Rubuta ci gaba don wannan sakin layi - an haifi Zelentsova a Novorossiysk a ranar 5 ga Agusta 1948. A farkon aikinta, Zelentsova ta yi gasa galibi a tseren mita 100, wani taron da ba ta kai matakin mafi girma na duniya ba; lokacin da tseren mita 400 na mata ya zama babban taron a tsakiyar shekarun 1970, ta canza zuwa sabon taron kuma ta daidaita da shi cikin sauri. A cikin 1976 an yi gwagwarmayar tseren mita 400 na mata a gasar zakarun Soviet a karon farko; Zelentsova ta yi nasara. Daga nan sai ta kasance cikin matsala ta koda, wanda ya buƙaci asibiti kuma ya yi barazanar aikinta; ta dawo da ita kuma ta dawo cikin siffar. Makonni biyu kafin gasar zakarun Turai ta 1978
Zelentsova ya karya tarihin duniya a Podolsk, yana gudu 55.31. A Gasar Zakarun Turai a Prague ta sake karya rikodin, ta lashe a 54.89; wanda ya lashe lambar azurfa, Silvia Hollmann na Jamus ta Yamma, shi ma yana karkashin rikodin duniya na baya.