Shugurova was born to a Siberian Tatar family in the city of Omsk, in western Siberia. She studied history at the Omsk Pedagogical Institute. Shugurova graduated from the Omsk Institute of Physical Training in 1975.

Shugurova was introduced to rhythmic gymnastics when she was eight years old. Initially, she was more attracted to figure skating and choreography classes.

Shugurova debuted on the world stage as a 15-year-old in Varna, Bulgaria at the 1969 World Championships, winning gold medals in rope and ball. At 15, she made her first appearance at the USSR championships, placing second in the all-around. The following year she won a bronze medal in the USSR Cup competition and was also successful in international competitions in the former Yugoslavia, where the journalists voted her the "most engaging" gymnast.

At the 1973 World Championships in Rotterdam, Netherlands, Shurugova shared the world crown in the all-around with Bulgarian Maria Gigova. She also won gold medals in ribbon, ball and clubs. Both of the ribbon routines at this Championship were to the same music – a piece from Georges Bizet's ballet "Carmen".

Shurugova was the third Soviet rhythmic gymnast to become world all-around champion—after Ludmila Savinkova (1963) and Elena Karpuchina (1967)—and the first ever European all-around champion in 1978.

Shugurova helped create a new rhythmic gymnastics element called the "Shugurova" which consists of tipping or spinning a rolling hoop with the feet during a leap.^[1]

• First ever winner of the European Championships in 1978.

• Galina Shugurova at the International Gymnastics Federation
• Image from Ukraine RG at the Wayback Machine (archived 27 May 2006)
• 1977 USSR Gymnastics Display Galima Shugurova rhythmic hoop on YouTube