She is one of the most successful athletes in the disciplines, having won gold medals at Olympic, world and European levels.

[1] Her first successes came in the triple jump in 2000, when she won European Indoor gold medal and a silver at the 2000 Sydney Olympics.

[3] In 2005, she missed the World Championships due to injury, but became the sole winner of the IAAF Golden League jackpot, a bonus of US$1 million awarded to athletes who win their event at each of six designated European summer meets.

[1] Lebedeva excelled at the 2005 IAAF Golden League, receiving the entire jackpot prize of US$1 million.

She announced that she was pregnant for a second time in 2010 (choosing to skip the 2011 season),[5] and gave birth to a second daughter (Aleksandra) in November.