Stefka Kostadinova facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Stefka Kostadinova

Personal information
Native name	Стефка Георгиева Костадинова
Full name	Stefka Georgieva Kostadinova
Nationality	Bulgarian
Born	(1965-03-25) 25 March 1965 (age 60) Plovdiv, Bulgaria
Years active	1985–1997
Height	1.80 m
Weight	60 kg
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 indoor: 2.06 m
Medal record Representing  Bulgaria Olympic Games Gold 1996 Atlanta High jump Silver 1988 Seoul High jump World Championships Gold 1987 Rome High jump Gold 1995 Gothenburg High jump European Championships Gold 1986 Stuttgart High jump World Indoor Championships Gold 1985 Paris High jump Gold 1987 Indianapolis High jump Gold 1989 Budapest High jump Gold 1993 Toronto High jump Gold 1997 Paris High jump European Indoor Championships Gold 1985 Pireaus High Jump Gold 1987 Liévin High Jump Gold 1988 Budapest High Jump Gold 1994 Paris High Jump Silver 1992 Genoa High Jump Goodwill Games Gold 1986 Moscow High Jump IAAF Grand Prix Final Gold 1985 Rome High Jump Gold 1987 Brussels High Jump Gold 1993 London High Jump Silver 1991 Barcelona High Jump IAAF World Cup Gold 1985 Canberra High Jump European Cup Gold 1985 Moscow High Jump Gold 1987 Prague High Jump Silver 1995 Villeneuve d'Ascq High Jump Silver 1996 Madrid High Jump

Stefka Georgieva Kostadinova (Bulgarian: Стефка Георгиева Костадинова) is a famous Bulgarian athlete. She was born on March 25, 1965. Stefka is best known for her amazing skills in the high jump event.

She held the world record for the women's high jump for a very long time. Her record jump was 2.09 meters, set in 1987. This record was only recently broken in 2024. Stefka also won a gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics and was a world champion two times. She also won the World Indoor Championship five times! After her sports career, she became the president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee in 2005.

Stefka's Early Life in Sports

Stefka Kostadinova was born in Plovdiv, a city in Bulgaria. She went to a special school for sports. She first tried high jump when she was about 12 or 13 years old. This happened at an athletics event in Sofia. She has said that day was one she would never forget.

Stefka's Amazing High Jump Career

A plaque at Vasil Levski National Stadium in Sofia, Bulgaria. It remembers Stefka's world record of 2.08 meters from May 31, 1986.

Stefka Kostadinova was the world record holder in women's high jump for many years. She set her famous world record of 2.09 meters at the 1987 World Championships in Athletics in Rome.

She set a total of seven world records during her career. Three of these were outdoors, and four were indoors. Stefka is also known for jumping over 2.00 meters an incredible 197 times!

Olympic and World Wins

Stefka won the gold medal at the 1996 Summer Olympics in Atlanta. She set an Olympic record there by jumping 2.05 meters. She also won a silver medal at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul.

She was a world champion outdoors in 1987 and again in 1995. Stefka also won the World Indoor Championship five times. These wins were in 1985, 1987, 1989, 1993, and 1997.

European Success

Stefka also won gold medals in every European Athletics Championships she competed in. She was a European outdoor champion in Stuttgart in 1986. She also won the European indoor championship four times. These wins were in 1985, 1987, 1988, and 1994.

Because of her many achievements, Stefka was named Sportsperson of the Year in Bulgaria four times. This happened in 1985, 1987, 1995, and 1996.

Stefka's Life Outside of Sports

In 1995, Stefka Kostadinova had a son named Nikolay. This was just a few months before she won a gold medal at the 1995 World Championships. She officially stopped her athletic career in 1999. However, she had not competed in major events since 1997. In 2007, Stefka married a businessman named Nikolai Popvasilev.

Stefka's Role in Sports Leadership

After she stopped competing, Stefka started working in sports management. She became a vice president of the Bulgarian Athletic Federation. She also served as a vice president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee. From 2003 to 2005, she was a deputy sports minister for Bulgaria.

On November 11, 2005, Stefka Kostadinova was chosen as the president of the Bulgarian Olympic Committee. She took over this role from Ivan Slavkov.

Stefka's Major 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

• Bulgaria at the Olympics