in a car accident. Not only did she miss out on the Olympics, but her running career was ended as well.
Olinekova only competed once as a bodybuilder, in the Frank Zane Invitational on June 28, 1980. However, she had a significant impact on the sport due to her amazing quadriceps and calf development.
(Wennerstrom, 2004) Her amazing legs earned her national coverage in 1981, when she was the subject of a feature article in Sports Illustrated called "Greatest Legs To Ever Stride The Earth".
(Levin, 1981)
Later in 1981, Olinekova appeared on the cover of the magazine New West, photographed by art photographer Helmut Newton. The photograph was one of several by Newton that ran under the heading "Strong Women: A Portfolio of California"s Super Athletes".
