Stefka Kostadinova
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| Native name | Стефка Георгиева Костадинова | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Full name | Stefka Georgieva Kostadinova | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Nationality | Bulgarian | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Born |
March 25, 1965 Plovdiv, Bulgaria | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Years active | 1985–1997 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Height | 1.80 m (5 ft 11 in) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Weight | 60 kg (132 lb) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Country |
 Bulgaria | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Sport | Athletics | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Event(s) | High jump | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Turned pro | 1985 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Retired | 1997 | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Achievements and titles | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Olympic finals | 1st (Atlanta, 1996) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Highest world ranking | 1st (Rome, 1987) | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Personal best(s) |
High jump (outdoor): 2.09 m (World Record) High jump (indoor): 2.06 m[1] | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Stefka Georgieva Kostadinova (Bulgarian: Стефка Георгиева Костадинова; born March 25, 1965) is a Bulgarian retired athlete who competed in the high jump. Her world record of 2.09 metres has stood since 1987. She is the 1996 Olympic champion, a two-time World champion and a five-time World Indoor champion. She has been the president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee since 2005.
Early career
Born in Plovdiv, Kostadinova went to a specialist sports school, but was only introduced to high jump in a Year Six (12-13 year olds) athletics meet in Sofia, on a day she is quoted as saying she would never forget (on TransWorldSport interview in 2012). She jumped 1.66m and was informed that it was a world record for her age group; equivalent to the adult female world record in 1941: See Women's high jump world record progression
Career
Kostadinova is the reigning world record holder in the women's high jump at 2.09 m, which she jumped during the 1987 World Championships in Athletics in Rome. Her world record is one of the oldest in modern athletics. Altogether Kostadinova set seven world records - three outdoors and four indoors. She also holds the women's world record for having jumped over 2.00 m 197 times.
Kostadinova won the gold medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta, setting an Olympic record of 2.05 m. She also won a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul. Kostadinova won the outdoor World Championships in 1987 and 1995. She won the World Indoor Championship five times between 1985 and 1997. Kostadinova also won gold in all European Championships in Athletics which she competed. She was a European outdoor champion in Stuttgart in 1986 and a four-time European indoor champion in 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1994.
Kostadinova was voted Sportsperson of the Year in Bulgaria four times (1985, 1987, 1995 and 1996).
Personal life
In 1995 Kostadinova gave birth to her son, Nikolay, just several months before winning gold in the 1995 World Championships in Athletics. In 1999 she divorced her long-standing husband and coach, Nikolay Petrov. The same year she officially put an end to her athletic career, though she had actually not participated in any major sports competition since the World Indoors Championship in 1997.
Sports administration career
After retiring Kostadinova started a career in sports administration. She has served as vice president of the Bulgarian Athletics Federation, vice president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee and was deputy sports minister of Bulgaria from 2003 through 2005.
On November 11, 2005 Kostadinova was elected president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee. She replaced Ivan Slavkov, who was expelled by the International Olympic Committee for violating its standards in ethics.
International competitions
See also
References
External links
| Records | ||
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| Preceded by Lyudmila Andonova |
Women's High Jump World Record Holder June 1, 1986 – |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Sporting positions | ||
| Preceded by Ivan Slavkov |
President of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee November 11, 2005 – |
Succeeded by Incumbent |
| Sporting positions | ||
Preceded by.svg.png){kind=small} Lyudmila Andonova |
Women's High Jump Best Year Performance 1985 – 1988 |
Succeeded by Silvia Costa |
Preceded by Heike Henkel |
Women's High Jump Best Year Performance 1992 – 1993 |
Succeeded by Silvia Costa Inga Babakova Britta Bilač |
| Preceded by Inga Babakova |
Women's High Jump Best Year Performance 1996 – 1997 |
Succeeded by Venelina Veneva |
| Preceded by Lyudmila Andonova |
Women's Bulgarian National Champion 1985 — 1988 |
Succeeded by Rosanel Gogi |
| Preceded by Svetlana Leseva |
Women's Bulgarian National Champion 1991 |
Succeeded by Lyudmila Andonova |
| Preceded by Venelina Veneva |
Women's Bulgarian National Champion 1996 |
Succeeded by Khristina Kalcheva |
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