Stefka Kostadinova

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 was the 1996 Olympic champion, a twice World champion and five-times a World Indoor champion. She has been the president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee since 2005.[2]

Stefka Kostadinova

Personal information
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 Representing  Bulgaria Olympic Games 1996 Atlanta High jump 1988 Seoul High jump World Championships 1987 Rome High jump 1995 Gothenburg High jump European Championships 1986 Stuttgart High jump World Indoor Championships 1985 Paris High jump 1987 Indianapolis High jump 1989 Budapest High jump 1993 Toronto High jump 1997 Paris High jump European Indoor Championships 1985 Pireaus High Jump 1987 Liévin High Jump 1988 Budapest High Jump 1994 Paris High Jump 1992 Genoa High Jump

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 (5 ft 4)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 distinction of 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 in 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. In 2007 Kostadinova married her companion of some nine years, a businessman in the construction industry, Nikolai Popvasilev.

Sports administration career

After retiring Kostadinova started a career in sports administration. She has served as vice president of the Bulgarian Athletic 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

Year	Competition	Venue	Position	Notes
Representing  Bulgaria
1984	Friendship Games	Prague, Czechoslovakia	4th	1.93 m
1985	World Indoor Games	Paris, France	1st	1.97 m
	European Indoor Championships	Piraeus, Greece	1st	1.97 m
	World Cup	Canberra, Australia	1st	2.00 m
1986	Goodwill Games	Moscow, Soviet Union	1st	2.03 m
	European Championships	Stuttgart, Germany	1st	2.00 m
1987	European Indoor Championships	Liévin, France	1st	1.97 m
	World Indoor Championships	Indianapolis, United States	1st	2.05 m
	World Championships	Rome, Italy	1st	2.09 m WR
1988	European Indoor Championships	Budapest, Hungary	1st	2.04 m
	Olympic Games	Seoul, South Korea	2nd	2.01 m
1989	World Indoor Championships	Budapest, Hungary	1st	2.02 m
1991	World Championships	Tokyo, Japan	6th	1.93 m
1992	European Indoor Championships	Genoa, Italy	2nd	2.02 m
	Olympic Games	Barcelona, Spain	4th	1.94 m
1993	World Indoor Championships	Toronto, Canada	1st	2.02 m
	World Championships	Stuttgart, Germany	15th (q)	1.90 m
1994	European Indoor Championships	Paris, France	1st	1.98 m
1995	World Championships	Gothenburg, Sweden	1st	2.01 m
1996	Olympic Games	Atlanta, United States	1st	2.05 m
1997	World Indoor Championships	Paris, France	1st	2.02 m

See also

• Female two metres club

References

1. Stefka Kostadinova's IAAF profile
2. http://movetoimprove.jimdo.com/activities/local-sport-heroes/bulgaria/

External links

• Stefka Kostadinova at Olympics at Sports-Reference.com (archived)
• Stefka Kostadinova at the International Olympic Committee