Galiyeva began competing internationally for the USSR in 1991, sharing in the team gold medal at the 1991 World Championships in Indianapolis.

She exceeded expectations in the preliminary competition, finishing 8th and qualifying for the individual all-around final behind teammates Svetlana Boguinskaya and Tatiana Lysenko.

Her first major meet for Russia was the European Championships in 1996 where she won gold on balance beam, beating such renowned gymnasts as Gina Gogean and former teammate Svetlana Boguinskaya, who was now competing for Belarus.

Galiyeva, along with other gymnasts such as Lavinia Miloșovici, Simona Amânar and Svetlana Khorkina, were distracted by the rowdy American crowd.

However, although she started confidently and at first looked to be a contender for the gold, she fell on a front somersault near the end of her routine and finished in 7th place on that event.