 Nazarova competed for the Soviet Union at the 1987 World Championships in Rome, finishing eighth in the 400 metres final and winning a silver medal in the 4 x 400m relay, with 400m gold medallist Olga Bryzgina, Aelita Yurchenko and Mariya Pinigina.She went on to compete for the Soviet Union at the 1988 Summer Olympics held in Seoul, winning the bronze medal in the 400 metres.She then joined with gold medalist Olga Bryzgina, 400m hurdles silver medalist Tatyana Ledovskaya and Mariya Pinigina to win gold in the 4 × 400 m relay.