She won a gold medal at the 1988 Olympic Games as a member of the Soviet team and finished fourth in the all-around final at the 1987 World Championships.

Individually, she finished 13th in the team competition but did not qualify for the all-around final (top 36) as she was the fourth ranked Soviet and the limit was three gymnasts per nation.

[2] Baitova won a team silver medal and finished fourth in the all-around final at the 1987 World Championships.

She also finished fourth in three of the four event finals; vault, uneven bars and floor exercise.

[2][4] In 2002, she was hired to coach in Qatar on a five-year contract, but returned after 11 months because she could not tolerate the hot climate.